WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble delivered, but not without the storyline and real controversy. World Wrestling Entertainment's inaugural entry into Saudi Arabia happened Friday. It took place in Jeddah. It was called the "Greatest Royal Rumble." It is weird when you find yourself watching a live professional wrestling in the middle of the day.

The event was on a par with "WrestleMania" with matches and presentation. WWE and the Saudi Arabian government have a 10-year agreement for WWE to come and have a show in an effort for the Saudi Arabian kingdom to change its worldwide perception.

The event itself did not disappoint

The event kicked off with Triple H and John Cena in what was a stacked WWE event card leading to the 50 men Greatest Royal Rumble. We didn’t see any title changes except for the WWE raw tag team championship, which was vacant.

Other titles were on the line with perhaps the one with the most interest being Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns in a cage match. The match ended in controversy when both men propelled out of the cage due to a Roman Reigns spear.

The event culminated with the Inaugural "Greatest Royal Rumble," which saw Braun Strowman put on a dominant performance.

Likewise, Daniel Bryan had his own show-stopping moment staying in the match for a record-breaking one hour and 16 minutes.

The highlight of the event came at the expense of Titus O'Neil

Though the event did not have much build up as far as storylines outside of Brock and Roman and the brief encounter between Big Cass and Daniel Bryan.

the event was entertaining, however weird it was to be watching a live event in the middle of the day.

Great event, but with real Controversy

The event came at a cost that has some people doing head scratching and questioning World Wrestling Entertainment's commitment to the women’s evolution as well as being LGBT friendly. Saudi Arabia has different views and the women from WWE was not allowed to compete in the event.

Some believe this was a slap in the face to all the WWE has done to build up equality in the WWE. For them to agree with the deal knowing the women from WWE could not compete was a chance for the WWE to make a stand on a movement it seemed to believe in highly?

It seems WWE was seeing green in the form of a big payday by the Saudi Arabia government. It understandable for the company to be sensitive to the culture. However, with the work they have put into the women’s evolution, it is a setback.

Hopefully, the WWE will find a way to make it up to the women of the WWE. Perhaps a women’s only pay per view giving them a showcase.

The other controversy was Finn Balor's change in attire

His normal ring gear has the LGBT rainbow on them.

However, it was noticeably missing during his performance. In Saudi Arabia, it is illegal to be gay and you can be harshly punished or even put to the death. This is once again, something WWE knew before accepting the 10-year deal.

World Wrestling Entertainment is not hurting financially due to it being a publicly traded company. It appears the payday offered made WWE forget the equality movement. The event was unquestionably entertaining and WWE did a good job of putting on a spectacle. The event gave the Saudi Arabian kingdom exposure to a wider audience and more events are coming.

The event has raised questions about WWE and how committed they are to the movement’s they proclaim to be pushing.
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