As the days go by and WWE Crown Jewel on Nov. 7 draws closer, questions keep growing about the location of the event, which was originally scheduled for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The recent armed attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on King Khalid International Airport, which left 12 people dead and more than 300 injured, have made the situation even more complicated, because, at least for the time being, holding an event in the country has become a very high risk.
The uncertainty over the possibility that the premium live event will not take place in the Saudi kingdom is already starting to cause problems for the company, which, in a way, is trying to work around the situation without angering local authorities.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is trying, one way or another, to gradually put together a Plan B for Crown Jewel without upsetting the Saudi government.
“They will not even publicly say that there’s a backup plan, there is, but they can’t publicly say it because if they publicly say it, it sounds like they’re wavering on going.”
Meltzer also explained why the subject is kept quiet.
“And they can’t have that out because then the Saudis and Turki will be very upset at them for having that out. That’s why no one talks about the idea of a backup plan, and they deny it.”
Meltzer then gave his view of WWE’s leadership.
“But to not have a backup plan, you would have to be incompetent, and if there is anything that the people that run WWE are, incompetent is not one of those things.”
Despite the uncertainty over the location, the event remains confirmed. This week, WWE announced the following matches.
- World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns vs. Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn – Men’s Crown Jewel Championship Match;
- Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan vs. WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green – Women’s Crown Jewel Championship Match;