Dave Meltzer Reveals Reason Behind WWE Crown Jewel Venue Change In Riyadh

Earlier this week, Riyadh Season revealed that the 2026 WWE Crown Jewel event would relocate to a new venue, with ticket holders receiving a full refund. Journalist Dave Meltzer has since reported that the November 7 premium live event will remain in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, just moving to the nearby Kingdom Arena.

On "Wrestling Observer Radio," Meltzer provided further reason as to why. "They were building a stadium, Riyadh Season Stadium. It was outdoors and the WWE show was going to be there. They announced a move. I don't even know if it's been officially announced, but they're moving to Kingdom Arena, which is the same building that the Canelo Alvarez fight on Saturday is going to be held. Some people, when it was first announced, thought something big was up, but essentially, the claim is that it is safer to run the show indoors than outdoors, which makes all the sense in the world," Meltzer said. "So they're going to move the show indoors."

The location of Crown Jewel has come into great question in recent months due to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Originally, the PLE was set to take place inside the Riyadh Season Stadium, a temporary outdoor venue. Kingdom Arena, meanwhile, is an indoor venue with a 30,000 seat capacity.

WWE has hosted multiple shows from the Kingdom Arena in the past, including the 2025 and 2026 Night of Champions PLEs. The upcoming Crown Jewel show has four matches confirmed so far, three of which revolve around championships.