WWE premium live event Crown Jewel, which was set to take place on Nov. 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is moving to a new venue amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Riyadh Season, which is the entertainment festival held in the city across several months and is organized by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, made the announcement in a statement posted to social media on Wednesday.
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“We would like to inform you that ‘WWE Crown Jewel’ has been moved to a new venue,” the statement posted to X read. “All ticket holders will receive a full refund, and tickets will be re-released to everyone within the next 48 hours.”
OutKick Dropkick reached out to WWE for further information.
Crown Jewel was set to be one of three events being held in Saudi Arabia this season and was set to take place at Riyadh Season Stadium. WWE’s premium live event calendar kicked off with the Royal Rumble in January – the first traditional Royal Rumble to be held in the country. The country also hosted Night of Champions in June.
In between the events was President Donald Trump’s decision to hit Iran with airstrikes, sparking months of unrest in the region. The U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Houthis in Yemen and Iran have all been involved in the conflict since late February.
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Tensions were heightened earlier this month when Houthis struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, leaving more than a dozen dead. The attack quickly put Crown Jewel in the focus of the pro wrestling world as worries began to increase over WWE personnel possibly being put into a dangerous situation.
Those concerns only increased as the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and U.S. government employee family members to leave Saudi Arabia “due to safety risks.”
“Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” the embassy said. “The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area.”
The U.S. State Department also updated travel advisories for several Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, to Level 4 and urged Americans not to travel there over fears of Houthi attacks and threats against Americans.
Saudi Arabia said Monday its coalition shot down three missiles fired by Houthis toward the Eastern Province.
“Air defenses intercepted and destroyed 3 ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the eastern region,” Saudi military spokesman Col. Turki al-Malki said in a post on X.
WrestleMania 43 – WWE’s biggest event of the year – was still set to take place in Saudi Arabia next year.
