HOFer Eric Bischoff Wonders How WWE Pulls Off Upcoming Saudi Show

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff is unsure how WWE and Saudi Arabia manage to stage the Crown Jewel show.

Crown Jewel, set to be held on November 7 in Saudi Arabia, is in jeopardy due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Bischoff discussed his recent experience traveling to a war-stricken nation and how the conflict has affected travel.

"Right now, Saudi Arabia, at least according to that post, was a level three [travel advisory]. When I went to Moscow a couple weeks ago, Russia was level four. And the real issues — and we experienced the issue on our arrival into Moscow — we ended up in a holding pattern of about 90 minutes or so, maybe a little longer," said Bischoff on "83 Weeks."

He explained how one drone strike to an airport could shut down an entire airspace, making travel into and out of the country an issue. Bischoff said the uncertainty over when things could ease up poses a tough problem for WWE, as they will have not just to work towards their original plan, but also prepare for contingencies.

"The real risk is, you know, drones and missiles in this case. Who knows when that potential, because all it takes is the threat of it and you've got airspace being shut down," he added. "You know, your Plan A requires a tremendous amount of time and effort and focus and resources just to pull off Plan A because it's usually pretty big. But we've got the added workload now of developing a Plan B, which, by the way, it's not like, 'Well, let's just write it down on a piece of paper and if we need it, we'll go to work. No, you're probably already investing time and resources.' Now, you're doubling up on your resources for this."

He acknowledged that the Saudis have held enough events to put together another one from a production standpoint, but wondered how multiple crews for possible backup events would work together to pull it off. Bischoff said they have to work hard to host the event, a challenge he's glad to not be involved in.