Seth Rollins: WWE has been ‘taking s**t’ over Saudi relationship for six years
Seth Rollins was initially skeptical about going to Saudi Arabia when WWE started holding shows there, but the change he’s seen in the country has been “incredible.”
Appearing on Mohr Stories with comedian Jay Mohr, Rollins mentioned that Saudi Arabia is hosting the 2026 Royal Rumble. Mohr brought up the recent Riyadh Comedy Festival and asked if the WWE wrestlers will “take sh*t” for going there like the comedians who played the comedy festival did.
“We’ve been going there for six years. We’ve been taking sh*t for six years,” Rollins responded. “Oh, of course [we take sh*t for it]. ‘It’s blood money.’ Yeah, well, guess what? We get paid by America, too. What do you think? You think there’s no blood money there? Come on. Get out of here.
“Look, here’s what I’ll tell you. We’ve gone there for six years. And I’ll say this, when we went in 2019, I was skeptical as well. ‘Oh, I don’t know about this. I don’t know. I don’t know how I feel about it.’ But we go over there and the change in the culture and the people at our shows in six years has been incredible. When I tell you we went there the first time, there were no women on our show. There were no women backstage. They wouldn’t do anything. Now we go there and it’s just like a WWE show. The fans, there’s a ton of women there, local.”
WWE’s controversial relationship with Saudi Arabia began in 2018. Like with the comedy festival, WWE’s events that are held in the country are directly in partnership with the Saudi government.
Riyadh is hosting Royal Rumble 2026 on Saturday, January 31. The PLE has a 2 p.m. Eastern start time for viewers in the United States.
Rollins likely will not be able to compete at the Rumble due to the shoulder injury he suffered at Crown Jewel: Perth. He reiterated on Mohr Stories that he will likely be out of action for 3-4 more months, though he’s working hard to get cleared in time for WrestleMania 42.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.