Former WWE Champion and commentator John Layfield (aka JBL) made an appearance (above) on Fox Business earlier today discussing the media backlash to WWE’s involvement with Saudi Arabia and the upcoming Crown Jewel event on November 2.
Layfield, a Fox News contributor, feels WWE should go forward with the show despite negative media coverage following the disappearance of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was reportedly killed according to Turkish authorities.
“My personal opinion is that they should go. I think the only way you promote change…look what we did with Cuba. You isolate a country and all you do is impoverish that country. You want to promote change? WWE went to Abu Dhabi. They had the first women’s match that had ever happened in the Middle East. The crowd was chanting in English ‘this is change.'”
Layfield also called out New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez and Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut for criticizing WWE for continuing on with the event.
“And for these senators to come out and bash the WWE on this…I’ve spent 7 Christmas’ in Iraq and Afghanistan with the WWE. I was with the WWE, the first group to go down and visit the Twin Towers while they were still burning and bodies were pulling out. We were the first group on 9/13 to have a mass gathering right after 9/11. People didn’t know what was going to happen. For these guys to hide behind their patriotism, their show-flag waving to me, to try and improve their abysmal approval ratings, to me is wrong. WWE has been at the forefront of change. And you want to change Saudi Arabia, you send something like WWE there.”