Well, this is a strange one to write about; not because of the issues WWE games have had, this is plainly strange. The relationship between WWE and the Saudi government is one of the strangest wrestling promotion coalitions that’s ever been. The former is claimed by fans to be stuck in the past, with the latter being literally stuck in the past so much that wrestlers have come out of retirement for the sweet Saudi money. Tyson Fury, the English boxer turned one-time wrestler, is reportedly taking home an estimated sum of fourteen million dollars; though those numbers are coming from the Daily Mail.

However, due to the relationship between the WWE and the Saudi government, many fans have had objections to the shows as a whole. As a fan myself, like many others, I have moral issues with the relationship due in part to the use of the show. The partnership between the two is promoted as part of Saudi Arabia’s “Saudi Vision 2030,” however, letting tourists in for 90 days, letting women drive, and building a theme park isn’t progressive. It brings you into the first quarter of the 20th century.

Though it was their refusal to allow women to wrestle that put the Saudi government in a lot of people’s bad books. It is something that could have happened earlier this year, though it is rumored the company and government backed-out in the final moments. Nonetheless, we did see Renee Young on commentary in the second event of the partnership. Now a year and a half on from the first, almost two years from a “This is Hope” chant broken in the United Arab Emirates to its first women’s match, we’re seeing women wrestle in Saudi Arabia.

This time it is Lacey Evans taking on, once again, Natalya in Saudi Arabia in a singles match. It does prove the Saudi government and WWE are taking steps forward with these events, even if they are baby steps. Though there are still major issues to overcome with the wrestling promotion holding events in the country. As Sami Zayn is of Syrian descent, he is not allowed to perform in the country, with friends and high ranking wrestlers like Kevin Owens, John Cena, and Daniel Bryan all skipping the events.

As there are laws restricting dress code in Saudi Arabia, it is expected that the two women will be required to wear some kind of suit covering most skin. As Natalya’s usual attire does most of this already, one would suspect her changes would be minimal. Evans, on the other hand, tends to wear some kind of Stepford Wives 1950s/60s shorts and a bikini top, her change will be the most drastic.

The company has been given some flack by a small group of fans who have seen recent episodes of their weekly shows. The complaint is mostly that these two women have faced each other too much for them to sit through another 5-10 minutes of their matches. It is a stupid complaint, given that in the grand scheme of things, if these women are on the show and do wrestle, it will be a huge step forward for representation in the area. It will also mean that in another six months when WWE returns for another controversial show, other women will be able to perform.

I can’t say that I will be watching the show specifically for this. However, I will be supporting charities and those that are donating to charities that fight issues that Saudi Arabia have/are participating in. The controversy during last year’s event saw US politicians calling for WWE to cancel in the wake of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Something particularly interesting to note about that; is at the time of both events, the administrator of small business administration for the current president was Linda McMahon. Additionally, Last Week Tonight‘s John Oliver criticized the company for continuing following Khashoggi’s death.

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