WWE may be keeping backup plans in its pocket for Crown Jewel, but Saudi Arabia is clearly still moving forward like the show is happening in Riyadh. New footage making the rounds online shows construction already underway on the massive Riyadh Season Stadium ahead of the November 7 event.
The stadium is obviously still in the early stages of being put together, but the scale of the project is already pretty clear. Crews can be seen working across the huge site as preparations continue with just over two weeks remaining before Crown Jewel.
There’s still plenty of work to be done before WWE can actually move in and start setting up its own production. However, the construction activity makes it clear that preparations on the Saudi side haven’t stopped despite the growing security concerns surrounding the event.
That’s particularly interesting after TKO executive chair and CEO Ari Emanuel revealed that Crown Jewel remains scheduled for Riyadh while the company monitors the situation daily. Speaking on Fox News, Emanuel said everything remains set for the time being.
“Right now, everything’s still set. This weekend coming up in Abu Dhabi, we have a UFC fight. We have in the middle of November a Frieze art show. So far, so good. Nothing’s been canceled.”
TKO isn’t operating without a backup plan, though. Emanuel also revealed that a team is monitoring developments and looking at where Crown Jewel could potentially be moved if holding the event in Riyadh becomes impossible.
“Yeah, we have a whole team kind of working on this, and kind of when—and if that doesn’t happen, where we can move it. It’s a daily monitoring.”
Those precautions come amid serious travel concerns in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert on October 22 warning Americans to use “extreme caution” at Saudi airports following attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh also remains suspended according to that alert, while airports in Jeddah and Dammam are operating with delays and cancellations. U.S. government employees working in Saudi Arabia currently require special authorization to use airports in the country.
None of that has resulted in WWE announcing any change to Crown Jewel, and the latest footage makes it clear that work in Riyadh isn’t slowing down while TKO weighs its options. The Riyadh Season Stadium still has a long way to go, but crews are already racing to get the massive venue ready for November 7.
What do you think about construction already being underway for WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh despite the uncertainty surrounding the event? Let us know in the comments below.
