So, this mental Saudi event coming up...

[HarmonicGenerator]

5 hours ago, tiger_rick said:

The Women's Rumble this year has already broken my database. Fuck knows what I'll do with this one.

I wouldn’t worry Rick! You don’t include the Rumble they had on SmackDown in 2004 so I’m sure you can get away with excluding this one too.

[Briefcase]

Vince is probably thinking the money received for this alone will go someway to fund the XFL. 

[Porkchopcash]

Wrestlefest 2018 init

[Lorne Malvo]

9 hours ago, Zaheer said:

A supershow the same month as Wrestlemania, which will bring WWE loads of coin and we can watch it live at 5pm with them pulling out all the stops in regards to match card.

 

What a horrible time to be a wrestling fan.

 

Unbelievable, isn't it? Never known a more miserable group of bastards than wrestling fans. 

[Kaz Hayashi]

4 minutes ago, Lorne Malvo said:

Unbelievable, isn't it? Never known a more miserable group of bastards than wrestling fans. 

Hmm, I once delivered health and safety awareness to a gaggle of bus drivers. Tough crowd.

[air_raid]

5 hours ago, Jon-Carr_92 said:

I bet it's just so he can win without having to pin Brock. What's the bet someone wins like Russo did and gets knocked out the door and onto the floor or thrown through the cage like Stone Cold was by Paul Wight?

If Reigns wins the title from Lesnar - finally - not only by not pinning him, but by getting beasted out of the cage.... that's so insane I actually would laugh my nads off and consider that WWE were trolling the boo boys. A subtle slow build heel turn for the Twitter/reddit generation.

[AlbertsNextGimmick]

This deffo feels like a Saudi prince has thrown loads of money at Vince in order to do his own Be The Booker. Rusev vs Undetaker in a casket match? Nobody would of predicted seeing that in 2018

[David]

Another thing that hasn't really been mentioned is the complete lack of females on the card. Obviously this is down to the Saudi's wishes, but I always find myself a little saddened when any company that spends a lot of time banging on about diversity and equality 99% of the time are happy to drop those values for a few quid when the opportunity arises.

I guess it's me being naive, but there's a part of me that always hopes that the likes of WWE would essentially tell a regime like the Saudi's to do one (obviously in a polite and diplomatic fashion) and not allow themselves to become a political tool.

Its even more damning when we're fresh from the biggest wrestling event of the year where the standout matches (in my opinion anyway) involved four females and only two males. Yet those females are essentially banned from competing in this event.

Anyway, rant over. I'll still watch it, so I'm certainly no moral champion.

[air_raid]

6 hours ago, AlbertsNextGimmick said:

who'd of

For fuck's sake.

[WyattSheepMask]

30 minutes ago, David said:

Another thing that hasn't really been mentioned is the complete lack of females on the card. Obviously this is down to the Saudi's wishes, but I always find myself a little saddened when any company that spends a lot of time banging on about diversity and equality 99% of the time are happy to drop those values for a few quid when the opportunity arises.

I guess it's me being naive, but there's a part of me that always hopes that the likes of WWE would essentially tell a regime like the Saudi's to do one (obviously in a polite and diplomatic fashion) and not allow themselves to become a political tool.

Its even more damning when we're fresh from the biggest wrestling event of the year where the standout matches (in my opinion anyway) involved four females and only two males. Yet those females are essentially banned from competing in this event.

Anyway, rant over. I'll still watch it, so I'm certainly no moral champion.

They could always try and sneak into the Rumble match 

[David]

 thanks for that, almost choked on my coffee there!

[AlbertsNextGimmick]

1 hour ago, David said:

Another thing that hasn't really been mentioned is the complete lack of females on the card. Obviously this is down to the Saudi's wishes, but I always find myself a little saddened when any company that spends a lot of time banging on about diversity and equality 99% of the time are happy to drop those values for a few quid when the opportunity arises.

 

Women’s revolution on hold whilst the WWE get paid the big bucks.

 

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

41 minutes ago, WyattSheepMask said:

They could always try and sneak into the Rumble match 

See I disagree. Is it fair to refuse a company business based on the policies of the country that it resides in?

In some ways that would be like refusing to do business with an Australian business due to their illegal immigration policy.

However even if your answer is YES to the above, in many ways the sporting company behind this event are the groups you want to support. They've been pushing to minimise gender segregation for years and in fact successfully got laws relaxed allowing men and women to attend the same sporting events later this year / next year.

In a nutshell; it's good to support a culture that is progressing. 

Plus if you want to influence a Middle Eastern culture with Western values, refusing to supply said Western event is not the way to go about it.

[Gus Mears]

31 minutes ago, andrew "the ref" coyne said:

In some ways that would be like refusing to do business with an Australian business due to their illegal immigration policy.

No, it really isn't. Comparing a democratic regime with a number of hard line policies with a nepotistic dictatorship that has arbitrary law dressed up as Sharia is not accurate. The industrial subjugation of 50% of the population is not comparable with a right wing immigration policy. 

For what it's worth, I do think the new regime is (and has been) liberalising somewhat and I'm not necessarily against the argument that stuff like this might aid the process. However, I think we'd all have to be massively naive to think this is anything other than a cash grab on the part of Vince and that 'they might have women in the stadium' is some cause for celebration when the best performers on the roster can't go on because they have the wrong genitals. 

[Carbomb]

32 minutes ago, andrew "the ref" coyne said:

See I disagree. Is it fair to refuse a company business based on the policies of the country that it resides in?

Of course it is. Not all policies are the same. Effectively equating the horrendous human rights abuse of Saudi Arabia to Australia's immigration policy, which, while controversial, isn't a continuous and objectionable violation of human rights, is not the way to look at this.

If the country in question is committing genocide, imprisoning political dissidents, or practicing apartheid, then absolutely it is fair to refuse to do business with them.

I will agree that Saudi Arabia does appear to be changing, and I welcome the move towards progress, but given the shit they're pulling in Yemen, and all the shit they've pulled over the past 100 years, I'd say it should take anyone a while before they would want to do business with that bunch. But then that's just my perspective.

Quote

Plus if you want to influence a Middle Eastern culture with Western values, refusing to supply said Western event is not the way to go about it.

A bit arrogant to assume that a wrestling company would have all that much influence on them. They're having the event put on within the frame of their own values. 

EDIT: Gus said it better and more concisely.