Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia has been penciled internally at WWE for June 27, POST Wrestling has learned from multiple sources, a date that now seems in question due to the military conflict in the region involving Iran.
WWE and Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority did not respond to questions from us about whether they are considering rescheduling or canceling the event due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Formula One announced on Saturday the cancellation of its races scheduled for April in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, though the WWE date is further into the future.
One source indicated to POST that the location for this year’s Night of Champions was slated for Riyadh. Jeddah and Riyadh are the two cities WWE has held events in within Saudi Arabia. Most events, including the Royal Rumble earlier this year, have been in Riyadh. The most recent WWE event to take place in Jeddah was the May 25, 2024, Night of Champions.
Among other countries and areas within Saudi Arabia, Riyadh has been targeted by counterattacks from Iran since major hostilities broke out at the end of February, with heavy air attacks in Iran conducted by Israel and the United States.
Early in the conflict, around March 3, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh was struck, reportedly by an Iranian drone. No injuries were reported. The Saudi Defense Ministry has said it has intercepted drone attacks, including those targeting the Riyadh airport and the nearby Prince Sultan Air Base, which is about 140 kilometers outside Riyadh.
Near the air base, in the city of Al-Kharj, on March 8, two people were reportedly killed by what Saudi authorities described as a “military projectile” that hit a residential area. Twelve people were also injured.
Many other nations have been targeted on both sides of the conflict. Strikes have reportedly targeted countries including but not limited to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier in the month, we were also informed that TKO sent a message to all staff reiterating guidance from the U.S. State Department advising Americans to leave regions throughout most of the Middle East, mentioning Saudi Arabia among other countries. The internal message, sent on March 4, noted the expectation from the U.S. government that hostilities would soon increase. TKO told staff: “We encourage all employees to please make note of this advisory when determining travel plans.”
Riyadh is located near the middle of Saudi Arabia, which is separated from Iran to the east by the Persian Gulf. Jeddah, on the other hand, is to the west, on the coast of the Red Sea, near Mecca, Islam’s holiest site.
As part of a ten-year deal that began in 2018, WWE’s premium live events in Saudi Arabia are each worth at least $50 million to the wrestling company from the GEA, revenue that exceeds all but the biggest events in WWE history.
When WWE was forced to miss some of its twice-per-year Saudi Arabia events due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the company said the missed events were tacked on to the back end of the deal. It’s possible if there are missed events due to the war in the region that WWE and the Saudi government could agree to handle the missed events similarly, but as noted, WWE and the GEA did not respond to requests to comment on any alternative plans they may have.
