Bottle thrown at female wrestlers as WWE's Natalya and Lacey Evans make history in Saudi Arabia (VIDEO)

Female WWE superstars Natalya and Lacey Evans broke down the barriers for women in Saudi Arabia, but not everyone inside the arena was happy to see them there, with one fan hurling a bottle at Natalya during her walk to the ring.

The two wrestlers took part in an historic first women's match in Saudi Arabia as part of the WWE's Crown Jewel pay-per-view event in Riyadh.

But, as Natalya made her walk down the ramp to the ring, she was struck on the leg by a bottle thrown from the crowd.

Ever the professional, veteran performer Natalya – daughter of legendary former tag-team champion Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart – smiled off the thrown missile from the stands and continued to the ring, where she put on an entertaining match with opposite number Evans to thrill the crowd.

Due to Saudi Arabia's strict rules over what women can and cannot wear, the two stars were forced to abandon their usual ring attire as they arrived wearing all black leggings and long-sleeve tops, with only subtly-branded t-shirts over the top to offer any sort of character to their outfits.

Speaking to TMZ before the event, WWE chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon said there was a need to be sensitive to the culture, despite the fact they were breaking down barriers with the match itself.

"We need to be respectful of the cultures in the countries we perform in," she said.

Their matchup was enjoyed by the crowd, who burst into chants of "This is awesome!" as the two women's wrestling stars created history.

After the match, McMahon said: "As a woman, as a mother, as just a person, I couldn't be more proud.

"I am ecstatic, I am thrilled, I am many different adjectives to describe how I feel right now."