WWE’s Return To Middle East, AEW Making Offers To Superstars?

WWE Return To Middle East Coming Soon

Well, this should make for an interesting situation.

WWE has been going to Saudi Arabia for a couple shows a year for a bit now. The shows are due to the company’s long term partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As the last Saudi event last year showed us, these events are not without a lot of controversy.

Each time one of these shows comes up, WWE invariably has Superstars who either publicly or privately indicate they won’t go, due to politics. Such names as Daniel Bryan and John Cena have not made the trip in the past.

Now, WWE Superstars are about to have a new Saudi Arabia show to try and skip out of.

According to PWInsider, the next WWE show in Saudi Arabia is slated for Feburary 20th. This date is not yet confirmed, and Wrestling Observer actually has the date pegged as February 27.

Regardless of the actual date, WWE does seem to be heading back, and soon.

This will be interesting to watch for a few reasons.

First, the political climate is perhaps more volatile than ever. The US and Iran have had some major issues in the last couple weeks alone. One has to wonder if these events have caused WWE to delay the announcement. Second, it’s a major international event in the midst of The Road to WrestleMania. That’s not to say it can’t happen, but it strikes me as unusual. Last, somewhat tied to the second point-the last trip to Saudi Arabia has to be considered an utter disaster on many fronts.

Wrestlers were using social media to update friends and family about where they were. There were reports of a plane that did or did not have issues. Vince McMahon and a Saudi royal had issues over payments, which may have had a hand in the show being aired on a delay. WWE had to scramble and use NXT talents to make SmackDown happen!

However, as long as the checks continue to clear and continue to be good, there will be shows and there will be Superstars willing to perform.

AEW Expected To Begin Making Offers To WWE Superstars Soon

In a news item that most likely expected, All Elite Wrestling is expected to start making offers to some current WWE Superstars sooner than later.

Among the first expected to be offered may be Luke Harper. Harper was granted his release late in 2019 from WWE. It would be very interesting to see how AEW would make use of the big man, should he opt to sign.

However, there are a few notable Superstars who could be of interest to AEW, who are still signed to WWE today.

The top 3? That would be The Revival and Matt Hardy.

Hardy has been used sparingly of late, and has been posting cryptic messages that seem to point to an imminent departure. The Revival have been in an odd spot for quite a while now. Early in 2019 they asked for their release in part due to how they were being used. What followed was an interesting year to say the least. We had bizarre segments (back shaving?) and tag title reigns, but the duo has not re-signed.

Per Wrestling Observer, the contracts for all three appear to be expiring this spring, with Hardy likely up around March 1st and Dash and Dawson expected in the April timeframe.