There’s no word yet on what the pay is for WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble event from Saudi Arabia because as of a few days ago, it still had not come in. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that nobody knew about pay ahead of time besides the top talents who made one-shot deals.
PWInsider and Jerry Lawler’s podcast have noted before that WWE was expected to pay their female talents for the Greatest Royal Rumble event, even though they were unable to work the show due to the culture in Saudi Arabia. The Observer reports that none of the female Superstars have been paid for the show yet and they are not expecting to be paid. It’s still possible that the female talents are paid for the event but it would be a surprise to them if it does happen.
WWE received a lot of negative feedback from fans and others in the business for running the Saudi Arabia event without female talents, especially with the way they have been pushing the women’s revolution. WWE Co-President Michelle Wilson defended the decision during the recent WWE earnings call.
“I think everyone is familiar with the fact that we have obviously been very vocal about our female performers and re-branding them as Superstars,” Wilson said. “We feel really good about our continued commitment on that front. There are many countries around the world where we perform and we’re respectful to the cultures there but we certainly hope to be a part of the change moving forward.”
Wilson added that WWE is onboard for the long-haul as they have 10 years to work with the Kingdom under the current deal.
“We’re proud and happy with how the event went,” Wilson added. “And we will continue to treat those cultures respectfully while hoping to be a part of some of the change that will be taking place.”
Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
