What began as a routine work trip for WWE executive Bruce Prichard quickly turned into a story he admits he “had to share”, after an unexpected hotel mishap left him listening to a ringing phone trapped inside a wall.
Speaking on his Something to Wrestle podcast, Bruce Prichard reflected on his visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he was in town for WWE’s Royal Rumble event. While addressing what he described as common misconceptions about the location, Prichard praised the hospitality he experienced before detailing the unusual series of events that unfolded in his room.
“You know, I recently visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh, to be exact,” Prichard said. “You know, a lot of misconceptions about what it’s like… when you get in the city, you could be in any city anywhere in the world, but the people are so damn nice. It’s kind of hard to get mad at them because they try, they bend over backwards to do whatever it is that they can do for you.”
Prichard explained that while exploring the city, he relied on Uber drivers who, despite limited English, “tried” to help him get around safely and used translation apps. He even recounted an amusing misunderstanding after attempting to enter a women-only spa, before ultimately arranging for spa services at his hotel.
However, the trip took a stranger turn once he returned to his room.
After adjusting his air conditioning and noticing the temperature was rising rather than falling, Prichard called for assistance late at night. A maintenance worker arrived and informed him that he would need access to the ceiling via the bathroom to reach the air conditioning mechanism.
“I said, ‘Sure, man, go ahead,’” Prichard recalled, explaining that he continued working at his desk while the repairs were underway.
As time passed, Prichard began hearing unfamiliar noises, followed by a phone ringing repeatedly. When he entered the bathroom, he was stunned by what he found.
“Now, there are four people in my bathroom. I don’t know how they all got in there,” he said.
According to Prichard, the repairman had been attempting to record the process on his phone and accidentally dropped the device into the wall cavity. The result was a persistent ringing sound echoing from behind the wall.
“He goes, ‘His phone is right here, and it’s ringing.’ Really? What are we going to do about that? He goes, ‘No, no, his phone is in the wall, right here.’ I said, ‘I get what you’re saying, but what are we going to do about that?’”
Prichard said the situation escalated, with as many as six hotel staff members eventually gathering in his bathroom. Despite the commotion, staff informed him they could not retrieve the phone.
“For the next 15 minutes, while I’m sitting there, all I’m hearing is this goddamn phone ringing in the wall,” he said.
What Did Bruce Prichard Say Happened Following The Phone In The Wall Incident?
Ultimately, hotel management opted to move Buce Prichard to a new room rather than attempt to cut into the wall. He noted that staff insisted on packing his belongings themselves, despite his preference to handle it personally.
“They wouldn’t let me pack. They insisted on packing all my stuff for me,” he said, adding that although the incident was frustrating in the moment, he found the experience memorable.
Prichard concluded by reiterating that he found Riyadh to be “a delightful place, beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” and joked that the phone may well still be lodged in the wall.
