TNA Drops Max Caster One Day After Debut Over Entrance Rap Referencing Riyadh Airport Attack

Since Houthi missiles hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Oct. 10, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 300, the fallout has reached well beyond the Gulf. The latest example is a wrestling ring in Tampa, Florida.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) said Monday, Oct. 12, that Max Caster will no longer wrestle for the company. His TNA debut was one day earlier, at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view at the Yuengling Center.

The line that ended it

Caster, formerly of All Elite Wrestling, is known for rapping his way to the ring. Ahead of an open challenge match against Moose on Sunday, Oct. 11, he rapped: "This the firing squad, I drop bombs, you don't even have to fly to Riyadh."

The line landed one day after missile strikes at the airport's passenger terminal. Saudi state television broadcast CCTV footage of passengers queuing for a flight as smoke and falling masonry filled the hall.

Backlash on social media came quickly. TNA's statement on Monday did not hedge.

"During Sunday's Bound for Glory pay-per-view, insensitive comments were made by Max Caster referencing attacks in Riyadh that killed and injured many people," the company said. "Making light of violent attacks is wrong. This should never have made it into the show, and that responsibility is ours."

TNA said it removed the segment from replays and its social channels and is "taking steps to ensure something like this never happens again." It also apologized and said its thoughts are with the victims, their families and everyone affected.

What happened behind the scenes

Fightful Select reported, citing sources within TNA, that several people in the company were unhappy with the line, including members of the executive team. Those sources said it was neither scripted nor approved beforehand by the appropriate backstage staff.

The same report said TNA had planned to use Caster at this week's TV tapings at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama. Sources also said there are no current plans for Caster to return.

The report also said Caster had generated backstage heat in AEW over comments in his entrance raps, which then had to be screened by Tony Khan beforehand.

OutKick reached out to Caster for comment. No response has been published.

TNA says the line should never have made air and that the responsibility is the company's. Caster's debut lasted a single show.

The attack he referenced

The Houthis, Yemen's Iran-backed movement, claimed responsibility for the attack. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said over 300 people were injured at King Khalid International. GACA also said at least 20 people have been killed and 356 injured in Houthi attacks on Saudi airports since last Tuesday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an American citizen was among the dead and called the attacks "reprehensible." GACA said a Pakistani resident also died. The Indian embassy said an Indian national died of injuries and three other Indians were receiving intensive care.

Saudi coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki called it a "full-fledged war crime" and said the coalition would "respond decisively."

President Donald Trump told reporters over the weekend the U.S. might join the Saudi coalition's operation against the Houthis. "We may. We're gonna look at it," he said. "We move very quickly."

Houthi political bureau member Mohammed Al Bukhaiti answered on Monday. He told AFP that if the U.S. gets involved, there will be "a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region." He also warned workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away from those sites.

Saudi Arabia has suspended all flights at Riyadh's airport until next Saturday, Oct. 17. Gulf Air and Bahrain Air had already cancelled flights through that date. The Saudi military spokesperson said more missiles were fired at Saudi cities on Monday, and an urgent review is under way into how missiles keep getting through stretched air defenses.

What comes next

The wrestling story is small. The Riyadh attack is not, and it remains unresolved. The next concrete markers are the Oct. 17 end of the Riyadh flight suspension and any decision from Trump on joining the Saudi-led campaign.

On the wrestling side, TNA has promised new safeguards. It has not said what they are.