The 4 most controversial WWE moments of 2018
The WWE is the biggest name in Pro-Wrestling and presumably will remain that way for years. There's a reason for this: branding. Constantly shifting, the WWE has catered its brand to bring in new audiences, whilst satisfying the current and past ones.
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But even a company that tries to be as family-friendly as WWE, can't escape controversy. In this feature, we look back at four moments in 2018, where the WWE caused a media uproar.
#1 The Greatest Royal Rumble bans women AND Sami Zayn
The Greatest Royal Rumble event was a huge deal for WWE. The first venture into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the lucrative deal between the two is a monumental shift from the conservative, traditional views of the nation.
However, in the weeks leading up to the show, there was a question: Would women Superstars perform at the event?
Sadly, the answer was no, as the strict laws in Saudi Arabia against women forbade it. WWE agreeing to this did not sit well with fans, especially when WWE has been trying to boost their representation of women as truly equal to their male counterparts.
But the female Superstars weren't the only ones affected. Male RAW superstar Sami Zayn was also left off the shows, due to his Syrian heritage.
It really did dirty WWE's (relatively) clean image, that despite their best efforts to be seen as inclusive, they were willing to leave half their roster at home.
In a statement, the company said they hoped to be the start of a change in Saudi Arabia, but whether that change will come, only time will tell...