“Cash Rules Everything Around Me” -Wu-Tang Clan
All things considered, nothing should truly be shocking within the world of professional wrestling. When Bruiser Brody was killed by Jose Gonzalez in the dressing room before a card in Puerto Rico, the show went on as planned because Carlos Colon wasn’t going to risk the box office. When Owen Hart tragically died from an accident while he was being lowered to the ring in 1999, even with blood stains on the canvas, the next match was sent to the ring because Vince McMahon wasn’t going to have to refund those pay-per-view orders at a time when PPV money was the biggest revenue stream in the business.
It’s not just the pro wrestling business, it’s the harsh nature of live entertainment, “the show must go on” even if it probably shouldn’t.
That’s why somehow, despite the history of general disregard for the health and safety that the sports entertainment industry had for its performers, it’s still surprising that the Night of Champions pay-per-view, one of the shows a part of the extremely lucrative deal with the Saudi Arabian government, is still being promoted on WWE Raw to take place this Saturday.
The pay-per-view, which is being held in conjunction with a Smackdown broadcast the day prior, was thought to be in doubt after the military strikes that took place in that region of the world over the weekend. Iran, a country with a long history of tension with the United States and other western nations, traded air strikes with Israel because of Iran’s continued development of nuclear weapons, a very delicate scenario that past administrations have tried to deal with using an approach that wouldn’t involve a military conflict.
In the modern era, everyone has a political opinion, regardless of if that are qualified or not, but I have to say that regardless of what side of the political argument anyone aligns with, military action isn’t something that should be taken lightly. The brave men and women that serve the country risk their lives to follow the orders, regardless of the administration, with the goal to protect the United States. The troops aren’t there to let their own political beliefs dictate their jobs, they simply do what they’re asked to do because they are serving the nation. Of course, by extension, those troops help others in different countries around the world with noble intentions.
The reason I mention that is that the entire situation is very difficult, and I’m not sure if any option was entirely positive or negative. On one hand, getting America involved in a foreign war creates its own set of problems, but on the other hand, if Iran was allowed to fully develop a nuclear weapon, it could put the United States at risk in the future. Perhaps, a military strike was the only realistic choice, but it shouldn’t be taken lightly because as mentioned, the orange villain makes the decisions from the comfort of the Oval Office, he’s not taking the same personal risk as active troops.
So, when the United States destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities with “bunker busting” bombs that are used to hit underground buildings with a technology that only America has, it sparked a conflict that saw Iran answer with an attack on a US base in Qatar. Thankfully, there were no casualties reported at the base.
When the potential for nuclear war is at stake when these decisions are made, a pro wrestling pay-per-view seems rather insignificant, doesn’t it?
As of this writing, Israel and Iran are said to be close to a cease fire agreement, but tension continues as there are questions about if or how long a peace agreement would last between the two countries. This was after Iranian state television reported that that “every US civilian and military personnel in the region is now a legitimate target” just two days prior.
Again, a pro wrestling show seems rather moot in the grand scheme of things.
In the aftermath of the military strikes, Saudi Arabia and a few of the surrounding countries in the region have restricted airspace that prevent commercial flights from traveling there because of the potential risks of missiles that could be launched in the area. The Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez reported that some of the production crew that landed in Saudi a few days before the roster were scheduled to arrive are temporarily stuck there until the restrictions are lifted.
With how rapid and unpredictable this entire scenario has been, I think it’s very easy to see why the event should be postponed. Yes, I understand that the Saudi shows are among the most profitable on the WWE calendar, but when you take into account that there are several more Saudi events left on the current contract and that the TKO corporation measures its profit in billions of dollars, is one payday even if it’s $40 million worth even the slightest risk to the lives of anyone that works for the company?
There’s going to be another $40 million and even more for TKO to make somewhere else this year, even if it’s just a different spot on the calendar in Saudi Arabia so I don’t think there’s truly any reason that Night of Champions should still take place this weekend. However, the bottom line is, cash is king and the almighty dollar, as it usually always does, will dictate the decisions. Remember when CM Punk criticized The Miz on Twitter for taking the Saudi money? Phil Brooks didn’t decline the cash to work the main event of the Saudi pay-per-view.
Truthfully, given that the Saudi government restricted the airspace and thus recognized the potential threat, it’s somewhat surprising that they haven’t postponed the WWE event themselves, not because they care about the talent, but rather that they are still willing to risk the PR disaster if, God forbid, the worst case scenario happens and there’s an attack on the American brand while they are in the region. The Saudi government has invest billions of dollars into this propaganda strategy to bring western entertainment, including boxing and golf, to the country to attempt to make it seem more modern. Granted, the cash is no object because it’s oil money, but Canelo Alvarez, Terrance Crawford, and the top names from the PGA tour might not be willing to revisit the country if there’s an incident with the WWE crew.
Hopefully, nothing happens while the talent are there and all of this speculation is moot, but it’s still truly concerning that the company is sending its talent and production team into what could still be an active war zone by this weekend just for the cash. It would also be interesting to see if the United States government has any protocol in place for this type of venture? It would be very difficult to imagine that the government wouldn’t consider it risky for an American entertainment brand to be in the middle east right now, specifically because the details of the peace agreement are still being worked out with nothing official yet. This might be a situation where the United States won’t prevent the corporation from taking its business to Saudi Arabia, but that they can’t guarantee their safety either. I’d guess that WWE management is monitoring the situation, and maybe they have a back up plan in place, but the company probably won’t cancel the Saudi event unless it’s the only option.
The show must go on, right?
