WWE says Crown Jewel will go ahead in Riyadh on November 7, days after the city's national early warning system fired, according to PWInsider. The alert went off on October 20, following two blasts and missile and drone activity reported near King Khalid International Airport.
The alert came ten days after a U.S. Embassy warning on October 10. WWE has told both PWInsider and the Wrestling Observer that the show at Riyadh Season Stadium is proceeding. The company is relying on a private security firm that specializes in the region, which has not been named, and a backup venue in the United States has quietly been put on standby.
The backup plan was reported earlier. Fightful Select said on October 16, in a report carried by Wrestling Inc, that a U.S. venue was the likely option if the event could not be held in Saudi Arabia. The same report said WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H had confirmed the event would take place, and that the card would feature Champions vs. Champions matches. The regional conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis has already led to other postponements, including the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament, which moved to the last week of December.
The money involved is large. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer put the typical Crown Jewel payment at $55 million and said the price for a WrestleMania in Riyadh looks like $150 million. WrestleMania 43 is scheduled for Riyadh on April 10 and 11, 2027, according to the WWE press release announcing it. Meltzer also said that people in Saudi Arabia told him the figure was north of $100 million.
Meltzer noted that the United States currently lists Saudi Arabia under a Level 3 travel advisory. A Level 4 advisory would give WWE a way out without damaging its relationship with the Saudis, he said. Wrestling Inc, which reported the Meltzer comments on October 21, wrote that Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, has signaled displeasure with companies that cancel events in the country.
No outlet has confirmed what a cancellation would cost WWE. Whether the backup U.S. venue will be used has not been announced. For now, WWE's position is that Crown Jewel is proceeding as scheduled on November 7.
