Dave Meltzer denied the rumors that CM Punk and Kevin Owens refused to travel to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel.
On Monday’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer said he saw the original card. He noted that Punk vs. Owens was never scheduled for the show in Riyadh.
“They think because the Punk match with Owens is on SmackDown that those two guys refused to go, and that is absolutely not true,” Meltzer said.
The rumors began after WWE announced a No Holds Barred match between the two for Friday’s SmackDown, the night before Crown Jewel. WWE will tape the show on Monday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and it will air on Friday.
Meltzer said only one match on the card was changed. WWE planned to have Oba Femi, Penta, and Je’Von Evans team in a six-man tag team match against Bron Breakker, Austin Theory, and Bronson Reed. Instead, Breakker and Theory will defend the World Tag Team Championship against Penta and Evans.
Meltzer gave an update after Fightful Select reported on Saturday that several members of the roster, including some of the top stars, asked not to be booked for the show due to security concerns in the area.
Some of the wrestlers who were already booked for the show expressed concern as well, and WWE told them that security would be a priority on the trip.
A top WWE star told the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the company isn’t encouraging its wrestlers to turn down the trip to Saudi Arabia.