CM Punk and Kevin Owens aren’t wrestling at WWE Crown Jewel 2026, and rumors that they refused to travel to Saudi Arabia are getting shut down. Despite concerns about the trip, their absence from Saturday’s event apparently has nothing to do with either man refusing to go.
Punk and Owens are instead scheduled for a No Holds Barred match on the November 6 episode of SmackDown, one night before Crown Jewel. That decision led to speculation that both stars wanted to avoid traveling to Saudi Arabia, but Dave Meltzer says that’s not what happened.
During the November 2 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer addressed the situation and flatly denied that Punk or Owens had refused to make the trip.
“So there are stories around, okay, that are like, that some guys refused to go and nobody refused to go. Okay? This, you know, like they think because the Punk match with Owens is on Smackdown that they think that those two guys refuse to go. And that is absolutely not true.”
Meltzer explained that he had seen WWE’s original Crown Jewel card, and Punk vs. Owens was never scheduled for the event. In fact, he claimed WWE only made one notable change to the lineup. The original plan called for Oba Femi, Penta, and Je’Von Evans to face Bron Breakker, Austin Theory, and Bronson Reed in a six-man tag team match. WWE later changed that to a regular tag team match.
“But that is the only change to the card from the card that was originally made a long time ago. So this was always the deal.”
However, that doesn’t mean everyone in WWE is happy about traveling to Saudi Arabia. Meltzer acknowledged that some wrestlers don’t want to make the trip, especially with the ongoing security concerns in the region.
“Now, if you have read that there’s talent that doesn’t want to go, of course there is. And that’s obviously accurate. And I’ve heard from people too.”
Those concerns were serious enough that WWE executives Mark Shapiro and Nick Khan spoke to employees during an hour-long meeting on October 30. Meltzer said the company reassured employees about safety while explaining why Crown Jewel was moving forward. Meltzer also suggested that Roman Reigns making the trip could discourage others from refusing, even if they weren’t comfortable going.
“Look, Roman’s going. You know what I mean? And if Roman. If Roman’s going, ain’t nobody’s saying no.”
So while some WWE talent may have concerns about heading to Saudi Arabia, Meltzer says Punk and Owens weren’t pulled from Crown Jewel because they refused to travel. Their SmackDown match was part of the plan from the start. The rumors may have gotten people talking, but there’s no indication from Meltzer’s account that Punk or Owens had a standoff with WWE over Crown Jewel. They’re wrestling on SmackDown, Crown Jewel is going ahead as scheduled, and that’s apparently how WWE planned it all along.
What do you think about CM Punk and Kevin Owens skipping Crown Jewel for a SmackDown match? Do you believe WWE made the right call? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
