With reports that GUNTHER refused to travel to Saudi Arabia for WWE Crown Jewel, he’s far from the first to take a stance.

During the construction of the custom venue hosting WWE Crown Jewel, imagery of GUNTHER and Finn Balor was revealed, suggesting that the pair would have a match in Riyadh.

That didn’t come to be, with reports that the match had been planned but scrapped, with indications that a four-match card was felt to be enough.

New insight has revealed that GUNTHER refused to travel to Saudi Arabia, stemming from a report carried by F4W Online, with “multiple WWE sources” reportedly confirming the situation.

GUNTHER isn’t the first WWE star to have rejected travel plans to the Kingdom, however:

John Cena

John Cena was announced for the first-ever WWE Crown Jewel in 2018, but was replaced by Bobby Lashley in the tournament that would eventually be won by Shane McMahon.

Cena has withdrawn from the event due to the killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He had competed at Greatest Royal Rumble, defeating Triple H, earlier in 2018, and would in 2023 at Crown Jewel, and last year for Night of Champions.

Daniel Bryan

With the WWE Championship on the line, AJ Styles was set to defend the title against Daniel Bryan at Crown Jewel on November 2, 2018.

Alongside Cena, Bryan was another top WWE star to withdraw from the event in Saudi Arabia, with Styles retaining the title against Samo Joe.

Now known as Bryan Danielson in AEW, the star’s only appearance in Saudi Arabia would be in the 2019 Greatest Royal Rumble match at the PLE of the same name.

Aleister Black

Black didn’t compete in Saudi Arabia during either of his runs in WWE, with a Post Wrestling report in 2019 noting that he would not be taking part in Super Showdown, and no reason given.

With this year’s Royal Rumble also taking place in Saudi Arabia, plans were for Black to be involved, although he would state he was held off the event to better build a program with Randy Orton. Plans for that story faltered, with Black and Zelina Vega being released in April.

Black would also address a conversation with Vince McMahon from “five years ago” about his tattoos and how they would be received in Saudi Arabia.

Kevin Owens

WWE Super Showdown in 2019 also saw Kevin Owens absent, having competed at Greatest Royal Rumble in April the year before.

Fightful carried the intial report that Owens would be absent, stating they “weren’t told a specific reason as to why Owens came to the decision, but his friend and longtime tag team partner Sami Zayn has been off of those shows because of strained relationships between Syria and Saudi Arabia.”

Owens has since appeared at shows in Saudi Arabia, with tensions easing and Zayn also being able to make his first appearance under the current WWE partnership at Night of Champions in 2023.

The reasons may never be fully known

There may be pushback behind the scenes, particularly when a star opting to not travel to any given location derails plans but, for some, the decision to not travel to a destination such as Saudi Arabia is not one taken lightly.

Speculation may lean towards personal, safety or ideological reasons, yet it is only when the stars themselves confirm the decision that the truth comes out.

For some, Saudi Arabia is always going to be a contentious subject, with many questioning the decision to hold Crown Jewel in Riyadh given the tensions in the region.