Former WWE Co-President and Board member George Barrios has given a detailed account of the meeting that finalized WWE’s business relationship with Saudi Arabia, describing a surreal scene involving armed guards, a Saudi prince dressed only in his boxer shorts, and a hookah pipe.
Barrios shared the story on an episode of Jeff Jarrett’s “My World” podcast, which Jarrett co-hosts with Conrad Thompson. The appearance saw Barrios expand on details he previously included in his book, offering a deeper look at how WWE’s agreement with the kingdom came together behind closed doors.
According to Barrios, the negotiations took place inside a heavily guarded compound in Riyadh. He described the setting as tense, with armed guards present throughout the meeting. At the center of the discussions was a Saudi prince who, according to Barrios, was sitting in his boxer shorts and smoking a hookah while the business talks unfolded.
Ringside News, which also reported on the podcast appearance, characterized the exchange as confrontational, noting that Barrios described the prince as yelling at him during the course of the negotiations over WWE’s dealings. The combination of the informal attire, the hookah, and the armed security created what Barrios portrayed as an unusual and high-pressure environment for finalizing a major corporate agreement.
Barrios served as WWE’s Co-President and sat on the company’s Board during the period when the promotion built out its relationship with Saudi Arabia, a partnership that has since become a significant and recurring part of WWE’s international events calendar. His firsthand account, delivered years after leaving the company, offers rare insight into the kind of unconventional dealmaking that shaped one of WWE’s most consequential business arrangements.
The podcast conversation marks the latest instance of Barrios opening up about his time in WWE leadership, following similar revelations in his book. Neither Fightful nor Ringside News reported additional detail from Jarrett or Conrad Thompson beyond their roles in hosting and prompting the discussion, and no further specifics about the identity of the prince or the exact date of the Riyadh meeting were disclosed in the reporting.
WWE’s Saudi Arabia partnership has grown into a cornerstone of the company’s global strategy since it was first established, regularly featuring marquee events in the kingdom. Barrios’ account adds previously unreported texture to the origin story of that relationship, highlighting just how unconventional the path to the agreement reportedly was.
