WWE may have just gotten some good news ahead of Crown Jewel, but the company isn’t out of the woods yet. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh reportedly reopened on Sunday after being shut down for more than a week, potentially clearing one major hurdle for WWE’s November 7 pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. The problem is that not everyone agrees the airport is actually back in business.
The airport had been closed since last Saturday following a series of attacks in the region. Saudi coalition officials said Thursday that the airport had been targeted 20 times this month, with 17 people killed and 333 wounded. That has raised serious questions about whether WWE can safely get its wrestlers, staff and production crew into Riyadh for Crown Jewel.
Now there are signs that things may be improving. According to flight tracking information, FlightStats listed 113 arrivals scheduled for Sunday, with most of those being domestic flights. Flightera also showed at least one international passenger flight had landed at the airport.
However, there is a pretty big catch. Some news outlets are still describing the airport as closed, and several major international airlines continue to suspend flights to Riyadh. So while some planes appear to be getting in, that doesn’t mean WWE can start booking everyone on flights and call it a day.
The situation has already caused major headaches for Saudi Arabia’s sporting calendar. The Six Kings Slam tennis tournament, originally scheduled for October 21 through October 24, has been postponed until December 27 through December 30. The UCI Urban Cycling World Championships, which were scheduled for November 3 through November 7 in Riyadh, have been canceled altogether. And that’s where things get even more interesting for WWE.
Canelo Alvarez’s October 31 fight against Christian Mbilli is still expected to go ahead in Riyadh. Saudi entertainment official Turki Alalshikh recently claimed that Canelo personally reached out to confirm he was still planning to fight.
According to Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, sources within WWE believe Alalshikh’s public comments about Canelo have put additional pressure on WWE’s parent company, TKO, not to pull its events out of Riyadh. That could leave WWE in a pretty uncomfortable position, especially since the company already has a backup venue in the United States ready to go if the Saudi Arabia trip falls apart.
The airport situation is only part of the problem. Riyadh’s recent airport attacks have already raised security concerns about Crown Jewel, while Saudi Arabia has also been considering canceling additional Riyadh Season events. For now, WWE is still operating under the assumption that Crown Jewel will take place in Riyadh on November 7. No location change has been announced, and the company is continuing preparations for the show.
The airport reopening reports are certainly a positive development for WWE, but there’s still a massive difference between a handful of flights getting through and having enough reliable international service to move an entire wrestling production into the country.
WWE now has less than three weeks to figure out whether Riyadh is actually going to be ready for Crown Jewel. The airport may be showing signs of life again, but with other sporting events already getting canceled and international travel still disrupted, this is far from a done deal.
Do you think the reported reopening of Riyadh’s airport is enough for WWE to move forward with Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, or should the company play it safe and use its backup venue in the United States? Let us know what you think in the comments.
