Former WWE Co-President Explains Decision To Work With Saudi Arabia After Jamal Khashoggi Murder
In 2018, WWE announced a ten-year deal with Saudi Arabia to run events in the country. The deal started with the Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018.
A return date was set for November 2018, but in October 2018, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey and never exited. The CIA concluded that Khashoggi was murdered on orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
WWE paused ticket sales for Crown Jewel after the news, but ultimately still held the event in the country.
George Barrios, the former WWE co-President, released his book “Sometimes Wrong but Never in Doubt: How a Cuban Kid from Queens Transformed WWE” and he detailed (via POST Wrestling) the negotiations with Saudi at this time.
“Our negotiations dragged on because the Saudis are notorious hagglers. By 2018, despite having made great progress, we were struggling to get the deal over the finish line. Complicating matters was the disappearance of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
“As outraged as I was by what happened, I still defy anyone to argue they understand who was truly at fault. All I know is that on our end, Khashoggi’s disappearance called into question our deal with the Saudis.
“Vince (McMahon), Michelle (Wilson), and I spent a great deal of time debating the pros and cons of moving forward. Vince in particular was deeply uncomfortable with the uncertainty surrounding the events.
“In my opinion, we couldn’t walk out on the deal. It was too worthwhile for WWE. But Vince kept shaking his head. “This thing with Khashoggi. Doing the deal could be the biggest risk we’ve ever taken with the company.”
“‘Vince, listen to me’, I said. ‘I understand how serious this is. But no one really knows what’s going on.'”
Michelle Wilson was the co-President alongside Barrios. Both were let go by the company in January 2020. They returned to the board of directors in January 2023.
Barrios is among the defendants in the ongoing WWE shareholder lawsuit, which is scheduled to begin trial this Monday in the Delaware Court of Chancery.
