WWE’s travel arrangements for Crown Jewel 2026 have been getting plenty of attention following the latest missile attack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, there’s now some clarification about how the roster actually traveled, and claims that WWE stars avoided Riyadh’s airport aren’t accurate.
According to PWInsider, information circulating about WWE talent deliberately avoiding Riyadh’s airport during Crown Jewel weekend is incorrect. While most of the roster initially arrived in Saudi Arabia by bus from Bahrain, they actually used Riyadh’s airport when leaving the country.
“PWInsider.com is told that it’s been erroneously reported that WWE talents ‘avoided’ the Riyadh airport over the weekend. That is incorrect.”
The confusion appears to have come from how WWE handled the trip into Saudi Arabia. Most of the roster flew into neighboring Bahrain before getting on buses for the drive to Riyadh, which took considerably longer than a direct flight.
“PWInsider.com is told by several who took the trip to Saudi Arabia that the vast majority flew into Bahrain and then were bussed to Riyadh, a trip that took in the area of 5-6 hours.”
But the trip home was a different story. Instead of getting back on buses for another lengthy ride, the WWE roster flew out of Riyadh and returned to Bahrain by plane before connecting to a flight headed to the United States.
“On the return home, they flew from Riyadh to Bahrain and then transferred to a flight that took them directly to Greenville, South Carolina, arriving back yesterday afternoon.”
That means WWE talent did use Riyadh’s airport during Crown Jewel weekend, despite claims suggesting otherwise. The clarification comes after concerns were raised about WWE personnel following a missile attack in Riyadh on November 8, just one day after WWE Crown Jewel 2026. The roster had already departed before the attack, although some production employees may have remained behind to help dismantle the arena setup. There has been no indication that anyone associated with WWE was affected by the attack.
WWE also had to get its roster back to the United States in time for the November 9 episode of Monday Night RAW in Greenville, South Carolina. The latest travel details confirm that the returning talent arrived in the city on Sunday afternoon. So while WWE took an unusual route into Saudi Arabia, the idea that its wrestlers completely avoided Riyadh’s airport doesn’t hold up. They flew out of the city after Crown Jewel, and the roster was already back in the United States before the latest attack.
What do you think about WWE’s travel arrangements for Crown Jewel 2026, and should the company make additional changes to how it handles international events? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
