5 top WWE stars who will not be traveling to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel

#4 Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn

WWE's first event in Saudi Arabia took place in 2018, and was called The Greatest Royal Rumble. The PPV featured the biggest Royal Rumble match in company history, which was won by Braun Strowman, but noticeably absent from the event was WWE star Sami Zayn.

Prior to The Greatest Royal Rumble PPV, Ryan Satin reported that WWE made the call to keep Zayn off the PPV in order to "respect the local culture in Saudi Arabia." Zayn has Syrian roots, and given the strained relationship between Saudi Arabia and Syria since the Syrian Civil War in 2012, WWE decided it would be better if Sami Zayn did not appear at the PPV.

"WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs and cultural differences around the world," WWE said in a statement released after the decision was made to keep Zayn off The Greatest Royal Rumble.

Since the first WWE event in Saudi Arabia, Sami Zayn has not appeared at any of the WWE shows in the country, and next week's Crown Jewel PPV will be no different. Recently, Zayn has been the mouthpiece for Shinsuke Nakamura, who will be part of Team Flair at the Crown Jewel PPV next week, but do not expect Zayn to be accompanying the Intercontinental Champion to the ring.