Posted in: Pop Culture, Sports, WWE | Tagged: crown jewel, Hulk Hogan, saudi arabia, wrasslin, wrestling, wwe

Rather Than Cancel Crown Jewel, WWE Might Send Hulk Hogan to Saudi Arabia

Published Wed, 24 Oct 2018 14:17:16 -0500

A lot has been said of WWE's decision to press forward with their upcoming Saudi Arabia supershow, Crown Jewel, in the wake of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Recent rumors have suggested WWE is considering backing out of the event or moving elsewhere, even if it might endanger the company's lucrative 10-year deal with the Saudi government, and even if it would mean the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars.

UPDATE: WWE is currently in the process of frantically scouting locations to move Crown Jewel to. This is NOT definite confirmation that it's out of Saudi Arabia, but the location and date are unquestionably in major jeopardy right now.

— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) October 23, 2018

However, another source seems to be convinced WWE is moving forward with the event, and his name is The Immortal Hulk Hogan. In an interview with mutant-hunting Florida newspaper the Orlando Sentinel, Hogan revealed a shocking update about his long-rumored return to the company.

There are a lot of plans in the works. I'm looking forward to going to Saudi Arabia with the WWE, looking forward to WrestleMania — but yeah, we're moving forward at a rapid pace. It's exciting to have this opportunity again after all these years where I was there and gone.

Hogan was fired from WWE in 2015 after an audio recording of the Hulkster letting loose an explicitly racist rant was leaked as part of the legal battle funded by conservative Paypal billionaire Peter Thiel against Gawker over a secretly filmed cuckold sex tape featuring Hogan and the wife of Florida radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge. Hogan has since apologized for the rant, which he called "a few misspoken words," and WWE has flirted with letting Hulkamania run wild once again, though they've repeatedly insisted that Hogan's return would only be in the capacity of helping others learn from his mistakes (lesson: don't say racist things while banging your buddy's wife on secret camera, and if you do, don't sue the news organization that wants to release the tape).

Of course, bringing back Hogan after the racist rant would be a PR nightmare akin to partnering with an oppressive and allegedly murderous regime to put on wrestling events where your female performers are not legally allowed to appear. Maybe WWE is hoping the two will cancel each other out?