WWE Crown Jewel 2026 is fast approaching, but the question of whether the event is taking place in Saudi Arabia is still unanswered. The Riyadh Seasonal Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will host the Premium Live Event on November 7th, and the event is still running as usual with WWE programming. despite the recent explosion at King Khalid International Airport as a result of which 12 people were killed, more than 300 people were injured, and the conflicts seem to be only getting hotter by the day.
in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter:Dave Meltzer broke down the situation surrounding the Crown Jewel and believes that the Saudi government, specifically Sheikh Turki Al-Sheikh, will make the final decision on the Crown Jewel. TKO CEO Ari Emanuel and TKO President Mark Shapiro will likely be the ones making the decision on which WWE roster will travel to Saudi Arabia, as the call will be over the heads of Nick Khan and Paul Levesque, but it will all depend on whether Al-Sheikh gives the green light to the decision.
Meltzer noted Al-Sheikh’s recent post on X (formerly Twitter), which read, “Thanks to everyone who signed up and showed support. Hard times reveal true friends,” was the post that put pressure on TKO to cancel Crown Jewel or any boxing and MMA event on the horizon. Al-Sheikh announced that the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament has been moved from October to December, and events such as the Red Sea International Film Festival, the FIFAe Finals, The Joy Awards and the Soundstorm EDM festival have all been postponed. However, since WWE Superstars are contractors in name only, they won’t have a choice in going.
Many people in the company, especially non-wrestlers, not excited about goingAnd as for the wrestlers, for the most part it is expected that everyone will travel to Riyadh to avoid pressure from above.
TKO’s are not incompetent
Earlier this week, Meltzer revealed that WWE does have a backup plan when it comes to the Crown Jewel, although no one in the company would confirm it, putting Al-Sheikh the Turk in jeopardy. UFC president Dana White has even publicly stated that he doesn’t have a backup venue for UFC 333, which takes place in Abu Dhabi, but Meltzer noted that WWE, UFC and TKO as a whole are all very competent people and wouldn’t mismanage their companies without backup.
These backups may need to be implemented because of the high risk of terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia, where entertainment venues, hotels, and places where US citizens congregate, as well as places visited by US citizens and other foreigners, are all at risk of becoming potential targets. Transportation hubs such as airports are also targeted, as evidenced by the recent bombing of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. Meltzer said the Iranian-backed Houthis have threatened to attack Saudi Arabia again, and even if missile strikes are launched, falling debris could also pose a threat to civilians in some areas.
Still, the money at stake is too much to risk, according to Meltzer. While WWE will not lose any money from their current deal by postponing the event due to the current deal with Saudi Arabia, the long-term relationship between the two parties could be hindered when it comes to negotiating a new deal when the current contract expires in 2028. Al-Sheikh is also the sole investor in Zuffa Boxing. world at the moment, but it may hinder the relationship between TKO and the Saudi government in the future.
