Here's how to watch WWE Super Showdown 2020 - and what time it starts

They're some of the more controversial events on the World Wrestling Entertainment calendar, and not because of the dramatic action taking place inside the ring.

WWE are heading back to the Middle East this week for their latest blockbuster show to be held in Saudi Arabia.

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Super ShowDown 2020 takes place on Thursday 27 February at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in the country's capital of Riyadh.

Featuring big name performers, "dream" match-ups and millions of Saudi riyals being thrown at it, here's all you need to know about it:

What's on the card?

The biggest match going into Super Showdown is arguably the one between "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Goldberg, with the former putting his Universal Championship on the line against the legendary wrestler of yesteryear.

Goldberg's only made sporadic appearances in recent years, steam rolling through his competition as he did back in his 90s heyday.

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But The Fiend's supernatural aura has allowed him to shrug off even the most brutal beatdowns in recent months, so the WCW original will have his work cut out.

The beastly Brock Lesnar works best when he's up against a plucky underdog, and Ricochet - his Super ShowDown opponent for the WWE Championship - fits that mould perfectly.

Expect the athletic superstar to flip and fly his way around the ring, dodging Lesnar's signature suplexes.

Super ShowDown also sees the debut of the Tuwaiq Trophy, which will be contested for by six seemingly random wrestlers in a gauntlet match, where winner-stays-in (the ring) until one remains.

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Weirdly, the trophy shares its name with a narrow escarpment that runs 500 miles through central Arabia and is one of the largest petroleum reservoirs in the world...

The full card is as follows:

The New Day (c) vs. The Miz and John Morrison (SmackDown Tag Team Championship match)Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Ricochet (WWE Championship match)Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin (Steel cage match)"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Goldberg (Universal Championship)AJ Styles vs. Andrade vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Erick Rowan vs. R-Truth vs. Rusev (Gauntlet match for the Tuwaiq Trophy)Bayley (c) vs. Naomi (SmackDown Women's Championship match)Seth Rollins and Murphy (c) vs. The Street Profits (Raw Tag Team Championship match)

Note: "(c)" refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

Why is it controversial?

The WWE began a 10-year strategic partnership with the General Sports Authority in 2018, in support of Saudi Arabia's social and economic reform program.

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But previous events in the country have been marred by criticism from vocal fans who feel that the company's presence in a country with such a poor human rights record is inappropriate.

A previous wrestling event in the country - 2018's 'Crown Jewel' - saw high-profile wrestlers like John Cena refuse to compete in the wake of the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, and the 2019 edition of that event was even more complicated.

After the show had ended, it was reported that a flight back to the US carrying almost 200 of WWE's wrestlers and other employees had experienced a delay on the tarmac.

The official response from WWE was that the delay had been caused by "aircraft problems including mechanical issues", but the presence of military police and the length of time it eventually took to get the wrestlers out of the country threw up suspicion.

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It was claimed that since Saudi Arabia had failed to pay WWE its multi-million dollar fees for previous shows, Chairman Vince McMahon had stopped the television feed for Crown Jewel early, leading to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman retaliating by stopping WWE's chartered plane from leaving.

McMahon was able to 'escape' earlier on his own private jet with a group of more high-profile talent, which led many of his roster who were left behind to vow they would never appear in the country again.

What time does Super ShowDown 2020 start in the UK?

Unlike the majority of WWE's pay-per-view events, which air in the early hours of Monday mornings due to the time difference with the US, Super ShowDown will actually be available to view live at a much more palatable hour.

With Saudi Arabia being three hours ahead of the UK, that means that Super ShowDown will kick off at 5pm GMT on Thursday 27 February.

How do I watch it?

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You can actually watch the whole thing for free if you’re a new subscriber to the WWE Network.

The show will be broadcast live on the company’s own streaming service, which costs £9.99 a month or is free for the first month if you’re a new sign-up.

And if you don’t fancy staying up until the wee hours, you can watch the show on demand at a more convenient hour. You can sign up to the Network by clicking here.

Once you’re in, you’ll be able to watch it through a wide variety of devices including apps on your Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle Fire, Apple TV, iOS and Android.

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