It seems like quite a few WWE Superstars were upset about being stranded in Saudi Arabia for more than a day after last Thursday’s Crown Jewel, and rumors have swirled about possible reasons beyond the official explanation of “mechanical problems.” This morning reports came out about WWE’s attempts to deal with the situation prior to last night’s Raw.
According to Dave Meltzer at the Wrestling Observer, Vince McMahon called a meeting at 3pm at the Nassau Coliseum where Raw was being held. Vince insisted to everyone present that everything was fine and that the plane that was delayed out of Saudi Arabia really did have mechanical problems.
Speculation and gossip by the performers was blamed for the abundance of rumors about other causes, and Seth Rollins reportedly attempted to give what’s being called a “rah-rah” speech, while emphasizing the importance of keeping speculation and rumors off of social media. Rollins later backed up his stance against rumors on social media by going directly after Meltzer:
And lastly, @davemeltzerWON, you’re at best a purveyor of misinformation or at worst an outright, vindictive liar. I hope it’s the former. #rahrah
— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) November 5, 2019
For his part, Meltzer says that the meeting yesterday didn’t change anything, and that roster members who were upset about the situation prior to the meeting felt the same way after it was over. Rusev apparently attempted to speak up about something at the meeting, and Randy Orton made some kind of joke about the situation.
If there are really WWE Superstars who are still upset about what happened in Saudi Arabia, the real test will be whether or not they’re willing to return for the next show there. People like Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens have already set a precedent for declining to attend, and it’s possible now that more will follow their lead.
