I know what you must be thinking. WWE is so sexist! Never fear however, WWE has not entered into a realm of stupidity by not allowing women on their end. Rather, the area they are appearing will not allow women to show up at the event. Even WWE Divas are not allowed, interestingly enough. As a result, WWE will be putting on “male only” shows.
WWE will be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week. That should help everyone understand the female ban. WWE has been to several countries outside the United States. However, this might be the first time where Divas or women period were banned from a WWE event. The event takes place at The Green Halls Stadium, and has been advertised as male only since it was known WWE would be making their way to the country.
Ticketmaster, who is helping to sell tickets to the event, was the first to really make it known that males were allowed and females were not.
WWE is known for having a large demographic base, more than most any other entertainment entity and sports franchise. WWE has around a 30-40% female demo, many of them that fit in the 18-35 demo as well. While not as lucrative as the male demographic in this area, it is still a big deal to be about to draw that type of female following while technically being a male dominated industry and fan base.
The issue is, the moment you leave the United States and other more evolved countries, women do not have the same freedoms men do. This is well known, however it is a bit interesting that no one in the country brings up the fact that the men would rather ONLY see half naked men wrestle in a ring than women in any type of outfit doing so.
While I will not judge on sexual orientation, it seems that the Saudi Arabian male dominance has gone a bit too far here as WWE events have been family shows for years.
WWE has had no issue with the Saudi government on this and told their Divas to take the time off. So obviously WWE is trying to do all they can to keep peace with the government and potentially land a long term crowd with the area for some time.
WWE obviously loves the idea of being able to grow their brand in the middle east. They have been in the area before and they are not shy about coming in. However, they do have to abide by rules stated by the officials of the area. Sad, but true.
