WWE Crown Jewel update: John Cena officially out, replaced by Bobby Lashley

You can’t see John Cena at WWE Crown Jewel after all, and yes that was the worst possible pun we could make here.

Sometimes WWE rumors turn out to be true, and in the case of WWE Crown Jewel, one that involved one of the promotion’s big stars is indeed accurate. As reported by ESPN, John Cena is officially off the Crown Jewel card, and will not be taking part in the event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, later this week.

Cena was slated to take part in the World Cup tournament featuring seven other wrestlers, a mix of performers from both Raw and Smackdown. His spot will be taken by Bobby Lashley.

Reports had been circulating in recent days that both Cena and Daniel Bryan wanted off the card, presumably because of the controversy in the show going on as planned. The event will be held despite the still unresolved case of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was allegedly murdered while at the Saudi consulate in Turkey earlier this month.

Officially, WWE has stated that it plans to run Crown Jewel anyway because of its contractual obligations, but it’s fair to wonder if it has privately told wrestlers they don’t have to appear if they are uncomfortable with the timing. Cena is certainly a big enough star to warrant such an allowance, while others may not have any choice despite their personal feelings.

The other shoe of this particular rumor may drop Tuesday night on Smackdown, the brand with which Bryan is currently performing. If he, too, ends up dropping off the card, this will turn out to be the kind of early report that becomes 100 percent true, and will cast even more of a shadow over what is otherwise another important step forward in WWE’s increasing willingness t stage pay-per-view cards overseas.