Rumours are circulating that footballer Cristiano Ronaldo could make his WWE debut at the Crown Jewel event in Riyadh this November.
Crown Jewel is an annual event held by the WWE in Saudi, as part of a lucrative decade-long contract between the Kingdom and the sports entertainment company.
The event has yet to be publicly announced by WWE, but it is widely expected that the show will feature a returning John Cena, for his first event in Saudi Arabia since 2018.
Now, star-power is not in short supply in Riyadh with the Al Nassr team from the football-mad Saudi capital boasting the 5-time World Player of the Year, Ronaldo. As the most followed person on social media, Ronaldo is no stranger to the razzle-dazzle of a spectacle, and getting in the ring with John Cena very much qualifies as that.
The rumours were first reported by the Spanish daily sports newspaper Diario AS, but stated that Ronaldo would only be at the show to watch rather than the football star getting physical in the ring.
If WWE does indeed bring Ronaldo on board for Crown Jewel, he won’t be the first notable name to make his presence felt at a Saudi show. Last year’s Crown Jewel event was headlined by Roman Reigns defending his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Logan Paul, who had his brother Jake at ringside. Crown Jewel 2019 would see Cain Velasquez and Tyson Fury compete, with Velasquez losing to old UFC rival Brock Lesnar while the ‘Gypsy King’ earned a countout win over Braun Strowman.