Mike Roses on WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia

Mike Roses on WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia came down to one concern: he does not think WWE should put wrestlers and fans at risk to hold a show there. Speaking with Roundtable Pro Wrestling, Roses said a venue change would not answer his objection. He also recalled the independent show that made him a regular local wrestling fan.

Why does Mike Roses oppose WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia?

Mike Roses opposes holding Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia because he believes the safety of wrestlers and fans should take priority over the money attached to the event. Asked about a possible change of venue amid reported attacks in the region, he said WWE should move the show somewhere else rather than keep it in the country.

Why a venue change would not satisfy Roses

Roundtable Pro Wrestling raised reports of attacks affecting the region, including King Khalid International Airport, and discussed the possibility of moving Crown Jewel to another venue. Roses did not regard a different building as a solution. In his view, the concern was the danger people might face while traveling to and attending the show.

He said he would change where Crown Jewel was held as soon as possible. Roses mentioned Las Vegas only to rule it out as his particular suggestion; his point was that WWE should find another location, not that he had settled on a replacement city. His objection covered the audience as well as the talent working the event.

The money behind the decision

The host described WWE's Saudi Arabia agreement as lucrative and argued that a show there could bring in far more than a WrestleMania. Roses acknowledged the financial appeal without accepting it as a reason to proceed. He framed the decision as a question of how WWE values the people it sends to a show and the fans who come to watch it.

Roses put his position in its simplest terms:

there's no price on another human's life.

The discussion also touched on Six Kings Slam, a tennis tournament the host said had been postponed amid the disruptions. Roses did not offer a separate view on the tournament. For him, the question remained why a wrestling show should go ahead if the people involved could be placed in danger.

What did Mike Roses say about WWE wrestler safety and its earlier Saudi Arabia trip?

Mike Roses said WWE wrestlers should be able to refuse a trip they believe puts their lives at risk. To explain why he takes travel concerns seriously, he recalled an earlier Saudi Arabia show after which, in his account, much of the talent could not leave the airport while Vince McMahon, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman flew home.

The airport incident Roses recalled

Roses described the rest of the WWE talent as stranded after that earlier event. He connected the disruption to NXT wrestlers moving up to work Raw and SmackDown while the regular roster was unable to return. He did not give a date for the incident, and his account was part of his argument about the risks of another trip.

That memory shaped his response to the proposed Crown Jewel plans. He asked why wrestlers should be sent back to a place where, as he sees it, their safety could be in jeopardy. The host's discussion of possible changes to the show did not alter that concern for him.

Whether wrestlers should have a choice

Roses noted that WWE talent work under contract but are independent contractors. He argued that they should be able to say they do not want to travel if they believe a destination is unsafe. His criticism was directed at a decision that, in his view, could put other people at risk for the sake of a large payment.

He also said the situation made him more inclined to watch a different wrestling product on Wednesday nights. That was Roses' judgment about how the companies treat their workers, not a claim that he knew what safety decisions another promotion would make.

What does Mike Roses think of independent wrestling?

Mike Roses thinks independent wrestlers can show more freedom and enjoyment in the ring than performers working under television's tighter demands. His attachment to local shows began with a main event he saw in March or April 2012. He returned the next month because the wrestlers appeared to be having fun while putting on a strong match.

A first local show in 2012

Roses could not recall every match on that first card, but he remembered the main event: Thunder and Wade Hess against Cleaver and Exiled. What stayed with him was the combination of the match itself and the impression that the wrestlers enjoyed working it. He called that experience the start of his attachment to local wrestling.

He contrasted that feeling with the constraints he associates with wrestling on television. In his description, independent workers have more room to perform without having every moment dictated by a time limit or a list of things the match must accomplish. Roses was speaking as a fan watching the difference, not describing a match he had worked.

The New Japan locker-room example

Roses also brought up a wrestler's interview about New Japan's relaxed locker-room atmosphere. To Roses, the example showed that a calm setting does not prevent wrestlers from producing shows he admires. He drew a direct connection between workers enjoying their environment and fans enjoying what those workers put on.

The host then described his own time living, training and working in a dojo in Japan. That experience belonged to the host, while Roses' account of independent wrestling rested on the local shows he attended and what he observed from the audience.

What are Mike Roses' favorite foods and restaurants?

Mike Roses said Mexican cuisine is his favorite type of food, though he found it harder to choose one favorite restaurant. He named Tachos in Oregon City and Libby's in Milwaukee as places he likes. At Libby's, he said he would order steak and salad, and he also spoke enthusiastically about biscuits and gravy.

His answers did not settle on a single restaurant or a single dish across every menu. Tachos and Libby's were the two places he offered when pressed for a choice, while steak and salad was his specific Libby's order. For a diner-style meal, he said biscuits and gravy would make him happy.