PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that WWE’s commentary team didn’t travel to Saudi Arabia and will call Saturday’s Crown Jewel from WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
Johnson reported earlier that much of the show will be run out of Stamford, where the production and satellite trucks will be set up.
Fightful Select reported that WWE is bringing a much smaller crew than usual to Riyadh. The crew there will be in charge of setting up the cameras, audio, and other equipment and sending the feed to the United States, where the show will be produced as if the staff were in the building.
WWE reportedly offered an extra $3,000 to the crew making the trip due to the risks involved.
Because of security concerns amid tensions in the Middle East, Crown Jewel was moved from Riyadh Season Stadium, a temporary outdoor venue, to The Venue, an indoor arena in Riyadh.
Something similar happened more than 11 years ago at The Beast in the East in Tokyo, Japan. Michael Cole and Byron Saxton called the July 2015 special from WWE Studios in Stamford, while the satellite feed from Ryogoku Kokugikan came in. But at the time, it was done to cut costs.
Crown Jewel will start at noon ET and stream on ESPN Unlimited, ESPN’s streaming service in the United States. The full lineup is below.
- World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns vs. Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn in the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship match
- Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan vs. WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green in the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship match
- Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match
- World Tag Team Champions The Vision (Bron Breakker and Austin Theory) vs. Penta and Je’Von Evans for the titles