WWE's Crown Jewel went ahead in Riyadh on Saturday, but in a smaller indoor hall rather than the open-air stadium it was booked into. The kingdom is still paying top dollar for the show, and its venues are struggling to keep up.
Riyadh Season moved the event on Oct 28 from Riyadh Season Stadium at KAFD to The Venue, also known as ANB Arena. It refunded every ticket holder and put the tickets back on sale.
Riyadh Season gave no reason. Wrestling outlet Fightful Select reported that security, not ticket sales, drove the move, because an indoor venue is easier to secure amid the regional tensions.
Why it matters
Saudi Arabia pays heavily for these nights. WWE has held Saudi shows under a partnership that began in 2018. Estimates based on filings by TKO, WWE's parent, put the kingdom's hosting fee at roughly $50 million to $55 million per event.
Those fees are a big draw for TKO. Its first-quarter revenue rose 26% to $1.6 billion, and the company credited this almost entirely to more "financial incentive package" revenue, most notably from January's Royal Rumble in Riyadh, according to its results.
A venue gap
The move also shows a gap in the capital's venues. Sources quoted by Wrestling Inc. said Riyadh doesn't have enough big arenas, with Kingdom Arena the only exception.
Diriyah Company is building a 20,000-seat multipurpose arena at its Diriyah Gate project to help close that gap.
The show itself went to plan. Roman Reigns beat Sami Zayn in the main event, and Chelsea Green beat Liv Morgan in the co-main event.
The bigger picture
Riyadh is betting on events to bring in tourists and spending, and the biggest one is still ahead. WWE is bringing WrestleMania 43 to Riyadh in 2027, the first WrestleMania held outside North America.
