Mid 20th Century
165-663: The 2018 Crown Jewel was a professional wrestling event produced by the American company WWE . It was the inaugural Crown Jewel and took place on November 2, 2018, at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh , Saudi Arabia . It aired via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions . It was the second event WWE held in Saudi Arabia under
330-509: A 2015 scandal —who served as the event's host. The event also marked the final time that The Undertaker and Kane teamed together as The Brothers of Destruction . Twelve matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, D-Generation X ( Triple H and Shawn Michaels) defeated The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane). In the penultimate match, Shane McMahon defeated Dolph Ziggler to win
495-473: A " Zig-Zag " on Angle to win the match and advance to the semi-finals. Following the conclusion of all World Cup quarterfinals, The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) (accompanied by Big Show) defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) (accompanied by Xavier Woods). After Kingston and Big E took down Sheamus, Cesaro broke up the pin to void the pinfall. In
660-446: A " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to the platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of
825-500: A "Zig-Zag" on Rollins for a near fall. Finally, as Rollins attempted a splash on Ziggler, McIntyre pushed Rollins from the top rope and Ziggler performed a Superkick on Rollins to win the match to advance and the finals. In the ninth match, AJ Styles defended the WWE Championship against Samoa Joe. Joe dominated Styles early in the match and began to target Styles' knee, who in turn focused on Joe's injured knee himself. Joe performed
990-530: A 10-year partnership in support of Saudi Vision 2030 , after the Greatest Royal Rumble in April, and it hosted the first-ever WWE World Cup tournament. The event marked the final match of Shawn Michaels , who had retired from active in-ring competition at WrestleMania XXVI in 2010, though returned for a one-off match at this event, and the return of Hulk Hogan —who had not appeared on WWE programming since
1155-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over
1320-520: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so
1485-466: A catastrophe in 2011 when it was submerged with rainwater. Tahliyah Street is an important fashion and shopping street in central Jeddah. It contains many upscale departments and high fashion brands stores as well as boutiques. It has been renamed "Prince Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz Road" by the government, but this official name is not widely used. It also has many fine dining options. Madinah Road
1650-513: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to
1815-574: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from
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#17328725294101980-534: A compensation scheme that accounted for 47% of those evicted. Jeddah is located in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal plain (called Tihamah ). Jeddah lies in the Hijazi Tihama ( تهامة الحجاز ) region which is in the lower Hijaz mountains . Historically, politically and culturally, Jeddah was a major city of Hejaz Vilayet , the Kingdom of Hejaz and other regional political entities according to Hijazi history books. It
2145-403: A contractual rematch, it would not occur for an indefinite period of time, as he preferred a fighting champion like Reigns. The following week, Strowman announced that he would be cashing in against Reigns at Hell in a Cell inside the namesake structure . At the event, Lesnar interfered in the match by kicking in the cell door and attacking both men, rendering them unable to continue, thus ruling
2310-621: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . Jeddah Jeddah ( English: / ˈ dʒ ɛ d ə / JED -ə ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda , Jiddah or Jidda ( / ˈ dʒ ɪ d ə / JID -ə ; Arabic : جِدَّة , romanized : Jidda , Hejazi Arabic pronunciation: [ˈ(d)ʒɪd.da] ),
2475-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers
2640-569: A fifth "F-5" on Strowman to win the vacant title. With this win, Lesnar became the first two-time Universal Champion. The penultimate match was the final of the WWE World Cup tournament between The Miz and Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler arrived at ringside with Drew McIntyre, who was immediately removed from ringside. The Miz used this to get an advantage over Ziggler, however, he received a kayfabe injury which led to him unable to compete. This led to SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon taking Miz's place in
2805-783: A fleet of 50 vessels under the Governor of Jeddah, Hussein the Kurd (aka. Mirocem). Jeddah was soon fortified with a wall, using forced labor, as a harbor of refuge from the Portuguese , allowing Arabia and the Red Sea to be protected. In 1517, the Ottoman Turks conquered the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria, during the reign of Selim I . The Ottomans rebuilt the weak walls of Jeddah in 1525 following
2970-414: A genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has a more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for
3135-672: A historic port for pilgrims arriving by sea to perform their Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. In 750 in the Abbasid Revolution , the Abbasids successfully took control of almost the whole Umayyad Empire, excluding Morocco (Maghrib) and Spain (Al-Andalus) . From 876, Jeddah and the surrounding area became the object of wars between the Abbasids and the Tulunids of Egypt, who at one point gained control of
3300-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have
3465-754: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned
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#17328725294103630-493: A match at Elimination Chamber , which Corbin won thanks to assistance from Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley. On the following Raw , Strowman defeated Corbin in a tables match to end the feud. The involvement of Shane McMahon in the WWE World Cup final was used as a build-up towards Survivor Series. It drew heavy kayfabe criticism from various wrestlers on the Raw roster. Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin accused Shane of stealing
3795-483: A moral code established by Shari'ah. A very small minority of Saudi citizens are Shia Muslims , and there is also a large foreign workforce, mainly from countries like the Philippines and Pakistan. The city has over 1,300 mosques . The law does not allow other religions' buildings, books, icons, and expressions of faith. However, private religious observance not involving Muslims nor offending public order and morality
3960-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to
4125-414: A no disqualification match. After the match, Triple H and Undertaker, along with Shawn Michaels and Kane , who were in the respective corners of Triple H and Undertaker, showed mutual respect for one another until Undertaker and Kane attacked Triple H and Michaels. On the following Raw , Triple H and Michaels formally rechristened themselves as D-Generation X , challenging The Brothers of Destruction to
4290-462: A port city. Even before being designated the port city for Mecca, Jeddah was a trading hub for the region. In the 19th century, goods such as mother-of-pearl, tortoise shells, frankincense, and spices were routinely exported from the city. Apart from this, many imports into the city were destined for further transit to the Suez, Africa, or Europe. Many goods passing through Jeddah could not be normally found in
4455-639: A rematch for the titles was scheduled for Crown Jewel. On November 1, it was announced that Shinsuke Nakamura would defend the United States Championship against Rusev on the event's Kickoff pre-show. During the Crown Jewel Kickoff pre-show, Shinsuke Nakamura defended the United States Championship against Rusev. After connecting with a " Matchka Kick " early in the match, Rusev applied his "Accolade" submission hold twice on
4620-780: A revolt against the Ottoman Empire , seeking independence from the Ottoman Turks and the creation of a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen . King Hussein declared the Kingdom of Hejaz . Later, Hussein was involved in a war with Ibn Saud , who was the Sultan of Nejd . Hussein abdicated following the fall of Mecca , in December 1924, and his son Ali bin Hussein became
4785-505: A roll-up pin to win the match and advance to the semi-finals. After the match, Orton attacked Mysterio and threw Mysterio on top of the Arabic announce table. Next, The Miz faced Jeff Hardy in SmackDown's second WWE World Cup quarterfinal match. During the match, Miz applied a figure-four leglock , which Hardy countered into a near fall. In the climax, Miz countered a submission hold and performed
4950-407: A show that ended "mercifully". Writing for Pro Wrestling Dot Net , Jason Powell viewed the event as a "cash grab" by WWE, and said that "Crown Jewel was gross for all the obvious reasons, including Vince McMahon doubling down on the controversy by bringing back Hulk Hogan". He did also note that the kickoff show had a quality match between Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura. Silverstein and Crosby said that
5115-415: A splash from Mysterio into a roll-up to win the match earning a spot in the finals. Next, Seth Rollins faced Dolph Ziggler (accompanied by Drew McIntyre) in Raw's WWE World Cup semi-final match. Rollins and Ziggler exchanged a number of roll-ups for near falls. Rollins performed a suicide dive on Ziggler. Ziggler performed a "Famouser" on Rollins for a near fall. Ziggler countered a superplex combination into
Crown Jewel (2018) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5280-500: A suicide dive on Styles outside the ring, sending Styles into the commentary desk. Inside the ring, Styles performed the " Calf Crusher " on Joe's injured leg but Joe reached the ropes. After that, Joe caught Styles in his " Coquina Clutch " submission hold. In the end, Styles performed the Phenomenal Forearm on Joe and pinned him to retain the title. Following this, Braun Strowman faced Brock Lesnar (accompanied by Paul Heyman) for
5445-586: A tag team match at Crown Jewel, marking Michaels' first match since The Undertaker retired Michaels at WrestleMania XXVI in March 2010. On the SmackDown 1000 special on October 16, The Bar ( Cesaro and Sheamus ) defeated The New Day ( Big E and Xavier Woods , accompanied by Kofi Kingston ) to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship , with help from their new ally Big Show . The following week,
5610-556: A three-year suspension, the company reinstated Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame , and on October 31, it was announced that Hogan would be the host of Crown Jewel. The event comprised 12 matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live . At SummerSlam , Brock Lesnar defended
5775-497: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in
5940-575: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point
6105-419: A world title. For the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, Silverstein and Crosby gave it a "C+" rating for being "relatively slow". Rose said that it "was good while it lasted, but they've had better matches". Crown Jewel was awarded WrestleCrap ' s Gooker Award, an annual booby prize for the worst gimmick, storyline, or event in wrestling. In their induction, the website stated that
6270-680: Is a historically significant street in Jeddah. It links the Southern districts with the North and contains the Main offices of several companies and showrooms. The northern end of the road links to the King Abdul Aziz Int'l Airport , which is a contributing factor to heavy traffic on this road at most times during the day. Most citizens are Sunni Muslims . The government, courts, and civil and criminal laws enforce
6435-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted
6600-492: Is now the prevailing usage, although some street signs still use the older Jiddah. Traces of early activity in the area are testified by some Thamudic inscriptions that were excavated in Wadi Briman ( وادي بريمان ), east of the city, and Wadi Boweb ( وادي بويب ), northwest of the city. The oldest Mashrabiya found in Jeddah dates back to the pre-Islamic era. Some believe that Jeddah had been inhabited before Alexander
6765-405: Is still preserved. A house-by-house survey of the old districts was made in 1979, showing that some 1000 traditional buildings still existed, though the number of structures with great historic value was far less. In 1990, a Jeddah Historical Area Preservation Department was founded. The modern city has expanded wildly beyond its old boundaries. The built-up area expanded mainly to the north along
Crown Jewel (2018) - Misplaced Pages Continue
6930-406: Is the 100th largest city in the world by land area. Jeddah features an arid climate ( BWh ) under Koppen's climate classification , with a tropical temperature range. Unlike other Saudi Arabian cities, Jeddah retains its warm temperature in winter, which can range from 15 °C (59 °F) at dawn to 28 °C (82 °F) in the afternoon. Summer temperatures are extremely hot, often breaking
7095-676: Is the largest city in Makkah Province , Saudi Arabia , and the country's second largest city after Riyadh , located along the Red Sea coast in the Hejaz region. Jeddah is the commercial center of the country. It is not known when Jeddah was founded, but Jeddah's prominence grew in 647 when the Caliph Uthman made it a travel hub serving Muslim travelers going to the holy city of Mecca for Islamic pilgrimage . Since those times, Jeddah has served as
7260-467: The Al-Saud dynasty in December 1925. In 1926, Ibn Saud added the title King of Hejaz to his position of Sultan of Nejd. Today, Jeddah has lost its historical role in peninsular politics after it fell within the new province of Makkah , whose provincial capital is the city of Mecca . From 1928 to 1932, the new Khuzam Palace was built as the new residence of King Abdul Aziz in Jeddah. The palace lies south of
7425-554: The Arabic word for "grandmother". According to folk belief, the Tomb of Eve , who is considered the grandmother of humanity, is located in Jeddah. The Maghrebi traveler Ibn Battuta visited Jeddah during his world trip in around 1330. He wrote the name of the city into his diary as "Jiddah". The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other branches of the British government formerly used
7590-558: The Ayyubid dynasty . Ayyubid conquests in Hejaz included Jeddah, which joined the Ayyubid dynasty in 1177 during the leadership of Sharif Ibn Abul-Hashim Al-Thalab (1094–1201). During their relatively short-lived tenure, the Ayyubids ushered in an era of economic prosperity in the lands they ruled and the facilities and patronage provided by the Ayyubids led to a resurgence in intellectual activity in
7755-647: The Greatest Royal Rumble , was held at the King Abdullah Sports City 's King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah on April 27. On September 17, 2018, a follow-up titled Crown Jewel was announced to take place on November 2 and feature wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions . It was originally to take place at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh , but was later changed to
7920-524: The Islamic world . This period was also marked by an Ayyubid process of vigorously strengthening Sunni dominance in the region by constructing numerous madrasas (Islamic schools) in their major cities. Jeddah attracted Muslim sailors and merchants from Sindh , Southeast Asia and East Africa , and other distant regions. In the year 1258, after the fall of Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Empire, to
8085-523: The King Saud University Stadium , also in Riyadh. In 2015, WWE terminated Hulk Hogan 's contract due to a report by the National Enquirer and Radar Online of a partially racist rant made by Hogan on his controversial leaked sex tape ; he was heard expressing disgust with the notion of his daughter dating black men, referenced by the repeated use of the racial slur " nigger ". On July 15, 2018, after
8250-649: The Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea . Their trade and diplomatic ties extended all the way to China and its Song dynasty , which eventually determined the economic course of Tihamah during the High Middle Ages . After Saladin 's conquest of Jerusalem in 1171, he proclaimed himself sultan of Egypt, after dissolving the Fatimid Caliphate upon the death of al-Adid , thus establishing
8415-609: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In
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#17328725294108580-554: The OIC . Jeddah Islamic Port , on the Red Sea , is the thirty-sixth largest seaport in the world and the second-largest and second-busiest seaport in the Middle East (after Dubai 's Port of Jebel Ali ). Jeddah is the principal gateway to Mecca Sharif, the holiest city in Islam , 65 kilometers (40 mi) to the east, while Medina , the second-holiest city, is 360 kilometers (220 mi) to
8745-762: The United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including a distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by
8910-630: The Universal Championship against Roman Reigns . Before the match began, Braun Strowman came out and announced that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on the winner. During the match, however, Strowman was incapacitated by Lesnar, preventing him from cashing in. The distraction allowed Reigns to defeat Lesnar and win the championship, ending Lesnar's 504-day reign. The following night on Raw , Raw General Manager Kurt Angle told Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman that although Lesnar had
9075-592: The WWE Championship , while Daniel Bryan defeated The Miz to earn a future WWE Championship match. Following Bryan's win, SmackDown General Manager Paige announced that he would receive his title match against Styles at Crown Jewel. However, after the two had a heated exchange on the October 30 episode of SmackDown , Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that their championship match would take place that night, where Styles successfully retained after submitting Bryan with
9240-475: The killing of Jamal Khashoggi as well as accusations against Saudi Arabia for severe human rights abuses , leading a war of attrition in Yemen and suppressing women's rights , WWE faced harsh criticism for producing the event and was asked to stop its business ventures in Saudi Arabia by multiple parties. The controversy also led to the company's top babyfaces at the time, John Cena and Daniel Bryan , boycotting
9405-495: The performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain
9570-531: The " Skull Crushing Finale " on Hardy to win the match and advance to the semi-finals. After that, Seth Rollins faced Bobby Lashley (with Lio Rush ) in Raw's first WWE World Cup quarterfinal match. As Lashley attempted to perform a spear in Rollins, Rollins leaped over Lashley and then performed " The Stomp " on Lashley to win the match and advance to the semi-finals. In the fourth match, Kurt Angle faced Dolph Ziggler (accompanied by Drew McIntyre) in Raw's second and
9735-498: The "Calf Crusher". Moments after the match concluded, Joe attacked both men, choking each out with the "Coquina Clutch". Enraged, Styles demanded to face Joe at Crown Jewel with the title on the line, and Paige reluctantly made it official. In reality, Bryan had also legitimately refused to work Crown Jewel due to the controversy surrounding the event, so WWE moved his championship match up to the October 30 episode of SmackDown . At Super Show-Down, Triple H defeated The Undertaker in
9900-577: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in
10065-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in
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#173287252941010230-460: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide
10395-411: The 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance the spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from
10560-477: The 40 °C (104 °F) mark in the afternoon. Summers are also quite steamy, with dew points often exceeding 27 °C (80 °F), particularly in September. Rainfall in Jeddah is generally sparse, and usually occurs in small amounts in November and December. Heavy thunderstorms are common in winter. The thunderstorm of December 2008 was the largest in recent memory, with rain reaching around 80 mm (3 in). The lowest temperature ever recorded in Jeddah
10725-569: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike
10890-405: The Gate of Al-Bunt, Gate of Al-Sham (also called Gate of Al-Sharaf), and Gate of Medina , facing north. The Turks also built The Qishla of Jeddah , a small castle for the city soldiers. In the 19th century, these seven gates were minimized into four giant gates with four towers. These giant gates were the Gate of Sham to the north, the Gate of Mecca to the east, the Gate of Sharif to the south, and
11055-430: The Gate of Al-Magharibah on the seaside. Jeddah became a direct Ottoman Eyalet , while the remaining Hejaz under Sharif Barakat II became a vassal state to the Ottoman Empire eight years after the Siege of Jeddah in 1517. The Portuguese attempted to attack the port again in 1541, but were repelled . Parts of the city wall still survive today in the old city . Even though the Portuguese were successfully repelled from
11220-405: The Great , who had a naval expedition to the Red Sea, by fishermen in the Red Sea, who considered it a center from which they sailed out into the sea as well as a place for relaxation and well-being. According to the Ministry of Hajj, Jeddah has been settled for more than 2500 years. Excavations in the old city have been interpreted to give the fact that Jeddah was founded as a fishing hamlet by
11385-550: The Mongols, Hejaz became a part of the Mamluk Sultanate . The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama , having found his way around the Cape and obtaining pilots from the coast of Zanzibar in AD 1497, pushed his way across the Indian Ocean to the shores of Malabar and Calicut , attacked fleets that carried freight and Muslim pilgrims from India to the Red Sea , and struck terror into the surrounding potentates. The Princes of Gujarat and Yemen turned for help to Egypt . Sultan Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri accordingly fitted out
11550-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from
11715-408: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into
11880-657: The October 15 episode of Raw , where Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler qualified by defeating Drew McIntyre and Dean Ambrose , respectively. SmackDown's final two qualifiers were decided on the SmackDown 1000 special, where The Miz and Rey Mysterio , the latter making his full-time WWE return, qualified for the tournament by defeating Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura , respectively. On the October 29 episode of Raw , Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin replaced Cena with Bobby Lashley after praising Lashley's post-match attack on Finn Bálor earlier that night. In storyline, Corbin replaced Cena as he did not technically qualify for
12045-753: The Red Sea coastline, reaching the new airport during the 1990s and since edging its way around it toward the Ob'hur Creek, some 27 km (17 mi) from the old city center. In October 2021, Saudi authorities, led by Mohammad bin Salman , initiated a large-scale demolition and eviction plan in neighborhoods in the southern part of Jeddah to make way for the Jeddah Central Project , a revitalization project under Saudi Vision 2030 . The demolitions affected 558,000 people in more than 60 neighborhoods. Amnesty International confirmed through official documents that some of
12210-486: The Saudi kingdom. English comedian and political commentator John Oliver also weighed in on the controversy on his show Last Week Tonight , criticizing WWE for what he saw as blatant pro-Saudi propaganda. Knox County Mayor and professional wrestler Kane, who was scheduled to compete in a tag team match , announced he would work at the event, contrasting reports that the majority of WWE's wrestlers felt uncomfortable working
12375-550: The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match, Rose said that most of the tournament matches were "paint by numbers" or "nothing special", with only Ziggler-Angle "decent" and Ziggler-Rollins "pretty good". He also said that Ziggler-McMahon "couldn't be more destructive towards people that need a boost the most" – a sentiment he also felt about the Universal Championship match – while a "McMahon winning [the WWE World Cup], which
12540-574: The Small Business Administration Linda McMahon , who is the wife of WWE CEO Vince McMahon and a former WWE executive herself, WWE's endeavors in Saudi Arabia could still be viewed as a strictly private business enterprise. Due to this, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez urged the US government to pressure WWE into canceling the event, while Republican Lindsey Graham , among others, called for WWE to reconsider their business deal with
12705-628: The WWE World Cup as a team effort. However, their tag team, branded by Miz as "The Best Team in the World", lost its debut match to a duo of local competitors after a roll-up to Miz. At the Royal Rumble, Shane and Miz defeated The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, holding the titles for three weeks, before losing to The Usos ( Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso ) at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. After failing to recapture
12870-399: The WWE World Cup. In other prominent matches, The Bar ( Cesaro and Sheamus ) retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The New Day (represented by Big E and Kofi Kingston ), AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe to retain SmackDown's WWE Championship , and Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman to win Raw's vacant Universal Championship . Due to the controversy surrounding
13035-457: The World Cup from Raw and of having massively abused his power. The same statements were reiterated by Dolph Ziggler, who called Shane's actions a conspiracy, and his partner Drew McIntyre. Both wrestlers proclaimed Ziggler to be the "true best in the world". Furthermore, Stephanie McMahon called her brother's actions "an insult to the entire Raw locker room". As The Miz had originally qualified for
13200-568: The Yemeni Quda'a tribe (Arabic: بني قضاعة ), who left to settle in Makkah after the collapse of Marib Dam in Yemen in 115 BC. Jeddah first achieved prominence around A.D. 647, when the third Muslim Caliph , Uthman Ibn Affan , turned it into a port making it the port of Makkah instead of Al Shoaib port, which was southwest of Makkah. The Umayyads inherited the entire Rashidun Caliphate including Hejaz and ruled from 661 to 750. In 702, Jeddah
13365-399: The announcement of Crown Jewel, WWE announced its first-ever all-women's pay-per-view event, Evolution , which took place on October 28, 2018. Triple H, WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, as well as a current wrestler, denied that Evolution was intended to be a counterpoint for the all-male Saudi Arabia events, explaining that WWE's female performers "deserve[d]
13530-404: The arena during the next Raw episode, Stephanie McMahon struck a bargain with him a week later: if he ceased attacking Corbin until after Survivor Series and led "Team Raw" to victory, he would be granted a match against Corbin and another Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar, and could freely determine the stipulations in either match. At Survivor Series, Strowman eliminated four of
13695-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight
13860-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that
14025-550: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As
14190-462: The best in the world" with four wrestlers representing Raw and SmackDown each, all from the United States of America . On the October 8 episode of Raw , for his accomplishments in WWE, John Cena was announced as the first entrant to represent Raw, despite being a non-exclusive wrestler who could appear on Raw and SmackDown. That same episode, a 10-man battle royal commenced where the winner would be added to
14355-529: The broadcast team did afterward", and the four veterans were instead "stealing the spotlight from the deserving full-time stars of yet another generation". In 2020, pro wrestler Chris Jericho named the match "the worst match I have ever seen". The WWE World Cup Final was rated "C+" by Silverstein and Crosby, who said it was "creative though a bit confounding". Powell felt that all of the tournament matches were "basic and brief", and that Shane McMahon had become "yet another heel authority figure" in WWE. In addition to
14520-412: The broader public. In the United States, wrestling is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as
14685-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who
14850-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards
15015-486: The case with the Greatest Royal Rumble, WWE came under scrutiny for catering to a state accused of severe human rights abuses , leading a war of attrition in Yemen and suppressing women's rights . Due to restrictions on women under Saudi Law, female wrestlers have not been allowed to perform at WWE's events in Saudi Arabia, although female commentator Renee Young did provide commentary at Crown Jewel. Prior to
15180-448: The champion. In the climax, following a low blow to break free from the hold, Nakamura pinned Rusev to retain the title. The actual pay-per-view opened with Rey Mysterio facing Randy Orton in SmackDown's first WWE World Cup quarterfinal match. During the match, Orton attempted to remove Mysterio's mask . Orton countered a "619" attempt from Mysterio into an elevated DDT from the rope. In the end, Mysterio countered an " RKO " attempt into
15345-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling
15510-547: The city for two days in retaliation. In 1802, Nejdi forces conquered both Mecca and Jeddah from the Ottomans. When Sharif Ghalib Efendi informed Sultan Mahmud II of this, the Sultan ordered his Egyptian viceroy Muhammad Ali Pasha to retake the city. Muhammad Ali successfully regained the city in the Battle of Jeddah in 1813. During World War I , Sharif Hussein bin Ali declared
15675-525: The city or even in Arabia. All of the capitals of the Middle East and North Africa are within two hours flying distance of Jeddah, making it the second commercial center of the Middle East after Dubai. Also, Jeddah's industrial district is the fourth largest in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh , Jubail and Yanbu . King Abdullah Street is one of the most important streets in Jeddah and runs from King Fahd Road by
15840-455: The city's close proximity to the Red Sea, fishing and seafood dominate the food culture unlike other parts of the country. In Arabic, the city motto is "Jeddah Ghair", which translates to "Jeddah is different". There are at least two etymologies of Jeddah , according to Jeddah Ibn Al-Qudaa'iy, the chief of the Quda'a clan. The more common account has it that the name is derived from جدة Jaddah ,
16005-617: The city, fleets in the Indian Ocean were at their mercy. This was evidenced by the Battle of Diu . The Portuguese soldiers' cemetery can still be found within the old city today and is referred to as the site of the Christian Graves . Ahmed Al-Jazzar , the Ottoman military man mainly known for his role in the Siege of Acre , spent the earlier part of his career at Jeddah. In Jeddah in 1750, he killed some seventy rioting nomads in retaliation for
16170-508: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about
16335-468: The competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on the independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in
16500-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine
16665-571: The defense of the city against the Lopo Soares de Albergaria's Armada at the Siege of Jeddah (1517) . The new stone wall included six watchtowers and six city gates . They were constructed to defend against the Portuguese attack. Of the six gates, the Gate of Mecca was the eastern gate and the Gate of Al-Magharibah , facing the port, was the western gate. The Gate of Sharif faced south. The other gates were
16830-620: The emirates of Egypt , Syria , Jordan and Hejaz . The power struggle between the Tulunid Governors and the Abbasids over Hejaz lasted for nearly twenty-five years, until the Tulunids finally withdrew from Arabia in 900. In 930 AD, the main Hejazi cities of Medina , Mecca and Taif were heavily sacked by the Qarmatians . It is probable, though not historically confirmed, that Jeddah itself
16995-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and
17160-450: The end, Sheamus countered an attack from Big E and shoved him into Show, who was standing on the ring apron. While the referee was distracted, Show performed a knockout punch on Big E, and Sheamus performed a " Brogue Kick " on Big E to retain the titles. After that, The Miz faced Rey Mysterio in SmackDown's WWE World Cup semi-final match. Throughout the match, Mysterio sold the injuries sustained by Orton's previous assault. Miz countered
17325-437: The event "was a bad idea from day one". The site also noted that if were not for the final three matches, Crown Jewel "would have been a passable, if completely tasteless, pay-per-view event". The event received awards in three negative categories at the annual Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards . The event itself was named Worst Major Wrestling Show , while the main event between The Brothers of Destruction and D-Generation X
17490-548: The event page. On October 25, WWE confirmed the event would go on as planned, citing contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority. Speaking with Sky Sports on pushing forward with the event despite the murder, WWE CBO Stephanie McMahon spoke of "an incredibly tough decision, given that heinous act", but said that in the end it was strictly a business decision. The show received generally negative reviews from critics, with Shane McMahon's participation in
17655-597: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to
17820-413: The final WWE World Cup quarterfinal match. Angle performed a trio of suplexes on Ziggler for a near fall. Angle countered a sleeper hold by Ziggler with more suplexes. Ziggler performed a DDT on Angle for a near fall of his own. Angle performed an Angle Slam on Ziggler, countering for another near fall. Angle applied the ankle lock on Ziggler, however, Ziggler countered. In the climax, Ziggler performed
17985-408: The final, he took credit for Shane's victory and subsequently demanded to captain "Team SmackDown" at Survivor Series, to which Shane McMahon and Paige obliged, naming him co-captain along with Daniel Bryan. Bryan and Miz then named Shane as part of "Team SmackDown" on the grounds of him winning the World Cup; Bryan was then removed from the match after winning the WWE Championship from AJ Styles. During
18150-503: The finals of the World Cup, the Universal Championship match, and the main event tag team match in particular receiving criticism. Adam Silverstein and Jack Crosby of CBS Sports gave the event a "C−" rating, describing that the show "failed as a normal event but at least had enough to talk about afterward", while finding the booking and WWE's long-term plans questionable. Bryan Rose of the Wrestling Observer described Crown Jewel as
18315-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In
18480-448: The first time that the two tag teams ever faced each other. Kane blocked a "Sweet Chin Music" attempt from Michaels and countered with a chokeslam . Later in the match, Michaels floored The Undertaker with a successful "Sweet Chin Music". During the match, all four men brawled, leading to the outside ring area where Kane put Triple H through an announce table. Michaels performed a moonsault from
18645-471: The five members of Team SmackDown, leading his team to a decisive victory. On the following Raw , he was granted his match against Corbin at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs , which he chose would be the namesake match . If Strowman won, he would be granted another Universal title match against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and Corbin would be stripped of all authority, but if Corbin won, he would become
18810-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as
18975-418: The gateway for millions of pilgrims who have arrived in Saudi Arabia, traditionally by sea and recently by air . With a population of about 3,751,722 people as of 2022, Jeddah is the largest city in Makkah Province , the largest city in Hejaz , the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia (after the capital Riyadh ), and the ninth-largest in the Middle East . It also serves as the administrative centre of
19140-455: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself
19305-513: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with
19470-492: The individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in a professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from
19635-471: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore
19800-487: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by
19965-443: The killing of his commander, Abdullah Beg, earning him the nickname "Jezzar" (butcher). On 15 June 1858, rioting in the city, believed to have been instigated by a former police chief in reaction to British policy in the Red Sea , led to the massacre of 25 Christians , including the British and French consuls, members of their families, and wealthy Greek merchants. The British frigate HMS Cyclops , anchored at port, bombarded
20130-526: The main event tag team match between D-Generation X and The Brothers of Destruction offered "effort and nostalgia ... but not much more" given the wrestlers' age, resulting in them "operating at 50 percent of their prior capacity". Rose said that although Crown Jewel's main event was better than that of Super Show-Down's, which featured the same four men, Crown Jewel's main event was still "very plodding" and "long". Powell wrote that despite their efforts, "everyone involved came up short regardless of how much gushing
20295-587: The match a no contest and Reigns retained the championship. The following night on Raw , both Reigns and Strowman called out Lesnar, resulting in Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin scheduling a triple threat match between Reigns, Strowman, and Lesnar for the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel. On the October 22 episode of Raw , however, Reigns relinquished the title after announcing that his leukemia , which had been in remission since late 2008, had legitimately relapsed. This turned
20460-542: The match. As the match officially began, Shane attacked Ziggler, however, Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin interfered only to get ejected himself. Ziggler then performed a "Zig-Zag" for a near-fall. In the end, Shane pinned Ziggler following a "Coast-to-Coast" to win the match, the WWE World Cup, and trophy. In the main event, D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) faced The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) in Michaels' first match since 2010, as well as
20625-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in
20790-445: The men's Survivor Series match , Shane eliminated Ziggler, who kept on referring to himself as the "best in the world", but could not help his team overcome Braun Strowman, who almost single-handedly eliminated most of his team. Altogether, SmackDown suffered a clean sweep on the pay-per-view, only winning the tag team match on the pre-show. The Miz also began a pursuit to form a tag team with Shane McMahon, again painting Shane's win of
20955-506: The new king. A few months later, Ibn Saud , whose clan originated in the central Nejd province, conquered Medina and Jeddah via an agreement with Jeddans following the Second Battle of Jeddah . He deposed Ali bin Hussein , who fled to Baghdad , eventually settling in Amman , Jordan , where his descendants became part of its Hashemite royalty. As a result, Jeddah came under the sway of
21120-630: The north. Economically, Jeddah is focusing on further developing capital investment in scientific and engineering leadership within Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East. Jeddah was ranked fourth in the Africa , MiddIe East, and ' stan countries region in the Innovation Cities Index in 2009. Jeddah is one of Saudi Arabia's primary resort cities and was named a Beta world city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC). Given
21285-569: The old walled city and was constructed under the supervision of the engineer Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden . After 1963, the palace was used as a royal guest house; since 1995, it has housed the Regional Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography. The remaining walls and gates of the old city were demolished in 1947. A fire in 1982 destroyed some ancient buildings in the old town center, called Al-Balad , but much
21450-453: The older spelling of "Jedda", contrary to other English-speaking usages, but in 2007, it changed to the spelling "Jeddah". T. E. Lawrence felt that any transcription of Arabic names into English was arbitrary. In his book Revolt in the Desert , Jeddah is spelled in three different ways on the first page alone. On official Saudi maps and documents, the city name is transcribed "Jeddah", which
21615-400: The opportunity" for such a showcase, and that it "was simply the right time for this to happen". In wake of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents, WWE faced calls to cancel the event, with prominent U.S. Democratic and Republican politicians criticizing the company's endeavors in Saudi Arabia. Questions were raised whether because of the position of Administrator of
21780-439: The permanent Raw General Manager. At TLC, an injured Strowman defeated Corbin with the assistance of Heath Slater , Apollo Crews , Finn Bálor, Bobby Roode , Chad Gable , and Kurt Angle, to challenge Lesnar again at the Royal Rumble and stripping Corbin of all authoritative power. However, as punishment for damaging Vince McMahon's limousine , he was stripped of his title opportunity, which was largely caused by Corbin, leading to
21945-760: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During
22110-439: The purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise a bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether
22275-458: The residents were notified about evictions only 24 hours before, while others were between 1–6 weeks. In some cases "evacuate" was written on the buildings, while the state media and billboards informed others about the demolitions to others. Saudi state media claimed the majority of affected neighborhoods were "rife with diseases, crime, drugs and theft" and home to predominantly undocumented immigrants . In January 2022, Saudi authorities announced
22440-563: The scheduled triple threat match into a singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the now vacant title. In February 2019, Fightful reported that prior to his leukemia diagnosis, Reigns had informed Vince McMahon and WWE officials that he would not be taking part in the Crown Jewel PPV due to the controversy surrounding the event. On September 17, WWE scheduled the WWE World Cup for Crown Jewel, an eight-man tournament to "determine
22605-425: The show. Former WWE wrestler John Layfield spoke on Fox News in favor of the event in order to promote change, while current WWE wrestlers Randy Orton, Ronda Rousey , and Mark Henry had similar remarks when speaking with TMZ . On the other hand, John Cena, who was scheduled to participate in the WWE World Cup and had called it "an honor and a privilege" to compete in Saudi Arabia during the Greatest Royal Rumble,
22770-695: The show. The event itself was met with generally negative reviews, especially the main event, the Universal Championship match, and the World Cup final. This event did not get a home video release, but it is available to stream on the WWE Network . In early 2018, the American professional wrestling promotion WWE began a 10-year strategic multiplatform partnership with the General Sports Authority in support of Saudi Vision 2030 , Saudi Arabia 's social and economic reform program. The first pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event under this partnership,
22935-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For
23100-469: The tag team championship the following month at Fastlane , Shane attacked The Miz, thus ending their partnership and turning heel for the first time since returning to WWE in 2016. Shane incorporated the "Best in the World" moniker and trophy as an integral part of his heel gimmick. The two fought at WrestleMania 35 in a falls count anywhere match and again at Money in the Bank in a Steel Cage match , in which Shane narrowly won both. The WWE World Cup
23265-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,
23430-408: The top rope on The Undertaker and Kane outside the ring. Triple H performed " The Pedigree " on The Undertaker, who countered into a submission hold. The end came when Michaels performed another "Sweet Chin Music" on Kane, followed by a "Pedigree" from Triple H, who pinned Kane to win the match. During the match, Triple H was legitimately injured, suffering a torn pectoral muscle . As had already been
23595-481: The tournament. Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin took part with nine local competitors, but was lastly eliminated by a returning Kurt Angle, disguised as The Conquistador , thus Angle won the battle royal to qualify for the tournament. Two more qualifiers were decided on the October 9 episode of SmackDown , where Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton qualified for the tournament by defeating Samoa Joe and Big Show , respectively. Raw's final two qualifiers were decided on
23760-435: The tournament. In reality, Cena legitimately refused to participate due to the controversy surrounding the event. On the October 30 episode of SmackDown , SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon gave his four participants an ultimatum: if their finalist were to lose, they would be fired from SmackDown. At Super Show-Down , AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe by submission in a no countout , no disqualification match to retain
23925-505: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by
24090-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it
24255-421: The vacant Universal Championship. Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin came out to present the title to the winner of the match. Before the match began, Corbin attacked Strowman with the title belt. Lesnar then attacked Strowman with three " F-5s ", however, all three resulted in near falls. Lesnar performed another "F-5" on Strowman to the outside of the ring, forcing Strowman to beat a countout. Lesnar performed
24420-405: The venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as a performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in
24585-466: The waterfront in the west of Jeddah to the eastern end of the city. It is famous for hosting numerous corporate offices and commercial developments. It will be near the HSR Entrance in Jeddah central train station which connects Jeddah with Makkah, Al-Madinah, and King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). It also has the second tallest flagpole in the world at a height of 170 m (558 ft). This road faced
24750-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of
24915-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked
25080-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling
25245-498: Was 9.8 °C (49.6 °F) on February 10, 1993. The highest temperature ever recorded in Jeddah was 52.0 °C (125.6 °F) on June 22, 2010, which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Saudi Arabia. Dust storms happen in summer and sometimes in winter, coming from the Arabian Peninsula 's deserts or from North Africa . Occasionally, the dust storms accompany thunderstorms. Jeddah has long been
25410-457: Was an eight-man single-elimination tournament to determine the "best in the world". Four participants came from Raw and four participants came from SmackDown. Participants from Raw and SmackDown faced opponents of their own brand until one member of their brand was left, after which, the finalist from Raw faced the finalist from SmackDown. John Cena was originally announced as a direct participant on account of his previous achievements in WWE, but
25575-728: Was attacked. Soon after, in early 935, the Ikhshidids , the new power in Egypt, took control of the Hejaz region. There are no historical records that detail the Ikhshidid rule of Hejaz. At this point in time, Jeddah was still unfortified and without walls. In 969 AD, the Fatimids from Algeria took control in Egypt from the Ikhshidid Governors of Abbasids and expanded their empire to the surrounding regions, including The Hijaz and Jeddah. The Fatimids developed an extensive trade network in both
25740-560: Was briefly occupied by pirates from the Kingdom of Axum . However, Jeddah remained a key civilian harbor, serving fishermen and pilgrims travelling by sea for the Hajj . It is also believed that the Sharifdom of Makkah , an honorary Viceroy to the holy land, was first started in this period of the Islamic Caliphate. Jeddah has been established as the main city of the historic Hijaz province and
25905-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in
26070-543: Was named Worst Match of the Year . Furthermore, the business ties between Saudi Arabia and the WWE were recognized as the Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic of the year. Shawn Michaels described the event as a "glorified house show " that was, in his opinion, insignificant. After his interference in the Universal Championship match, Braun Strowman sought revenge against Baron Corbin. After chasing him through
26235-636: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before
26400-461: Was replaced by Bobby Lashley after he legitimately refused to work the show in wake of the Khashoggi incident. Professional wrestling 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling ) is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with the premise that
26565-503: Was replaced by Bobby Lashley, as he reportedly refused to work the show in wake of the Khashoggi murder. Daniel Bryan, who was scheduled to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, had his title match bumped up to the October 30 episode of SmackDown , and was replaced on the Crown Jewel card by Samoa Joe, as he too reportedly refused to work the show. In February 2019, Fightful reported that prior to his leukemia diagnosis, Roman Reigns, who
26730-487: Was scheduled to defend the WWE Universal Championship, had informed Vince McMahon and WWE officials that he would also refuse to work the show. WWE continued to promote the show, but erased all references to Saudi Arabia as the event's location. On October 19, the day tickets were to go on sale, the Saudi government confirmed the death of Khashoggi within the consulate and WWE.com removed ticket information from
26895-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted
27060-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among
27225-414: Was to crown the best in the world, feels like an allegory for something." For the two world championship matches, Silverstein and Crosby gave the Universal Championship match a "D+" rating. They said that Brock Lesnar's win was a positive, but it was wholly outweighed by "no offense from [Braun] Strowman". Powell was positive of the match, stating that it was a good decision to not rush Strowman into winning
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