Report: No WWE Stars Have Declined To Travel To Saudi Arabia For Crown Jewel

Plenty of questions remain surrounding WWE Crown Jewel 2026 as the company and its stars gear up to travel into Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in a little over a week, amidst ongoing tensions, missile strikes, and travel advisories in the Middle East. According to a new report, no WWE talent have asked to stay behind, however.

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, while there have been rumors online surrounding a few stars, such as Kevin Owens and CM Punk, declining to travel to Saudi Arabia, there are no reports of anyone within the company pulling out of the event. Meltzer noted that there are also no reports of that option ever being given to talent by the company.

An unnamed top star told Meltzer that WWE told them that declining to travel to Riyadh for Crown Jewel "is something very much not being encouraged." There have been minimal changes surrounding the event, which, just eight days out, appears to be going on as planned. Meltzer previously explained the incentives for the company going through with the show in the kingdom.

One change surrounding Crown Jewel, however, is its venue. Though the event will remain in Riyadh, it will now emanate from The Venue, an indoor location in the city 35 minutes from the King Khalid International Airport, which recently underwent a missile strike that killed 12 and injured hundreds. Previously, the premium live event was set to take place in an outdoor temporary venue.

More information regarding travel for WWE and its crew and stars has not been reported. Meltzer noted earlier in the week, as originally reported by Ariel Helwani, that athletes fighting on the Zuffa Boxing card featuring Canelo Álvarez on Saturday flew into the Bahrain airport, then drove hours into Riyadh.