Posted on 10/11/126 by Colin Vassallo
The situation in Saudi Arabia took a turn for the worse and
legit questions are now being raised about the feasibility
of holding WWE Crown Jewel in the country next month.
A Houthi attack on the King Khalid International Airport in
Riyadh yesterday left 12 dead and 300 wounded, disrupting
air traffic and making it the worst attack on the Kingdom in
over a decade.
Crown Jewel is less than a month away, set for Saturday,
November 7 at a temporary outdoor stadium in Riyadh. WWE is
not holding any other TV shows there during the weekend and
the crew will leave immediately following the conclusion of
the show to minimize the time in the country.
But different industry insiders are also now reporting that
there are several within the company who are questioning the
decision to still go ahead with the show despite the obvious
dangers that are currently in place.
WWE is paid around $50 million per show as part of a 10-year
deal with Saudi Arabia, a deal which is coming up in 2028,
and one which is not definite of being renewed since the
Kingdom is cutting back on some of its spending on sports.
One way or another, Crown Jewel will take place, be it in
Riyadh or somewhere else as WWE has contractual obligations
with both ESPN and Netflix to provide a set number of
premium live events per year.