Former WWE co-president George Barrios has shed light on the decision for the company to continue shows in Saudi Arabia after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
Barrios has released his book Sometimes Wrong but Never in Doubt: How a Cuban Kid from Queens Transformed WWE through Skyhorse Publishing and details his tenure at WWE.
In January 2018, WWE announced a ten-year deal with the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia to run events in the country beginning with the Greatest Royal Rumble.
From Barrios’ book:
Our negotiations dragged on because the Saudis are notorious hagglers. By 2018, despite having made great progress, we were struggling to get the deal over the finish line. Complicating matters was the disappearance of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
On October 2, 2018, Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey and never exited. The CIA concluded that Khashoggi had been murdered after orders by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and sanctions imposed on seventeen Saudis, but not bin Salman. Five were sentenced to death, three were sent to prison, and three were acquitted.
From Barrios:
As outraged as I was by what happened, I still defy anyone to argue they understand who was truly at fault. All I know is that on our end, Khashoggi’s disappearance called into question our deal with the Saudis.
WWE decided to run its Crown Jewel event on November 2, 2018, in Riyadh, despite considerable backlash after other entities pulled out of commitments in the country. Current TKO CEO & executive chairman Ari Emanuel returned a $400 million investment by the Saudi government after Khashoggi’s murder.
Vince (McMahon), Michelle (Wilson), and I spent a great deal of time debating the pros and cons of moving forward. Vince in particular was deeply uncomfortable with the uncertainty surrounding the events.
In my opinion, we couldn’t walk out on the deal. It was too worthwhile for WWE. But Vince kept shaking his head. “This thing with Khashoggi. Doing the deal could be the biggest risk we’ve ever taken with the company.”
“Vince, listen to me”, I said. “I understand how serious this is. But no one really knows what’s going on.”
In September 2018, WWE’s stock was trading at $93 and fell to less than $70 in October after the murder of Khashoggi. The stock would not fully recover to that previous level until early 2023, when the company announced plans to explore a sale/merger.
Barrios started with the company in 2008 and eventually became co-president with Michelle Wilson. The two were let go in January 2020, causing a major dip in the company stock, and their roles were later filled by Nick Khan that summer.
Barrios and Wilson were brought back to the board of directors in January 2023 when Vince McMahon orchestrated a power play to return to the company and eliminated three existing board members.
Barrios is among the defendants in the ongoing WWE shareholder lawsuit, which is scheduled to begin trial this Monday in the Delaware Court of Chancery.
