3 alternate locations for WWE Crown Jewel
There have been rumours that WWE management is looking to cancel WWE Crown Jewel after a storm of negative press hit Saudi Arabia.
With fans clamouring for WWE to cancel the event over alleged Saudi Arabian human rights violations, the WWE might go in a different direction, choosing to change the location instead of cancelling.
Cancelling the event may be harder than most fans realise because of the amount of money the Saudi Arabian government has already poured into the event. They even got to decide which legends they wanted to see at the event.
The name Crown Jewel was also chosen in respect to Saudi Arabia, as the nation is widely regarded as the Crown Jewel of the Arab world. With those facts in mind, we take a look at some of the countries WWE might choose to move the event to if the political tension between the US and Saudi Arabia does not dissipate soon.
For a nation to appear on this list, it should have a good relationship with the US, to avoid politics further complicating the event.
#Bonus: Postponing instead of cancelling
WWE may choose to push it to a later date instead of cancelling, in recognition of the amount of money the Saudi Arabian government has already sunk into the event. Postponing it may give the company time to flesh out their storylines a bit more, and increase fan involvement in the storylines.
International politics is mainly a wait and see game, and postponing it gives the WWE enough cover should the political fallout be too great. The final decision rests in the hands of Vince McMahon, who has a close personal relationship with Donald Trump, which might affect what the WWE chooses to do.
At the end of the day, Vince McMahon always does what's best for business.
#3 Nigeria
Africa's most populous nation is a good location for WWE Crown Jewel because it has the facilities to hold such an event, and a large population of WWE fans. WWE has a significant presence in Africa, but they usually limit their African appearances to South Africa.
The company already has a contract with the continent's most prominent sports content provider - SuperSports, and such an event would raise the profile of both companies.
South Africa already has a well established wrestling industry, which led to the emergence of stars such as Justin Gabriel. WWE choosing to increase their presence on the continent, going to more countries, may lead to more African athletes appearing in the WWE.
With the success of both Justin Gabriel, and Kofi Kingston from Ghana, more African athletes could venture into the WWE. It would improve the public image of the company, which in the past has received some heat for the lack of diversity on its roster, particularly among the champions. WWE Crown Jewel Nigeria may open up the continent to more wrestling events in the future.