If you’ve been paying attention to the news over the past weeks, you’re aware of the political backlash against Saudi Arabia in the wake of its embassy’s alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. But what you might not be so aware of is World Wrestling Entertainment’s 10-year, several hundred-million-dollar deal with Saudi Arabia, which will broadcast the all-male wrestling show Crown Jewel on November 2.

This move is particularly controversial not only because of Khashoggi’s murder, but due to Saudi Arabia treatment toward women and queer people. Homosexuality, for instance, is outlawed in the country and men who engage in sodomy can be stoned to death; and while women are now allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, the female activists who fought for that justice have been jailed indefinitely. This makes it all the more curious that, at the heels of WWE’s first-ever, all-women event, Evolution, the conglomerate is pushing a male-exclusive show in a country that has a track record of extreme discrimination.

WWE executive and wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque defended WWE’s presence in the Middle Eastern country. He told The Independent:

You can’t dictate to a country or a religion about how they handle things but, having said that, WWE is at the forefront of a women’s evolution in the world and what you can’t do is affect change anywhere by staying away from it... While women are not competing in the event, we have had discussions about that and hope that, in the next few years, they will be.

While Evolution may well have been a smoke-screen to distract from women wrestlers and wrestlers of certain ethnic backgrounds being barred from Crown Jewel, the WWE could be positioning itself to reap the positive press associated with affecting change in the region. We only have to look at WWE’s claims that they staged the “first-ever” women’s wrestling match in the Middle East last year, which wasn't accurate. You can’t claim women’s empowerment while raking in blood money from a country that limits women’s rights so severely.

Even if WWE’s presence in Saudi Arabia was the catalyst for the advancement of women’s rights in the country, it does not excuse the fact that currently Saudi women are not allowed to attend wrestling shows and other sporting and social events without a male chaperone to whom they are related, let alone wrestle. Nor does the deal jibe with WWE’s goal of incorporating more queer storylines into its product and its support of Spirit Day.

WWE winner John Cena refused to participate in the Crown Jewel in light of the Saudi controversy.

WWE also has close ties to the Trump administration. Linda McMahon, head of the Small Business Administration in Trump's cabinet—which wants to limit the rights of the transgender community—is the former CEO of WWE and is married to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and even Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) urged WWE to reconsider Crown Jewel amidst the Khashoggi controversy. However, it was reported that WWE never received advice from the State Department to halt their business dealings with Saudi Arabia and, thus, continued its plans for the show.

By forging ahead with the ill-advised Saudi Arabian deal in the face of ensuing bad press, Crown Jewel has overshadowed Evolution and WWE’s other activist work. If the company wants to resist any more mainstream backlash and retain the increasingly progressive and diverse fan base it has built, WWE needs to end the Saudi deal and get on the right side of history, posthaste.

Crown Jewel is set to air Friday at 12pm EST on the WWE Network. Will you tune in?