WWE Crown Jewel is coming up fast, and the November 7 trip to Saudi Arabia suddenly has another issue hanging over it. The U.S. State Department is currently telling Americans to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia because of threats involving Iranian drones and missiles, armed conflict and terrorism, putting WWE’s upcoming return to Riyadh under a much brighter spotlight.
The situation came up during the September 17 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio when Bryan Alvarez asked Dave Meltzer about the current travel situation involving Riyadh. Meltzer immediately connected it to Crown Jewel and also pointed out that WrestleMania 43 is scheduled to take place in the same city next year.
Meltzer did not have the exact government wording in front of him during the discussion, but he explained what he understood the concern to be and why the November 7 Crown Jewel date is the more immediate issue.
“It advises no travel Triad. It’s an advisory. They are. See if I have the. I don’t have the exact wording with me, but they’re afraid of attacks from Iran and so the. The Yemen Border, which is about five hundred miles away, that’s actually banned for travel. Whereas this one, it’s a basically a. What’s the word? A warning that it is unsafe for Americans to travel there. And that is the site of both WrestleMania next year. Of course, there’s a lot going on between now and next year. That could change, but more noticeably. The November seventh pay per view. So they are advising against any travel there.”
The official State Department wording isn’t quite as strong as Meltzer described it. Saudi Arabia is under a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” advisory, while areas near the Yemen border carry the much more serious Level 4 “Do Not Travel” warning, but either way WWE has a roster full of American talent preparing to make the trip in a matter of weeks.
That becomes a lot more interesting when you look at how much WWE has already built around Crown Jewel. Ringside News previously covered how WWE is rearranging its November television schedule around the Saudi Arabia trip, with RAW and SmackDown set to be taped together at Barclays Center before the company heads overseas. Alvarez pointed out the obvious problem: November 7 isn’t some distant date WWE can worry about later. Meltzer agreed that the clock is already moving quickly toward Crown Jewel.
“November seventh is not that far away. It’s a little over a month, so.”
Then the conversation turned to the number that really makes this situation impossible to shrug off. Alvarez said there is roughly $60 million tied to the Saudi event, meaning there is a massive financial reason for WWE to keep Crown Jewel right where it is.
“Yeah, there’s sixty million dollars on the line.”
That raised the question of what happens if conditions get worse and WWE reaches a point where making the trip no longer looks realistic. Meltzer said his understanding is that WWE would not simply lose the money because the company could make up the Saudi date later under its agreement.
“Well, it is. I mean, there there is. But the reality is that if somehow they can’t go, they just add another date at the end of the contract. So in the end, it’s not like it’s going to cost them any money. I mean, they’ll just. It will delay. It’s the fifty five sixty million dollars. But it’s not like It’s going to cost them that by doing it later.”
This isn’t the first time WWE has had to watch what is happening in the Middle East while a Saudi event sits on the calendar. Ringside News previously covered how WWE’s Saudi Arabia schedule came into question earlier this year as tensions in the region escalated, with the company keeping its options open while waiting to see how the situation developed.
WWE President Nick Khan also made the company’s approach pretty simple during that earlier scare. As Ringside News covered at the time, Khan told WWE employees that the company would only travel to Saudi Arabia if officials believed it was safe.
“We’re only going if it’s safe or if we’re allowed there.”
That Saudi relationship clearly isn’t going anywhere either. Ringside News also covered how TKO COO Mark Shapiro said Saudi Arabia continues pushing aggressively for major WWE and UFC events despite the ongoing conflict in the region, while WWE already has WrestleMania 43 lined up for Riyadh in 2027.
Crown Jewel is still on the books, WWE hasn’t announced any change, and right now the company is moving forward like November 7 is business as usual. But the roster is getting closer to boarding that flight, the U.S. government is still warning Americans to reconsider travel, and there’s roughly $60 million attached to WWE showing up in Riyadh — so this is going to become a much bigger conversation if the situation gets even a little uglier before Crown Jewel.
Do you think WWE Crown Jewel will happen in Saudi Arabia on November 7 exactly as planned, or could the travel situation force WWE to make a late change? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
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.
