John Cena’s Absence From Saudi Arabia Shows, Despite Being the WWE Poster Boy Revealed

John Cena has been the poster boy for the WWE for well over a decade. One of the biggest stars of his generation, Cena, has achieved insurmountable success inside and outside the squared circle. Unsurprisingly, the Hollywood star is also a massive draw for WWE’s Premium Live Events. However, he has never performed at Crown Jewel, which is coming up in a week.

Since its formation in 2018, the Crown Jewel PLE has been one of WWE’s most anticipated events. So, why has Cena never appeared in any of them, and will he appear at the 2023 Crown Jewel?

The reason behind John Cena not appearing at Crown Jewel

Cena has been the face of the WWE and arguably one of its biggest stars. The Cenation Leader has featured in almost all big PPV events before moving to Hollywood. However, Crown Jewel has never seen Cena perform to date, and here’s why.

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Did you know that Cena performed at the very first Saudi Arabia show? In April 2018, Cena performed at the Greatest Royal Rumble, which took place in Saudi Arabia. He gave an in-ring speech and wrestled Triple H. The event had 60,000 attendees at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.

However, he did not appear at the inaugural Crown Jewel the same year. The WWE confirmed that Cena will not be appearing and will be replaced with Bobby Lashley. This news came after the tragic demise of U.S. citizen and esteemed Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

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Saudi Arabia has found itself embroiled in controversy both for Khashoggi’s untimely death and persistent reports of women enduring mistreatment, despite the regime’s claim of “progressive vision.” Since 2018, Cena has not once stepped foot in Saudi Arabia or in Crown Jewel. However, Cena wasn’t the only one who refused to work at Crown Jewel.

Several other stars have refused to work Crown Jewel in the recent past

During the 20218 Crown Jewel PLE, Daniel Bryan was scheduled to face AJ Styles. This would be for the WWE Championship. However, he refused to perform due to the Khashoggi murder and Samoa Joe replaced him in the aftermath. In the recent past, we saw Bryan, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens refuse to perform. 

Despite performing at the 2021 Crown Jewel, Goldberg confessed on Pat McAfee’s podcast that he hesitated to perform there. Goldberg stated that he was initially scared to go to Saudi Arabia due to his strong Jewish heritage. However, the positive reception from the fans made him more comfortable. Despite being advertised, they have released no official news about Cena’s involvement in Crown Jewel 2023. 

What do you think about Cena’s reasons not to perform at Crown Jewel? Is he right? Tell us down below.

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