WWE legend Sgt. Slaughter says the company was 100% right to have an event in Saudi Arabia ... saying the decision was about entertainment and not politics.
"WWE Crown Jewel" went down in Riyadh on Nov. 2 -- despite calls from prominent politicians, businessmen and even WWE wrestlers to postpone the event in the wake of the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
After the event, WWE hailed it as a success -- others have still been extremely critical.
We got the Sarge in NYC, and the 70-year-old told us he's happy the company held the event, saying making political decisions isn't what the WWE is all about.
"We're an entertainment company. We're not anything to do with politics. We're basically there to entertain everybody. Not just the American people, but people all around the world. That's what we do for a living. That's what makes our company so great."
It's a sticky situation ... John Cena & Daniel Bryant -- two of the biggest stars in the organization -- refused to participate in the event ... but stars like Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton and others were happy to participate.
BTW -- the CIA has reportedly concluded the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia ordered the murder of Khashoggi ... so it'll be interesting to see what happens if the WWE wants to head back to Saudi Arabia in 2019.