Saudi Pressure Force WWE Major Event Shake-Up: The King & Queen of the Ring scrapped for the big show
WWE’s ambitious plans to host a major event in Saudi Arabia were significantly altered in 2023 amid pressure from the host country to increase the show’s scale, with plans a the first to be held the famous King and Queen of the Best competition was set to stop a more dramatic event.
The King & Queen of the Ring matches, a staple for WWE fans, are set to headline the Saudi event. But former WWE host Matt Camp said on The Wrestling Matt podcast that Saudi officials weren’t happy with the tournament’s concept, prompting a bigger demand. According to Camp, WWE was forced to deviate from its original concept in order to meet the expectations of its partners in Saudi.
“When they did Night of Champions last year and Seth won the World Heavyweight Championship, that was supposed to be, from what I was told, a King & Queen of the Ring tournament. They were bringing it back,” Camp shared. “For whatever reason, it wasn’t—quote—‘big enough’. And instead, we got Night of Champions, and we got Seth winning the World Championship. I’m not gonna say that wasn’t the plan, but they definitely wanted to make it bigger, and that was, from what I was told, a Saudi insistence.”
This demand for large events is nothing new in WWE’s partnership with Saudi Arabia. This relationship has long been marked by the enormous state expectations that officials chose to have input into the production of the show. Camp also mentioned the infamous request for the 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble, when the Saudis allegedly asked longtime stars like Yokozuna—who died years ago—to join the tournament for it unfortunately for the system, eventually a random sumo to satisfy the request He brought the wrestlers.
Signed in 2018, the ten-year deal between WWE and Saudi Arabia, worth an estimated $500 million, ensures that the sports and entertainment giant will host two major shows annually in the country year-to-year 2027. There is no doubt that the financial burden of the deal for WWE influenced their willingness to meet the demands of those Saudi guests.
While the original plan to bring King and Queen of the Ring back for a full event was nixed in 2023, however, the tournament eventually returned to Saudi Arabia in 2024. Gunther took on Nia Jax their men’s and women’s titles in that competition, Getting those title shots at prestigious SummerSlam events. Both athletes took advantage of their opportunity, becoming competitors at SummerSlam and putting themselves in good position for the newly created Crown Jewel Championship, which is set to be contested at the WWE Crown Jewel event in November 2024.
WWE’s ongoing partnership with Saudi Arabia has been a subject of intrigue and controversy. Fans have wondered how much influence the host country has on WWE’s creative decisions, and Camp’s revelations only add fuel to the fire. With so much money on the line, it’s clear that WWE wants to adapt its schedule to suit their wealthy hosts.
As the deal continues, and Saudi Arabia holds firm on what they want from WWE, it will be worth watching these events in the future. WWE’s relationship with the country isn’t just about sports interests—it’s mostly the satisfaction of the host country with the idea of competing in the traditional WWE format Fans will wonder what a surprise Saudi the next episode will bring with it how WWE will bend more to the demands of their high-earning partner.
