After it was announced through Riyadh Season X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday that WWE Crown Jewel would be moved to a different location In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a new report revealed that TKO held a town hall meeting for all employees as questions remain about security surrounding the premium live event in the Middle East.
According to PWInsiderthe meeting was held for all employees via Zoom, and the outlet’s Mike Johnson called it “basically a rah-rah meeting.” The town hall was not held specifically to address concerns about Crown Jewel, as each TKO organization, including the UFC and Zuffa Boxing, in addition to WWE, has been briefed on what’s going on in their part of the company, according to the report.
TKO President and CEO Mark Shapiro commented on the upcoming events the company is conducting in the Middle East, but amid ongoing tensions and missile strikes. PWI was told Shapiro said the safety of everyone involved in these events is “primary.” The meeting, however, came before Riyadh Season announced on social media that the Crown Jewel would move but remain within the city, so the change of venue was not discussed at City Hall.
On Monday, the New York Times reported that the latest report from United States intelligence warned of planned attacks against State Department employees and other Americans by Iran “in the Middle East and other regions.” Saudi Arabia remains at level three, a “reconsider travel” advisory US State Department websiteAreas like the Yemeni border are on a level four “do not travel” due to terrorism.
