Multiple WWE stars, including top talent, told the company they did not want to be booked for Crown Jewel because of safety concerns in Saudi Arabia, Fightful Select reported Saturday.
Some wrestlers who are already on the card raised concerns as well, according to the report, though WWE officials have “assured talent that safety precautions are a priority.” Crown Jewel is set for Saturday, November 7, in Riyadh.
Sean Ross Sapp said the stars contacted Fightful after reports emerged claiming no WWE talent had asked to skip the trip.
Smaller crew and a new building
WWE also plans to bring a significantly smaller crew than usual, according to Fightful Select, which reported that the venue change was made for safety reasons and not because of ticket sales. The show is moving from a makeshift arena at Riyadh Season Stadium in the King Abdullah Financial District to The Venue (ANB Arena), which Fightful described as the building WWE used for the Royal Rumble.
Riyadh Season announced the move on October 28 and promised full refunds to ticket holders, shortly before the ticket page listed the new Riyadh arena.
Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has been closed or running limited flights for much of October after Houthi attacks on October 10. The U.S. Embassy has issued multiple alerts urging Americans to avoid travel to Saudi Arabia, and the State Department updated its Middle East warning earlier this month.
TKO says it will cancel if things escalate
TKO President Mark Shapiro addressed the show at a staff town hall on October 28, before the venue change was made public. According to POST Wrestling, Shapiro told employees that if the conflicts in the region escalate, “we will not hesitate to cancel those events, damned be our budget.”
He also acknowledged the business side, saying investors and analysts are nervous about whether TKO can finish the year without a cancelled event. Shapiro had already stressed that safety is paramount for TKO’s Middle East events.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has pushed back on talk of outright refusals, saying “nobody refused to go.” He said CM Punk and Kevin Owens are not missing the show because they turned it down, while acknowledging that some talent obviously do not want to make the trip. A top star also told the Observer that declining to go is not being encouraged.
The two reports are not in conflict. Asking not to be booked is different from refusing an assignment, and WWE has stuck to its position that it is not moving Crown Jewel out of Saudi Arabia. Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn for the men’s Crown Jewel Championship remains on the card.
