"I feel safer in Saudi Arabia" - WWE veteran addresses fans criticizing WrestleMania 43 announcement; feels it will change the culture

WWE is finally set to go international with WrestleMania, and fans have been waiting to witness the carnage and fireworks that would unfold at the Grandest Stage of Them All. A few weeks ago, the company announced that WrestleMania 43 was set to be hosted in Saudi Arabia.

While fans around the world have been excited for the Showcase of the Immortals going international, millions around the globe have been criticizing the company for choosing Saudi Arabia as the place to feature the Show of Shows. While the WWE Universe has been excited to make history once again, the announcement of Saudi Arabia being the host didn’t fit well with fans.

Addressing the criticism around this in a recent interview with TMZ, WWE Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil stated that while the world gets to see mass shootings very frequently in the United States, Saudi Arabia feels like one of the safest places in the world. Further, the former WWE star stated that the culture has started changing in Saudi Arabia since the company entered the market, and more could be seen if the people in Saudi Arabia continue to accept the change.

“I can say this, because I’ve been to Saudi Arabia several times now. I feel safer in Saudi Arabia than I do in most places, or a lot of places, in the United States of America…. You don’t hear about mass shootings in Saudi Arabia. You don’t hear about mass shootings in China. You don’t hear about mass shootings in Japan. I think if people went over to Saudi Arabia, or had a chance to go there, their views would change dramatically…So my perspective of us going to Saudi Arabia for WWE, yeah it’s business, but it’s also changing cultures. When we first went over there, women were just now getting introduced to being able to drive. Things are changing over there, and so many people have this mindset that, in America, it’s like, if somebody talks about race, well that was so long ago…” stated O’Neil.

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What does WWE have planned for WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia?

WrestleMania 43 is far away, and the company has not even announced the dates for the Grandest Stage of Them All yet. However, when some of the biggest names were asked about the company’s plans for the historic WrestleMania edition, everyone reiterated that something big was bound to be featured. Fans will have to wait and see what the company has in store to blow up the internet at WrestleMania 43.

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Edited by Ishaan Rathi