WWE Crown Jewel is seven weeks away in Riyadh, and the city woke up Saturday to an air raid alert and a fuel depot burning at King Khalid International Airport. The show is set for November 7 at Riyadh Season Stadium at KAFD.
Saudi Civil Defense sent phone alerts to residents of Riyadh and Al-Kharj shortly before 3 a.m. warning of a “hostile aerial threat” and telling them to stay inside. Loud booms were heard across the city before the all-clear.
Reuters footage showed a large column of black smoke rising from what appeared to be a fuel storage depot at the airport, with the terminal and highway visible behind it. An AFP journalist saw firefighters working on a burnt-out tank that carried the Aramco logo.
Saudi officials haven’t said what caused the fire. Flight tracking showed the airport at maximum disruption, with cancellations and long delays.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have escalated attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. Saturday’s warning was the first of its kind for Riyadh since that escalation began.
Crown Jewel was already under scrutiny
Crown Jewel pits the champions from each brand against each other in both the men’s and women’s divisions. It’s back in Saudi Arabia after last year’s show ran in Perth.
The trip was already drawing attention after the latest U.S. travel warning, which keeps Saudi Arabia at Level 3. Saturday’s attack hit the airport that talent, crews and traveling fans would fly into.
WWE has been through this once already this year. Formula One called off the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but WWE confirmed in April that Night of Champions would go ahead, and it ran at Kingdom Arena on June 27.
WrestleMania 43 is the bigger question
WrestleMania 43 is set for Riyadh as a two-night show in April 2027. It will be the first WrestleMania held outside North America. Dates and a venue haven’t been announced, though WWE is reportedly building toward a Roman Reigns main event for the show.
In March, PWInsider reported that WWE had contingency plans for its events in the region, and that WWE has promised future WrestleManias to Indianapolis and New Orleans. A month later, Nick Khan said the company is doing WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia.
Those spring doubts came from the U.S.-Iran war. This time, the Houthi campaign has reached the host city itself.
The Saudi side has its own reasons to hold firm. Dave Meltzer reported that Turki Alalshikh pushed for 2027 because it marks the 300th anniversary of the First Saudi State. As of Saturday, WWE hasn’t announced any change to Crown Jewel or WrestleMania 43.
