Jeddah audience to witness its first WWE Elimination Chamber match

The event will also feature US tag team twins Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, better known by their ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)
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Updated 19 February 2022
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Jeddah audience to witness its first WWE Elimination Chamber match

  • ‘Best of the best’ are in town, says Bobby Lashley

JEDDAH: A WWE Elimination Chamber match is taking place on Saturday in Saudi Arabia for the first time, featuring some of wrestling’s biggest names.

The event is being held in Jeddah, at the world’s largest freestanding dome, and is being organized by the General Entertainment Authority.

On Friday, Arab News had the chance to talk to some of the wrestlers about their expectations for the event.

WWE champion Bobby Lashley is defending the title against a group of veteran wrestlers including Brock Lesnar, Riddle, Theory, and AJ Styles.

It is his fourth time in Saudi Arabia.




Bobby Lashley. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

“I’m super excited about tomorrow’s event. Every time we come here, the crowd is so alive and so exciting. S that makes us happy. You know, we have a good crowd, we always put on great matches. You see here, the people that we brought, we brought the best of the best in the entire wrestling business. So, we’re going to put on the greatest show that they have ever seen.

“I’ve been in one same room as before I came down to Victorious. So, this will be my second one. That’s probably one of the most grueling nights so I am 100 percent sure that I’m gonna walk out like a WWE champion tomorrow.”

Bill Goldberg said he was “extremely excited” about the event.  “I truly am. I’m at peace. So be careful what you ask for tomorrow night, you may get 20 times what you ask for.”




Charlotte Flair. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

When asked who he was planning to beat, he replied: “My biggest adversary is myself. And I’ve been at battle with him for six years, and I’ve defeated him. Okay, so whoever’s in front of me. Better hold on. It doesn’t matter to me when the bell rings. If I’m in a prison, if I’m in a shed, if I’m in an Elimination Chamber, I don’t care where I am, because the only thing that matters is whoever’s in front of me.”

Ronda Rousey will join forces with Naomi against SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville.

Flair told Arab News: “I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like in the dome tomorrow. I’ve had the opportunity to pretty much perform everywhere except for here. So, I’m really excited to bring the smackdown title. I’m very excited. I’m going to win the match. Wow.”

The youngest participating wrestler is Austin Theory Aged 24, he said that Saturday was a really big day for him.

“It’s actually a lot of records,” he told Arab News. “I could start tomorrow. So tomorrow will be my first time performing in Saudi Arabia. It’d be my first time in the Elimination Chamber. It’s my second opportunity at a WWE Championship. But if I won tomorrow, which you know, possible in theory, why not? I can become the youngest WWE Champion in history.”

Theory said that the Elimination Chamber was one of the hardest fights. “It is for the WWE Championship, so I’m going to go crazy tomorrow.”

The event will also feature US tag team twins Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, better known by their ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso.

The event is part of the GEA’s program of activities and international shows. It is also part of its cooperation with WWE to present its global shows in the Kingdom.

WWE Elimination Chamber matches are usually held in the US and they will be held outside the country for the first time since the event started in 2002.

Elimination Chamber matches are hugely popular all over the world as they are considered to be an exciting but brutal spectacle.

The fight has six wrestlers in the ring. It begins with the entry of two wrestlers and, every five minutes, the door is opened for another to enter the arena. This process continues until all the wrestlers enter.

Tickets are available at ticketMX.com and prices range from SR50 ($13.33) to SR900.

The battle begins at 8 p.m. and ends at midnight.

 


Jeddah’s Balad Al-Fan Festival is haven for creative souls

A musical performance regales audiences at the Balad Al-Fan Festival in Jeddah. (AN photo by Saleh Fareed)
Updated 03 May 2025
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Jeddah’s Balad Al-Fan Festival is haven for creative souls

  • Festival features art competitions, workshops, cultural talks, weekend markets, and live music shows

JEDDAH: Jeddah’s historic Al-Balad district has once again transformed into a vibrant hub of art for the second Balad Al-Fan Festival, which runs until June 13.

The festival, which began on April 5, and is organized by Zawiya 97 in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, features more than 90 events, including artistic competitions, creative workshops, cultural talks, school workshops, live shows, and weekend markets.

Hashem Al-Shawi walks participants through the process of soap making at the festival while Khloud Nass prepares for her pottery class. (AN photos by Saleh Fareed)

Abdulrahman Al-Aseri, managing director of Zawiya 97, told Arab News: “Building on our mission at Zawiya 97 to enhance the cultural and artisanal presence in Historic Jeddah, we place creativity at the heart of our vision by bridging living heritage with the spirit of contemporary innovation. Through our participation in Balad Al-Fann 2, we present more than 90 artistic and craft events aimed at reviving Historic Jeddah with a crafting energy.”

The festival includes four themed weekends: handmade crafts; nature and sustainability; youth weekend; and “A Sweet-Scented Farewell,” which focuses on Al-Balad apothecaries.

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The festival includes four themed weekends: handmade crafts; nature and sustainability; youth weekend; and ‘A Sweet-Scented Farewell,’ which focuses on Al-Balad apothecaries.

“This season, we have designed a vibrant platform that celebrates traditional crafts, reimagining them through sustainability, cultural storytelling, and youth empowerment,” said Al-Aseri. “We believe that creativity is not merely about having an idea, but about breathing new life into the timeless alleys of Al-Balad.

Visual artist Khloud Nass will be running one of the workshops. (AN photos by Saleh Fareed)

“With a new group of distinguished artisans joining our Artisans Incubator Program, we continue to build a community that preserves heritage and innovates for the future. We welcome everyone who shares this passion to be part of reviving Historic Jeddah.”

Visual artist Khloud Nass will be running one of the workshops. She said: “I have been working with Zawiya 97 for a year to train those who want to learn through workshops such as pottery.”

Azzam Al- Ghamdi from Dar Azzam will be working with fragrances including musk, oud, and rose, to showcase the art of perfumery using native plants of Saudi Arabia. (AN photos by Saleh Fareed)

Azzam Al- Ghamdi from Dar Azzam will be working with fragrances including musk, oud, and rose, to showcase the art of perfumery using native plants of Saudi Arabia.

He told Arab News: “Traditional know-how and the perfect soil for growing aromatic plants in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have given perfume a central role in our lifestyle. (It is) deeply entrenched in Saudi culture. The use of perfumes for cultural and religious purposes dates back many centuries in this country.”

The festival offers visitors the chance to take part in various competitions, including “Your Creativity Revives Al Balad” and  “Handcraft & Calligraphy”. (Supplied)

Beside showcasing his creativity, Al -Ghamdi is also training visitors in his workshops.

Hashem Al-Shawi is offering soap-making workshops at the festival. “Organic skincare methods have always proven reliable and I am so glad to be part of this festival and to share the different types of soap and the process of soap making,” he said.

The festival also offers visitors the chance to take part in various competitions, including “Your Creativity Revives Al Balad” and  “Handcraft & Calligraphy,” which allows them to redesign Al-Balad’s pavements and public spaces into works of art, with the chance of winning cash prizes.

 


Kevin Hart brings laughs and life lessons to Abu Dhabi with ‘Acting My Age’

Updated 03 May 2025
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Kevin Hart brings laughs and life lessons to Abu Dhabi with ‘Acting My Age’

ABU DHABI: Kevin Hart returned to the stage at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Friday with his signature energy and a new show, following his successful performance there in 2023.

“It’s good to be back,” Hart said, kicking off a night of relentless humor and heartfelt honesty.

As part of the Abu Dhabi comedy festival, Hart performed a classic American standup show mixed with a lot of self-deprecating humor. 

Titled “Acting my Age,” the show is themed around understanding old age and realizing that aging is about gaining experience and wisdom. 

With jokes about his endless injuries and health problems, Hart’s signature facial expressions and animated vocals brought the show to life, and left members of the audience in tears of laughter. 

The show was targeted at an older crowd, and Hart was able to capture their attention with his personal anecdotes. 

Crowd work and audience interactions were missing from his performance and some people yelled out to grab his attention, but he mostly ignored these callouts. 

As usual, his line delivery was on point and he was able to easily transition from one story to the next while maintaining running gags throughout the show, which lasted about an hour. 

Opening for Hart were a group of comedians who go by the name of “Plastic Cup Boyz.” The trio, consisting of Joey Wells, Will “Spank” Horton and Na’im Lynn, delivered an entertaining and captivating opener for the show. 

Hart ended his performance with heartfelt sentiment, saying: “The win in life is old age. Old age is not guaranteed.” 


Ramy Youssef’s ‘#1 Happy Family USA’ comedy hits close to home

Updated 03 May 2025
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Ramy Youssef’s ‘#1 Happy Family USA’ comedy hits close to home

  • Focus on challenges facing Muslim Americans post-9/11
  • Stark reminder that today’s dystopia is no laughing matter

TORONTO: American-Egyptian comedian and actor Ramy Youssef’s first animated venture “#1 Happy Family USA,” on Amazon Prime Video, is a satirical take on the challenges faced by Muslim-American families in a post-9/11 world.

Created with Pam Brady of “South Park” fame, the eight-episode series opens with a darkly comic twist of fate — the Egyptian-American Hussein family is at the airport when news breaks of the World Trade Center attacks.

And from that moment, everything changes. The patriarch and owner of Hussein’s Halal Cart is convinced that “we must work harder at being like them. So, we blend in.”

To fit in, Hussein shaves his beard and pushes the family to “look more American.” Meanwhile, mom Sharon (also known as Sharia) embraces her faith with renewed conviction by donning a hijab.

Twelve-year-old Rumi (voiced by Youssef) finds himself an outcast at school and is now forced to navigate not only the throes of middle school and adolescence, but also the harsh realities of a post-9/11 world.

Each character is so vividly portrayed that you can easily imagine your Arab teta or the local Pakistani imam in the mix. The well-timed vocal interjections and cultural (Arab and American pop-culture) references bring an extra layer of freshness and humor to the show.

Known for his Emmy-nominated “Ramy,” Youssef continues to shed light on the Muslim-American experience.

The show evokes the familiar sentiment of fear. It captures the lived reality of Islamophobia and surveillance in Muslim communities, and explores related themes of identity struggles, microaggressions, and code-switching.

We can laugh at the Hussein family’s antics, but the show serves as a stark reminder that in today’s dystopian and polarized political climate, there is little humor to be found.


Review: Netflix’s documentary ‘Black Barbie’ explores cultural, historical significance of the iconic doll

Updated 01 May 2025
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Review: Netflix’s documentary ‘Black Barbie’ explores cultural, historical significance of the iconic doll

“Black Barbie” is a Netflix documentary released in 2023 that playfully explores the cultural and historical significance of the iconic doll, focusing on her evolution from a white, blonde, blue-eyed fantasy figure into a more inclusive line of dolls with a variety of skin tones, facial features, body types and hair textures.

It is worth noting that the documentary debuted in March, many months before Greta Gerwig’s fictional, pink-tinged, wildly successful blockbuster hit “Barbie” was released in July of that same year.

Regardless, this documentary feels like a necessary continuation to that narrative.

Barbie has always been about style and fashion — dressing-up, accessorizing and imagining different lives for the doll through her wardrobe. But the documentary asks: What happens when only one kind of child — that fits a certain box — gets to live that fantasy?

And, also, is Barbie more harmful than helpful in elevating us as a society? Is it really just about a doll?

Directed by Lagueria Davis and executive produced by Shonda Rhimes, one of the most celebrated Black creators of her generation, the documentary explores the creation of the first truly representative Black Barbie — with distinct lips, hair and nose — and how it marked a clear departure from the earlier, more simplistic iterations, which were often just white dolls painted darker.

They delve into the role of Ruth Handler, Barbie’s creator, and how meaningful it was to the Black Mattel employees when Kitty Black Perkins, Mattel’s first Black designer, was hired.

The documentary also reflects on the infamous Clark doll test, a pivotal 1940s study by Black psychologists and married couple Kenneth and Mamie Clark where Black children were offered identical dolls — one white, one Black — and were tasked with choosing which of the dolls were “nice” and which were “bad.”

The Black children overwhelmingly preferred the white dolls, and appeared hurt — offended even — when asked “which doll is most like you?” The children seemingly felt forced to select the Black doll, which they associated with something “bad.” This illustrated the deeply rooted psychological effects of racial representation — or the lack of it — in something as mundane as toys. This was clearly not just about a doll.

Davis, a Black director and writer, was inspired to create “Black Barbie” after learning about the pivotal role her aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell, played in advocating for the first Black Barbie while working at Mattel.

Although Davis admitted to never gravitating toward playing with Barbies as a child — she started to wonder why. She used this documentary to find out.

Davis interviewed numerous people, scholars, notable figures on screen, each offering invaluable insights into their connection — or not — to a doll that looked like them, or didn’t, reflecting on the significance of representation in toys and how generations of children had grown up without seeing dolls that accurately resembled them.

Davis pondered on the fact that although her aunt and her came from different generations, the reality was the same: Blackness was not celebrated as much as it should have been then, and arguably, even now.


Bollywood stars gather in Mumbai for India’s first global entertainment summit

Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone speak on stage at the 2025 World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit.
Updated 02 May 2025
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Bollywood stars gather in Mumbai for India’s first global entertainment summit

  • WAVES 2025 speakers include A-listers Anil Kapoor, A.R. Rahman and CEOs of YouTube, Netflix
  • Saudi Arabia’s entertainment sector is on show at summit, focused on e-sports and gaming ecosystem

NEW DELHI: India’s first global entertainment summit began in Mumbai on Thursday, bringing together the country’s biggest Bollywood stars, from legendary actor Shah Rukh Khan to renowned actress Deepika Padukone, and industry leaders from around the world. 

The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit, or Waves, is organized by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 

About 100,000 participants from 100 countries will join the four-day summit at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, featuring a lineup of India’s A-list celebrities and creatives, such as Anil Kapoor, A.R. Rahman and Alia Bhatt.

Its plenary sessions will feature prominent speakers in the media and entertainment industry, including Netflix’s CEO Ted Sarandos, YouTube’s CEO Neal Mohan, and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani.  

“Today, artists, innovators, investors and policymakers from more than 100 countries have gathered under one roof in Mumbai. In a way, the foundation of a global ecosystem of global talent and global creativity is being laid here today,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during the opening ceremony. 

“Waves is a global platform that belongs to all the artists, all the creators, where every artist, every youth will connect with the creative world with a new idea.” 

Bollywood movie star Shah Rukh Khan, who is also a member of the Waves advisory board, said the summit is “a catalyst for creators, innovators, disruptors and dreamers at the confluence of heart and technology.”

“Here, industry leaders unite to chart the future, drive bold innovation and champion Indian creativity on the world stage,” Khan said. 

Waves seeks to position India as a global hub for media, entertainment and digital innovation by highlighting the country’s talents in various media and entertainment fields, including films, gaming, comics, artificial intelligence and other emerging tech.  

“Waves aims to unlock a $50 billion market by 2029, expanding India’s footprint in the global entertainment economy,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. 

International participation at the summit includes Saudi Arabia, with a delegation led by Saudi Esports Federation chairman, Prince Faisal bin Bandar, displaying the Kingdom’s entertainment sector achievements and ambitions, particularly in gaming and e-sports. 

“Saudi Arabia and India recognize that the future belongs to nations investing not only in infrastructure, but in building ecosystems where technology, creativity, and talent intersect. Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Modi, our countries are uniquely aligned in this belief,” Prince Faisal wrote in an op-ed published by the Delhi-based English daily, Indian Express. 

“Saudi Arabia is excited to collaborate with India and other innovators to shape a future where gaming and e-sports reflect the diversity and ambition of the Global South.”