Another big name is off the card.
John Cena and Daniel Bryan have been written out of a WWE event in Saudi Arabia this week after refusing to participate.
The WWE announced last week that it would be going ahead with the event as planned, despite the apparent killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Despite describing the incident as a heinous crime, the organisation announced that: “Similar to other US-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event.”
However, the WWE has been forced to write two major stars out of proceedings for the Saudi event. Bobby Lashley has taken Cena’s place on the card, and Daniel Bryan’s scheduled title match with AJ Styles was pushed forward to Tuesday night’s SmackDown. The two faced off last night, with Styles retaining his title.
No female wrestlers are allowed to participate at the Saudi event.
There are still several major names on the card, including Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, Seth Rollins, Dolph Zigler, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio.
The Crown Jewel event is set to take place in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on 2 November.
