Report: WWE Unhappy With Employees Being Opposed To Travelling To Saudi Arabia For Crown Jewel 2026

WWE employees have privately expressed their opposition to travelling to Saudi Arabia for the upcoming Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Riyadh on November 7 and WWE aren't thrilled about it due to the company's desire to present a united front.

That is according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, who said:

"I heard that WWE wasn't thrilled that some of the employees, non-wrestlers, did actually talk about not wanting to go, because they want that united front. Not one wrestler said a word, which doesn't surprise me because if they did there would be repercussions. It would be stupid to do so. It's not your fight, but I would expect that they can’t be thrilled about this."

The internal opposition comes amid the Iran-backed Houthis carrying out airstrikes against Saudi Arabia as part of an escalation in the Yemen Civil War and wider conflict in the Middle East. The Houthis are targeting airports, oil and gas facilities, and military bases in Saudi Arabia. Multiple strikes have been aimed at Riyadh airport over the past week, including on Saturday which killed 13 people and wounded over 300.

There had been a four-year informal ceasefire in place in the Yemen Civil War but that came to an end in July 2026 when the Houthis began to launch missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia. The Houthis claimed they were doing so in retaliation for an airstrike on Sanaa airport in Houthi-controlled Yemen, with the Houthis blaming the airstrike on KSA.

As of the time of writing, Crown Jewel 2026 is still officially scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 7, and the event was heavily promoted as being held in Riyadh on Monday's episode of Raw. It was announced the pay-per-view will be headlined by world champion vs. world champion matches for the WWE Crown Jewel championships once again, this time with Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns and Chelsea Green vs. Liv Morgan.

WWE are reportedly yet to hold any talks about moving Crown Jewel from Saudi Arabia, but the organisation also have a backup location in the United States on the table should the event need to be moved.

Meltzer claimed that WWE will not acknowledge the backup plan exists, however, due to not wanting to upset KSA and Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Alalshikh.

"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 and they can’t have that out because then the Saudis and Turki (Alalshikh) will be very upset at them for having that out. That's why nobody talks about the idea of a backup plan and they deny it," Meltzer stated. 

Alalshikh noted on social media following the weekend airstrikes that Canelo Alvarez was still planning to hold his boxing match scheduled for October 31 in Riyadh in a tweet that also stated "hard times reveal true friends." WWE were reportedly aware that Alalshikh's comments were in part directed at the company.

The airstrikes have resulted in sporting events being postponed, however. The Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition event in Riyadh scheduled for October 21 was pushed back on Wednesday to late December. Three Saudi Pro League fixtures were also postponed on Tuesday.

The current Saudi Arabia travel advisory for US citizens from the United States Department of State recommends travelling to the region be reconsidered.