Mustafa Ali pledges to donate his WWE Crown Jewel earnings to charity
While this Thursday's WWE Crown Jewel looks to be one of the biggest shows of the year, it's not without controversy. However, one WWE Superstar plans to put a positive twist on the situation.
In a Twitter post this afternoon, WWE Superstar Mustafa Ali - who will face his former tag team partner and Saudi native Monsoor at Crown Jewel - pledged to donate all his earnings from the event to charity.
Earnings from the 10/21 event will be donated to charity.
WWE Crown Jewel is a controversial event
though i wish some of the circumstances were different, i’m still thankful that for the first time ever two muslims will have a singles match on a wwe ppv. i’m thankful that for one night, @KSAMANNY and i get to be what we wanted to see growing up. https://t.co/9Ym22RCNap
While WWE had been presenting shows in Saudi Arabia since 2014, it wasn't until 2018 - the year the very first Crown Jewel was held - that the pairing of Vince McMahon's WWE and the Saudi Crown Prince began to raise some eyebrows.
That year, WWE held the Greatest Royal Rumble event at King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in April. The show was the first as part of a 10-year contract WWE signed with the country in what was called a "strategic multi-platform partnership" with the Saudi General Sports Authority.
Later that year, it was revealed that Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a reporter who had been highly critical of the Saudi government, was discovered to have been murdered by Saudi agents inside the Saudi Arabia embassy in Turkey.
The international outcry made its way to WWE, who were only a month away from putting on the first Crown Jewel event. WWE was highly pressured to cancel the event and, while the show would go on, many WWE Superstars boycotted the trip out of protest.
With Monsoor a major draw for the Saudi Arabia event, Ali's match with him is one of the most important bouts on the card - and one that would have a major negative effect on his career if he pulled out. So, his decision to donate his earnings to charity is a classy move.