Ex-WWE Exec Recalls Tense Late-Night Saudi Deal Meeting
“First thing is we're scheduled to start at 7 p.m. We don't start until 11 p.m...We're driving in, we're driving into this compound, it's pitch black. [We] get out, there are guards everywhere strapped with machine guns. We go into this, it's almost like a mancave. It's dark.— George Barrios
Former WWE co-President George Barrios appeared on "My World" with Conrad Thompson and Jeff Jarrett to recount the tense negotiations that finalized the WWE-Saudi Arabia partnership. Reluctance among executives to meet in person led to Barrios being dispatched to Saudi Arabia for the negotiations, which he described as the most unique business meeting he had ever attended.
The session was scheduled for 7 p.m. but did not begin until 11 p.m., when Barrios and his team drove into a pitch-black compound guarded by armed personnel carrying machine guns. They entered a dark room resembling a mancave featuring two rows of three giant TVs playing various YouTube content, where a senior prince sat in boxer shorts smoking a hookah.
The meeting opened with the prince yelling at Barrios over perceived greediness in the deal terms, prompting Barrios and a few junior staff to retreat into a side room with the prince's second-in-command to finalize details. Barrios survived the encounter, the agreement was completed, and the WWE-Saudi partnership continues today even after both he and McMahon departed the company.
He acknowledged differing viewpoints on the matter and that some may view him as an apologist, but stated that the deal enabled both parties to flourish and that Saudi Arabia has been proven correct in its Vision 2030 goals.
Source: Wrestling Inc