While some of the controversy has died down over the years, WWE’s ongoing relationship with Saudi Arabia has remained a sore spot for some within the wrestling fanbase due to the country’s poor record on human rights. And as WWE prepares to run the Royal Rumble in SA this January, followed by the first WrestleMania in SA, WrestleMania 43, in 2027, Seth Rollins appears to be about done with any criticisms of the relationship.

Appearing on “Mohr Stories” with Jay Mohr, Rollins mentioned that WWE was running the Rumble in Saudi Arabia, prompting Mohr to ask whether WWE got any flack for doing so, similar to the criticisms several comedians received for performing in SA earlier in 2025. The former World Heavyweight Champion proceeded to push back on the criticism, and offered his perspective of performing in the Middle Eastern country.

“We’ve been going there for six years, we’ve been taking s**t for six years,” Rollins said. “Of course [we take s**t]. ‘Oh, it’s blood money. It’s blood money.’ Yeah, well guess what? We get paid by America too. What do you think? You think there’s no bloody money there? Get out of here. Look, here’s what I’ll tell you; we’ve done it for six years. 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.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Mohr Stories” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription