WWE’s trip to Saudi Arabia just picked up another serious warning sign with Crown Jewel only weeks away. The U.S. Embassy has issued a fresh security alert urging Americans in Saudi Arabia to stay vigilant as concerns involving Houthi threats, airports and the country’s airspace continue to grow.
The U.S. Mission Saudi Arabia issued the security alert on October 7, warning American citizens about the ongoing security situation and public threats made by Houthi forces. The alert specifically pointed to the group’s history of targeting Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports. The embassy told Americans to take the situation seriously.
“Due to the ongoing security situation in Saudi Arabia and Houthi public threats against airports and airspace across Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Mission reminds all U.S. citizens to exercise heightened vigilance.”
The alert also warned that the situation could have a direct impact on anyone traveling in or out of the country. Americans were told to prepare for the possibility of canceled flights, closed airspace and other disruptions.
“U.S. citizens should be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.”
That timing immediately puts another spotlight on WWE because Crown Jewel 2026 is scheduled to take place Saturday, November 7 in Riyadh. This isn’t the first security concern hanging over WWE’s Saudi Arabia trip. Ringside News previously covered how Crown Jewel was drawing concern as the November 7 date approached after the State Department advised Americans to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia amid regional security threats.
Those concerns eventually reached people who regularly make WWE’s Saudi trips. Ringside News later reported that WWE talent and staff were growing concerned about the Crown Jewel trip, with questions being asked internally about travel arrangements, possible changes and what would happen if the security situation deteriorated.
WWE has even discussed what it could do if Riyadh became a problem. Ringside News previously covered how WWE had discussed a Crown Jewel backup plan while still intending to hold an event on November 7.
The October 7 alert doesn’t tell WWE to cancel Crown Jewel, but the instructions given to Americans are hard to ignore with a large group of WWE talent, production staff and employees expected to make the trip.
The embassy advised Americans not to travel near the Yemen border and told them to follow alerts issued by Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense. U.S. government employees are also prohibited from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border because of safety risks, while special authorization is required for travel to several other areas.
Americans were also told to stay away from demonstrations and large gatherings, monitor local media, follow instructions from authorities and remain aware of their surroundings. One of the embassy’s most direct pieces of advice was simple.
“Keep a low profile.”
The security warning arrives while WWE continues publicly promoting Crown Jewel as planned. The company recently released promotional artwork featuring CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Penta, showing that WWE was still advertising its biggest stars for the November 7 event despite the questions surrounding travel to Saudi Arabia.
WWE now has less than a month before Crown Jewel, and the security conversation around that trip isn’t going away. The show remains on the calendar in Riyadh, but another U.S. government warning involving airports, airspace and possible travel disruptions makes this trip look anything but routine.
Do you think WWE should continue with Crown Jewel in Riyadh as scheduled, or should the company start seriously considering its backup options? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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