Ahead of this weekend’s Night of Champions event in Saudi Arabia, WWE reportedly instructed its talent and staff not to mention the ongoing Iran-Israel crisis on the air. The directive was noted on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.
With WWE heading to Riyadh amidst rising tensions in the Middle East, there has been concern and speculation about the trip. The report states that there was a clear ban on discussing the real-world political situation during the broadcast of Monday Night Raw.
“They weren’t allowed [to reference the Iran-Israel crisis]. They just were not allowed to mention anything…That’s probably one of the reasons why they weren’t allowed to address it because I don’t think they wanted those questions being asked as far as everything,” Dave Meltzer stated.
“It’s potentially dangerous. Some people say, ‘Well it’s not really that dangerous in Saudi Arabia.’ The flying was dangerous today, there’s a ceasefire but that came later in the day.”
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