WWE pushes ahead with Crown Jewel in Riyadh as talent safety fears collide with $55M Saudi deal

WWE's Crown Jewel premium live event goes ahead Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — moved from an outdoor stadium to a smaller indoor arena — even as multiple performers have privately raised safety concerns, U.S. travel warnings remain elevated, and leaked audio from a company town hall lays bare just how much TKO's 2026 finances depend on the show not being canceled.

The event, originally scheduled for Riyadh Season Stadium at KAFD, was relocated to the 8,000-seat Venue at ANB Arena after Riyadh Season confirmed the change last week. Ticket holders were offered full refunds, with tickets going back on sale within 48 hours. WWE has not publicly addressed the relocation, according to Deseret News.

The venue shift has done little to quiet concerns. According to Fightful Select, several WWE performers — including some top talent — contacted the outlet to express unease about traveling to the region amid ongoing conflict. One performer said that even talent already booked for Crown Jewel had communicated concerns to WWE officials. The company responded by assuring performers that safety precautions would be a priority, and travel was largely limited to scheduled performers and a streamlined production team, Fightful reported.

There have been no confirmed reports of performers officially pulling out. However, according to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline, declining to travel was something WWE talent was not being encouraged to do. One top star told the outlet that, to 'put it in the nicest of terms,' opting out was very much not being encouraged.

The financial stakes help explain why. WWE's partnership with Saudi Arabia dates to 2018, when the company entered a 10-year agreement to bring major events to the region. According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, each Saudi PLE generates approximately $55 million for WWE. Cage Side Seats reported the figure as $55 to $60 million per show, with WWE running at least two such events per year. The relationship has grown more deeply embedded: Fightful reported that Saudi PLEs have been built into WWE talent contracts for some time, and that most, if not all, newer contracts no longer include the additional bonuses performers once received for participating — meaning these shows are now treated as standard business, not optional extras.

The financial pressure extends beyond Crown Jewel itself. WWE is scheduled to bring WrestleMania 43 to Riyadh in 2027, a deal expected to generate even greater returns. Damaging the Saudi partnership now would carry consequences well beyond a single Saturday night.

TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro addressed the situation directly during a company-wide town hall last Wednesday. Audio of his remarks was obtained by POST Wrestling.

We of course stand with a lot of obstacles in our way in these last two months, [including] Iran and the impact that has on the entire Middle East. And I'll remind you that we still have three events left for the remainder of the year. So, several goals we still need to accomplish, and events that we need to be successful for us to close out 2026 in the way that we hope it will close out. And that all gets wiped away to a certain degree if those events get canceled.— Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO

We are a public company, of course…we have a lot of investors and analysts out there across the Wall Street community that are nervous that we'll be able to pull off the year without any of our events being canceled…So far, we've been lucky enough to not have any interruption. Can't guarantee that, and again if it happens, it will certainly have an impact on our year in a very negative way. But there's not much we can do about that.— Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO

Shapiro also praised employees working the Middle East events, calling their willingness to travel into the region 'miraculous, and heroic,' and said TKO was 'hoping and praying everything goes off without a hitch.' He closed by drawing a line — in principle.

Of course business is important, but humanity is most important. This is more about keeping people safe and comfortable. The business is secondary…if there is danger, or further escalation of any of these conflicts that are going on, we will not hesitate to cancel those events, damned be our budget, because our people come first.— Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO

Shapiro did not specify what security benchmarks would trigger a cancellation, leaving the threshold undefined. Pro Wrestling Illustrated writer Lyric Swinton told Deseret News that WWE has found itself in a difficult position given how many stakeholders are involved.

I think WWE has found themselves in a situation where they have a lot of stakeholders to answer for, namely Saudi Arabia who have given them some huge payouts for their shows over the past decade.— Lyric Swinton, Pro Wrestling Illustrated

It's important to send a message that the safety of WWE's talent and crew is more important than any other factor.— Lyric Swinton, Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Talent arrived for the event with no reported incidents. The situation in the region remains fluid.

On the card itself, Saturday's main event carries weight beyond the ceremonial Crown Jewel title. Raw world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns faces Undisputed WWE champion Sami Zayn — a rematch with roots stretching back to February 2023, when Zayn came close to dethroning Reigns at Elimination Chamber in Montreal but fell short. The women's bracket features Women's World champion Liv Morgan against WWE Women's champion Chelsea Green, with Morgan one win away from becoming the only person — man or woman — to win a Crown Jewel title twice, according to CBS Sports. Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton meet in a Last Man Standing match, and The Vision (Bron Breakker and Austin Theory) make their first title defense against Penta and Je'Von Evans, with Penta also holding the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Why it matters — Crown Jewel illustrates how deeply Saudi Arabia's money is now woven into WWE's business model — and how little room that leaves performers or executives to push back when security conditions deteriorate.

Reported by yahoo.com, cbssports.com, deseret.com, cagesideseats.com, f4wonline.com, ewrestlingnews.com