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Disclaimer: This is an opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.
This Friday, WWE is set to hold a historic event: The Greatest Royal Rumble. It's will host around 60,000 people in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It's an important event for WWE for several reasons. For one, it's a long-term plan for WWE in trying to expand into the Saudi Arabian market. They'll be trying to secure a juicy television deal from the largest country in the Middle East.
There's been criticism towards WWE in the fact that there are no women performing, especially with WWE pushing The Women's Evolution hard for the past few years. However, one should note that WWE isn't at fault in this case, as it's simply a result of the laws of Saudi Arabia. The harsh reality is that it's not going to change anytime soon.
Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss performed in Abu Dabhi late last year, making it the first time women in WWE have ever performed in a Middle Eastern country. Without a doubt, it was a great achievement for WWE and for both Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss. You could see Sasha Banks' expression after the match, teary-eyed, and just how much it meant to her.
Although they were made to cover up their skin, for many who live in Asia, it came as a surprise that WWE made a big deal out of the women performing in Abu Dabhi. After all, United Arab Emirates is one of the most lenient countries in the middle east and isn't as notorious as Saudi Arabia in the suppression of women's rights.
There's a fair argument that WWE should have refused to perform in Saudi Arabia for not allowing women, and it would have been positive PR for them. However, one needs to understand that WWE is a business. They'll look for every way possible to be profitable. And the fact that the event is being funded by the Royal family themselves, it's an obvious decision for the company.
The rumour is that WWE is being paid $20 Million for the event. There's no confirmation of anything, but it can't be denied that the WWE is being paid a truckload of money for this event. All said and done, it's a business decision and not having women in the event is going to be something that's easily forgotten about.
And if you think about the bigger picture, it's not like the WWE is going to stop pushing and promoting the female Superstars. If anything, it's going to be the complete opposite with a name like Ronda Rousey in the company. The fact that she's the company's biggest mainstream star says volumes. One would not b wrong to expect the WWE to start pushing the women more and more in order to justify Ronda's push.
And the fact that Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair are being kept apart in different brands just makes you think, perhaps the rumours of Rousey vs Charlotte at WrestleMania 35 are in fact, true. So if you're bothered about WWE not having women in Saudi Arabia and think it's hypocritical, consider their point of view. It's really not! It's just business.
After all, Saudi Arabia is just one country and the women's evolution has been one of WWE's key global PR factors over the past few years. On a global scale and grand scheme of things, that's not going to change. The rapid progression of the women's division and the Women's Royal Rumble this year has only shown that WWE is in it for the long run.
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