WWE calls Crown Jewel remotely
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The gist
WWE will reportedly call Saturday's Crown Jewel in Riyadh remotely from Connecticut, with most production run from Stamford.
Security worries also cloud Saudi Arabia hosting next year's WrestleMania.
Background
Crown Jewel is WWE's Saudi Arabia premium live event, held this year in Riyadh. WWE wrestlers and personnel were famously stranded in Saudi Arabia after a 2019 event for unexplained reasons, and this year's show was moved from Riyadh Season Stadium to The Venue arena amid Middle East tensions, including a missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. With security concerns raised, WWE is reportedly keeping most of its staff home and running the broadcast largely from its Stamford, Connecticut headquarters.
How it unfolded
- Nov 2, 2026Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported that CM Punk and Kevin Owens missing the Crown Jewel card had nothing to do with them turning down the trip; they were booked in a No Holds Barred match on the November 6 SmackDown.
- Nov 6, 2026WWE's Crown Jewel commentary team was reported to be calling Saturday's event remotely from Connecticut amid security concerns in Saudi Arabia; PWInsider Elite reported reduced on-site staff, with audio mixing and graphics handled remotely and camera and sound crews in Saudi Arabia.
- Nov 7, 2026Crown Jewel went ahead as scheduled in Riyadh with most of WWE's workers staying home, per PWInsider's Mike Johnson, with much of the broadcast engineered and produced remotely from Stamford; the card featured four matches, and WWE was reportedly offering staff and wrestlers hazard pay.
Key terms
- Crown Jewel
- An annual WWE professional wrestling pay-per-view event established in 2018, typically held in late October or early November.
- No Holds Barred match
- A professional wrestling match fought inside an enclosed cage surrounding the ring.
- SmackDown
- A WWE professional wrestling television program and one of the company's two flagship shows.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Dave Meltzer said no talent refused to go, calling reports that CM Punk and Kevin Owens declined the trip 'absolutely not true,' while acknowledging some talent did not want to go.
- Caution
- Former WWE broadcaster Jonathan Coachman said Kevin Owens was among the names he had been told were unhappy about making the trip.
- Official
- TKO President Mark Shapiro said backup plans were in place for WrestleMania and expressed confidence the event would take place in Saudi Arabia.
Still unverified
Reports that the commentary team will call the event remotely from Connecticut are described as 'reportedly.' One report claimed some wrestlers refused to feature in the event, while Dave Meltzer disputed that. Speculation that the Punk-Owens match was moved off the premium live event because the two did not want to travel is unconfirmed.