Vince McMahon comments on WWE's impact and influence in Saudi Arabia.
In 2018, WWE entered into a partnership with the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia to hold premium live events in the country. The first of these shows took place in April 2018 and in the time since then, six additional events have occurred. In 2019, they agreed to extend their partnership until 2027 which will see two "large-scale" events each year.
During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, McMahon spoke about WWE's presence in Saudi Arabia and whether or not he knew the shows would be successful. Despite the cultural differences, Vince says that WWE is a type of entertainment that fits everywhere.
"Saudi is no different than any other people, WWE fans all over the world. I've known for years (they are fans). We've had a presence there for years. There is no place in the world we don't have a presence. Saudi fans are really enthusiastic like they are everywhere else. It was an opportunity to play before the audience. People love Western culture all over the world. They don't love our government, but they love Western culture. Our form of entertainment with WWE fits everything. It's larger than life. It fits everything imaginable like, 'Oh my God,' the spectacle of it. It fits everywhere. We translate it to 40 languages or something like that. Even if it's just English. You get it, you understand. Saudi is no different. People are people. Cultures are cultures and you have to respect that. Just because we as Americans, 'this is the way we should do this. The whole world should be like us. We know the way and any other way is not the right way.' Come on. Culture has been around for thousands of years. Long before us," he said.
The most recent WWE event in Saudi Arabia was Elimination Chamber on February 19, 2022. On that day, Brock Lesnar won the WWE Championship, setting up a Title vs. Title Match versus Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38.
Elsewhere during the interview, Vince revealed that he will be inducting The Undertaker into the WWE Hall of Fame. Click here to learn more.
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