False Finish reports that Crown Jewel is airing on a 10- to 15-minute delay because WWE brought only a limited production crew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The rest of the show is being produced out of Stamford, Connecticut.
This gives WWE more time to handle the feed between Riyadh and Stamford and to avoid any issues on the air. That means the crowd at The Venue sees everything before fans watching at home, and results can end up on social media before they air on TV.
The delay was in place from the opening match, the Last Man Standing match between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.
WWE is working with a smaller crew as a direct result of security concerns in the Middle East. Fightful Select reported that several wrestlers, including top stars, told WWE they didn’t want to be booked for the show. WWE also did not require anyone without a match on the card to travel.
WWE’s plans for the weekend already pointed in that direction. Friday’s SmackDown was taped on Monday, four days before it aired, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, so the episode didn’t take place in Saudi Arabia the night before Crown Jewel.
Crown Jewel was originally set for Riyadh Season Stadium, a temporary outdoor stadium, before it was moved to The Venue, a smaller indoor arena, due to safety concerns.
WWE has yet to address the delay, and fans have been complaining about it on social media.
Back in 2019, Crown Jewel was also delayed, but only for viewers in Saudi Arabia. That year, the feed was around 40 minutes behind, and there were rumors that Vince McMahon and the Saudi government were at odds over money.