Medical Masks Reportedly Sold Outside WWE Super Showdown, Update On Fans' Seating Access
Saudi Arabian journalist Mr. King has been on hand for all of the WWE shows in his country including Super Showdown. However, this year's event had more wrestling fans sitting ringside than before and King talked about that when he joined The Wrestling Inc Daily.
"This was the best time I had ringside as there were a lot of hardcore fans there. Every time I started a chant, they supported it. This show had maybe the most hardcore fans around the ring. This was one of my best experiences as a wrestling fan and it was the best for the fans in a long time," King said before expounding on why it was the best.
"The tickets we got were available early and the tickets around the ring were easier to get. When I got the chance to be on the ground area for the show, it was really enjoyable. Everyone was into the show and we had our best time show. At the previous show, there were not a lot of hardcore fans around the ring but this time they got access and it was one of the best experiences."
He also noted that the first shows had big couches in the front row and many of the fans were mad about that so they changed it.
It was just a couple of years ago that WWE first had a show in Saudi Arabia so there is still some learning to do on how to engage with the fans. King talked about Saudi Arabia's learning curve with WWE's presentation of pro wrestling.
"They are evolving and even as a journalist ? before the media conference they held ? maybe there were some issues with being late but they are more flexible. With the tickets, the prices before were maybe a little low or a little high. They are learning how to do the show as professionals and each and every single time, the experience is getting easier," stated King.
He was then asked if the people of Saudi Arabia are becoming bigger pro wrestling fans.
"Yes, that's what I've noticed. When I was ringside at Super Showdown, I tried to start hardcore chants like, 'Change the channel.' I remember the match was good, but I wanted to experience the chant. Some people were saying that's good and keep doing that," said King.
He also noted how the numbers for his pro wrestling site have increased since WWE came to town, and it's not just WWE that they have an interest in as many are also AEW fans.
"There are some people who know about the business a lot. They maybe took a break from wrestling but came back after the Saudi Arabia shows. The business is growing, so that's huge," stated King.
"We have a high number of users who read or listen to the content. With each and every show, we're getting more fans. My podcast has a lot of wrestling fans and they are people watching lots of shows, not just WWE shows."
This was the first Saudi WWE show since the Coronavirus outbreak and King discussed how that affected the event.
"I think every single person in the world right now is afraid of Coronavirus. At that show, the Saudi Health Administration was telling people to be careful. We didn't get any Coronavirus until [Monday] here in Saudi. There were plenty of people outside the arena selling masks but I didn't wear one," revealed King. "I thought that we hadn't gotten one [person with Coronavirus] yet so I don't think we need to be afraid right now. But there were plenty of people selling them and there were a lot of people buying them. Any place that has a lot of people, they will buy stuff like that."
Mr. King runs WrestlingAC.com. You can follow him on Twitter @98MrKing.
Mr. King's full interview with Wrestling Inc aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here. The full interview can be heard via the embedded audio player below: