Gunther refused to travel to Saudi Arabia, so his match against Finn Balor was left off Saturday’s WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh.
Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Live that sources within WWE confirmed Gunther’s decision was the reason the match wasn’t on the show. Meltzer noted that there were several changes to the situation backstage, which led to WWE continuing to build the feud on SmackDown.
“One source said that the situation went back-and-forth and thus everything on television was going in that direction,” Meltzer wrote.
Meltzer said this was different than in previous years when wrestlers said no, as there were concerns about the safety of the talent due to the ongoing conflict in the region. The show was also moved to an indoor venue in Riyadh.
Gunther showed that it’s still an option for wrestlers to say no. In the early years of WWE’s Saudi Arabia deal, some wrestlers were able to get out of the shows in the country, but that changed over time. It came to be believed that saying no could hurt a wrestler’s push on television, and champions could even be forced to lose the title before the show. Because of that, a lot of people backstage were under the impression that wrestlers no longer had a choice.
Balor also reportedly wasn’t looking forward to the trip to Saudi Arabia. But Meltzer noted that the belief within WWE was that Balor would have gone if Gunther had agreed to make the trip.
It’s unclear when the planned Gunther vs. Balor match will take place. WWE’s next PLE is Survivor Series: WarGames on November 28 in Houston, Texas.
Gunther vs. Balor was never officially announced, but it was one of five matches WWE had planned for Crown Jewel. Without it, the show had only four matches, headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, one fewer than the 2025 edition in Perth, Australia.
Gunther has wrestled in Saudi Arabia twice this year. On January 31, at the Royal Rumble, Gunther defeated AJ Styles in a career-threatening match. On June 27, he was part of the Night of Champions main event, the Undisputed WWE Championship match won by Sami Zayn.