Ronda Rousey Defends WWE’s Decision To Hold Crown Jewel In Saudi Arabia

For weeks now there’s been pressure on WWE to pull Crown Jewel out of Saudi Arabia, but on Thursday the company confirmed that the event will be moving ahead as advertised.

The decision has been met with backlash, but Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey recently explained to TMZ that she thinks the event should carry on because it helps people find common ground.

“I’m a 2-time Olympian, so I’m an idealist when it comes to sports,” Ronda says … while explaining how she bonded with a boxer from Iraq while the U.S. was at war with his country. Nowhere else in the world would some man from Iraq and a little girl from Venice Beach be respecting each other and sharing space. And, I think that sports is where we really find that common ground with each other.”

“And, I think that pulling out of the ‘Crown Jewel’ would be the wrong move because I think that this is an opportunity to be able to share our cultures, and to define what we have in common and in times especially when, you know, times of adversity between two countries that’s the absolute wrong time to be able to pull away. I think that’s the time for us to be able to find what we have in common and be able to understand each other more.”

While taking about the possibility of women wrestling in Saudi Arabia, Rousey noted that she thinks there will be demand to see female performers if WWE really takes off in the area.

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