WWE Crown Jewel Going Ahead In Saudi Arabia As Planned

It's the event that has received attention from a whole host of mainstream media outlets, but while many told WWE to pull out of their deal with the Saudi Arabian royal family, the company have today confirmed that Crown Jewel will be going ahead on 2 November at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh as planned.

However, there is no mention of the 10-year deal announced around the time of the Greatest Royal Rumble, so read into that what you will.

WWE confirmed the news in their third-quarter earnings report after waiting on Turkey to announce details from its investigation on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday that the killing of Khashoggi was planned. Erdogan called it a “brutal” murder.

WWE wrote the following statement about running the event:

“WWE has operated in the Middle East for nearly 20 years and has developed a sizable and dedicated fan base. Considering the heinous crime committed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Company faced a very difficult decision as it relates to its event scheduled for November 2 in Riyadh. Similar to other U.S.-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event. Full year 2018 guidance is predicated on the staging of the Riyadh event as scheduled.”

At the time of writing, here is the full card from the event:

• Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship
• AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship
• D-Generation X vs. The Brothers of Destruction
• The Bar vs. The New Day for the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships
• Eight-man WWE World Cup Tournament