WWE’s upcoming Crown Jewel event remains on for Nov. 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For now.
Ari Emanuel, the CEO of WWE’s parent company — TKO Group Holdings, Inc. — told Fox News on Friday that the combat sports behemoth is “daily monitoring” the situation in Saudi Arabia as the country continues to be attacked by deadly missile and drone strikes lead by Houthi rebels.
Emanuel explained:
“Right now, everything is still set [for WWE Crown Jewel]. This weekend coming up in Abu Dhabi, we have a UFC fight. We have, in the middle of November, a Frieze art show. So, so far, so good — nothing’s been cancelled.”
“We have a whole team kind of working on this, and kind of when — and if that doesn’t happen, where we can move it. It’s a daily monitoring.”
WWE’s decision to push forward with its Crown Jewel event has faced increasing scrutiny as the event draws nearer and fighting in the region continues to escalate. The U.S. State Department on Wednesday ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia following a series of deadly attacks targeting airports and other infrastructure across the country, which have claimed the lives of at least 20 people and injured at least 370.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed the order Wednesday, stating that “the safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and support them.” On the same day, the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia additionally issued a security alert warning that the conflict in the country could escalate rapidly.
Several other major sporting events in Saudi Arabia have already been postponed due to the attacks, including the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament and Saudi International golf tournament.
Despite that, WWE Crown Jewel remains one of two major combat sports still scheduled to take place in Riyadh in the coming weeks. The other, a WBC super middleweight world title fight between star boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Christian Mbilli on Oct. 31, has faced significant scrutiny from fans, media and even teams of fighters involved.
Noted boxing trainer Robert Garcia, who's readying boxer Lindolfo Delgado for an IBF super lightweight title on the Canelo-Mbilli undercard, has repeatedly voiced fears over his safety and the safety of his team in recent days.
For now, WWE Crown Jewel remains scheduled to take place at the Riyadh Season Stadium, headlined by two champion vs. champion matches featuring Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Liv Morgan and the “SmackDown” women’s champion at the time of the event.