MR. TITO: What If TKO’s WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Gets Attacked in Saudi Arabia on November 7th?
On Saturday, November 7, 2026, the WWE and its TKO corporate owners fully intends to host its WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Premium Live Event (PLE) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. WWE and its corporate owner, TKO, are moving forward with the event DESPITE the Level 3 Travel Advisory issued by the United States government which states, and I quote: ”Reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia due to risk of drone and missile targeting of American interests by Iran and the Iranian-supported Houthis, armed conflict, terrorism, exit bans, and local laws regarding social media activity. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.”. Further, the United States State Department has ordered evacuation of non-essential government personnel from Saudi Arabia on October 21, 2026. In addition, United States and Israel are reportedly going to strike Iran AFTER the U.S. Elections, on top of Israel’s president Bibi Netanyahu warning that Iran could strike soon and would strike back with or without U.S.’s support. Both Netanyahu (10/27) and Donald Trump (11/3) have elections coming up which could greatly limit their power for 2027 and moving forward, and thus the “sense of urgency” is here right now.
Meanwhile in greedy TKO land, CEO Ari Emanuel stated on 10/23: ”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.”, per Yahoo! Sports. According to the Wrestling Observer transcribed via Sports Illustrated, TKO/WWE would be set to potentially lose around $70 to $90 million if they were to cancel or relocate the 11/7 WWE Crown Jewel Event.
In case you’ve lived under a rock, what are the international threats that could happen to the 11/7 WWE Crown Jewel event?
Well, currently, the United States and Israel are jointly having a WAR against the country of Iran. During June 2025 with strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran and then a full scale attack during late February 2026 that actually killed Iran’s leadership, this has set the stage for further escalations and violence throughout the Middle East. Iran’s response has been to attack United States allies in the region while also encouraging their proxy groups to attacks allies as well. This is what brings us to Saudi Arabia… The Houthis are an Iranian sponsored group who are located in Yemen, which is South of Saudi Arabia. They were struck by the United States, too, during 2025, but Houthis have been disrupting shipping routes against Saudi Arabia during 2026 via the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait throughout 2026 while striking various Saudi oil pipelines during September in addition to bombing the Riyadh airport throughout October including the very deadly one on 10/10.
These are just the recent incidents, as there’s been heat in the Middle East between the United States, plus its allies like England and Israel, for decades. Iran has been upset with the United States since 1953 when they joined forces with England to perform a coup of Iran’s elected leadership over oil. This boiled through 1979 when the Islamic Revolution occurred and overthrew the government that U.S./England installed. We’ve had the hostage incident soon thereafter, but we’ve endured decades of different military activities there while pretty much fighting a religious war as well. Iran, on its end, has been using its revenues generated from oil to build up its military while also funding proxy groups like Hamas (in Palestine), Hezbollah (in Lebanon), and the Houthis (in Yemen) with Israel often feeling the brunt of that. The October 7, 2023 attack from Hamas on Israel has really erupted the tension versus Iran and its proxy groups.
And here we are, discussing whether a wrasslin’ event should occur in the middle of these Middle East hostilities.
Keep in mind, WWE Crown Jewel is on Saturday, 11/7, which is happening AFTER both United States’s midterm elections on 11/3 and Israel’s elections on 10/27. WWE is a United States company, and TKO is a United States corporation. Saudi Arabia is a country heavily investing in the United States while selling them resources like oil, while also hosting military bases for the United States.
It’s too risky, in my opinion. Just way too close to the fire, as it places WWE employees, WWE independent contracted wrestlers, and any WWE fans or Saudi Arabia fans in complete unknown danger. We’re living in a different world where bombs come in different forms, drowns can fly in from anywhere, and the stockpile of interceptor munitions are low in attempt to defend attacks from Iran. The Patriot missile interceptors, for example, are around $2-4 million each and they are shooting down $20,000 drone flying vehicles.
So, let’s get a little dark here. Let’s assume that WWE Crown Jewel 2026 actually happens, as scheduled, on November 7, 2026.
And then, let’s assume that some for of attack happens at the event, whether it’s Houthi related or even directly from Iran.
(a) WWE traveling fans fly on planes. They could get attacked in the air, but their plane could also firebombed at the Riyadh Airport after it lands or before it takes off. Maybe attacked while in the airport facility itself.
(b) WWE wrestlers and company officials fly on planes. They could get attacked in the air, but their plane could also firebombed at the Riyadh Airport after it lands or before it takes off. Maybe attacked while in the airport facility itself.
(c) Mass casualties could happen if the WWE Crown Jewel event gets attacked, itself. Fans in attendance or WWE wrestlers/employees could get killed.
(d) If any Hotels or facilities where heavy concentration of people are located, like a restaurant, club, shopping center, etc., it could cause mass casualties.
And here’s the last point that I REALLY want to make.
(e) Let’s say an attack happens at this event, results in casualties and likely American ones as well but also to an event held by an American business. It’s guaranteeing a massive response, in epic proportions, by the United States who has the most weaponry by a longshot. It’s a “Pearl Harbor” moment and I would imagine Yemen (where the Houthis live) and Iran will eat many missiles and many lives will be lost, whether it’s from the Iran regime or associated with them or anybody who happens to live there. And if the attacks on Iran are really excessive, Iran’s business partners, Russia and China, could get further involved.
Hey TKO… DON’T let your WWE promotion be SITTING DUCKS and BAIT to cause a potential World War.
Money isn’t everything. The claims of losing around $70 to $90 million for cancelling WWE Crown Jewel 2026, along with potentially placing Wrestlemania 43’s $150 million revenue boom in jeopardy, are hilarious to me when considering the MASSIVE COSTS of what could happen if any fans, wrestlers, or company officials are killed as a direct result of holding just 1 minor PLE event in Saudi Arabia when peak danger is happening around them.
The WWE Crown Jewel 2026 card has the following matches:
– Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn
– Liv Morgan vs. Chelsea Green (or Nikki Bella)
– Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
Other matches to be announced later.
Working with what we have, let’s focus on arguably the top star of the bunch, Roman Reigns. He reportedly makes $5 million as a base salary, but with bonuses, royalties, and other incentives, he reported takes in up to $15 million per year. If TKO is willing to pay Roman $15 million per year, I guarantee you that Roman generates at least double, if not triple or quadruple that in revenue to be between $30 million to $60 million off of Roman alone. The guy headlines most of these top Saudi events, so I could argue that it’s much higher than that.
Let’s get really dark here… What if Roman, unfortunately, falls victim to a senseless attack because TKO insisted that WWE Crown Jewel still happened in Riyadh. Not only have you lost a major revenue generator that you LACK any replacements for on your developmental bench, but the major headlines of losing a top star would be incredibly detrimental to WWE and TKO’s public image. Remember when Owen Hart died due to WWE’s negligence? With Owen, that was an accident, but with WWE Crown Jewel 2026, you can see a potential accident waiting to happen. And then if the worse case scenario happens, WWE put its wrestlers, officials, and any fan in attendance into harm’s way and it would become their fault.
Liability out the arse for that TKO corporation, which could be much worse than losing $70-90 million from relocating or cancelling WWE Crown Jewel 2026. Stock price crashes, fans fully revolt against WWE and TKO, and TKO will go down in history for its careless actions. EVEN if the event happens without incident, the fact that they were negligent and placed WWE employees and wrestlers in harm’s way shows they could do it again in the future.
TKO has shown their hand. They are about making money and keeping the WWE to make as much money as humanly possible. Why? Not to pay wrestlers, as wrestler pay, besides its top stars whom they are literally BRIBING not to form or join unions, is actually declining. Remember, TKO wanted wrestlers to take 50% paycuts earlier this year while releasing many other wrestlers. Each of the TKO executive management and its board members are living in hog heaven right now, as Ari Emanuel earned $67.4 million, Mark Shapiro earned $42.6 million, and Nick Khan earned just over $24 million during 2025. TKO pays out a dividend of around $3.16 per share to its shareholders, too.
In my mind, TKO is feeling confidence because they have good relations with WWE Hall of Famer and current United States President Donald Trump. I would imagine security surrounding an American event for a brand he’s starred on would be extremely high. But security for many countries in that region, including Saudi Arabia, has been very high for the past 7+ months. Pipelines, airports, and United States military bases in Saudi Arabia have still been successfully attacked despite heighten security. And again, interceptor munitions are low.
And I laugh at people mocking anyone who suggest they’d “boycott” WWE Crown Jewel 2026 because of these regional threats that could happen. No, I see most WWE fans actually CARING about the WWE wrestlers they’ve supported for years. Further, they feel sympathy and empathy for any WWE fans attending WWE Crown Jewel. When you attend WWE events, you should feel safe to enjoy watching an event in-person. Same with traveling to an event, as you’d hope that the damn airport wouldn’t get attacked while you’re there.
If there is anything to “boycott”, it would be the WWE owned by TKO. Since early 2024 when they fully got rid of Vince McMahon (who deserved it) and began injecting its corporate tenacles into the entirety of WWE’s operations, this isn’t the WWE that you grew up watching. It’s a WWE company masquerading as the company you once enjoyed. Are you enjoying paying double/triple for PLEs with ESPN now? Enjoying those higher live event prices? Enjoying the gouging on merchandise? Do you enjoy the fact that TKO would rather send WWE’s biggest events to Saudi Arabia versus placing them in an arena or stadium near you? Do you enjoy WWE willing to take money from cities to host events and then price gouge fans, like they just did in Las Vegas for back-to-back Wrestlemanias?
TKO sucks as a corporation. They ruined UFC years ago when they bought them, as fighters have a low revenue sharing plan with TKO despite the fighters taking the pain. With WWE, they raised prices on everything while wrestler compensation has plateaued or declined in just the short period they’ve owned the company.
TKO isn’t even blinking about WWE Crown Jewel 2026. Wrestlers have to perform or they’ll be in breach of contract for this scheduled WWE event.
However, if ALL of the wrestlers actually joined together and refused to attend this event out of danger, maybe even unionizing… Then this TKO machine could be stopped in its tracks and wrestlers could fully realize what leverage they truly have. WWE is very VETERAN HEAVY right now, as they just cannot develop and mold wrestlers in the developmental system as well as the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) once did. Sorry, but Bron Breakker, Oba Femi, and other newer stars have NOTHING in terms of drawing power like CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, and others.
WWE wrestlers are complete FOOLS if they don’t understand the leverage that they have, whether that’s forcing WWE to pay them more money to perform at WWE Crown Jewel 2026 or to outright band together and refuse to perform. Long-term, form a union and force revenue sharing much like the NFL, NBA, and MLB players to do their leagues.
Again, WWE wrestlers… YOU are taking the bumps during WWE matches, NOT the TKO executives. Yet, they get paid MORE than you by sitting in a cozy boardroom while YOU have to travel, take bumps, and wrestle in dangerous environments.
This is such a BS topic to even discuss and I cannot believe we have to talk sense into any wrestling fans who think performing RIGHT NOW in Saudi Arabia is a good idea, let alone a greedy TKO corporation who could care more about its employees and independent contractors.
28 years of covering wrestling, and I have to talk sense into many wrestling fans who don’t give a crap about sending wrestlers into harm’s way. If WWE Crown Jewel 2026 goes on without issue, I’m sure I’ll hear “see, see, WWE was safe” but the possibility of it getting attacked should have been considered by TKO’s executives beforehand.
Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, and Nick Khan should be REQUIRED to attend WWE Crown Jewel 2026 to PROVE that having an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during November 2026 is safe. Have all 3 men sitting beside each other in the front row of the event, too. Require their families to attend the event, too. Further, they have to travel commercial. No private jets allowed… Attend commercial flights like any other fan or midcard wrestler has to for this WWE Crown Jewel 2026 event.
If TKO shareholders DEMANDED that Emanuel, Shapiro, and Khan attend WWE Crown Jewel 2026, this event would have been cancelled or relocated in an instant. FACT.
You SUCK, TKO. Blood sucking corporation and you’ve ruined the WWE since early 2024 when you fully took over the corporation that you paid around $10 billion to acquire.
It’s only going to get worse in the Middle East before it gets better, unfortunately. The Iranian leadership wasn’t just taken out, but their religious leaders were. Contrast that with removing other dictators… Removing the ayatollah is personal, as he’s the highest ranking religious official in the Shia brand of Islam. This is going to create headaches in the Middle East for years, and therefore places any WWE activity there also at risk.
This corporate crap makes wrestling less enjoyable, especially when you have no sympathy for human lives. FU TKO!
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