WWE reportedly offered hazard pay to crew members making the trip to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel this weekend.
WrestleVotes on Fightful Select reported that WWE offered $3,000 in hazard pay to crew members. However, “several crew members have opted out of traveling to Riyadh despite the additional compensation.”
WWE is expected to go forward with Crown Jewel this Saturday after the Iran-backed Houthis attacked Riyadh International Airport multiple times, including a missile strike that injured over 300 and killed 13.
TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro told employees at a town hall meeting that safety was the company’s primary concern while pressing how important business in Saudi Arabia was. That sentiment was reiterated during TKO’s quarterly earnings call this week, where Shapiro said that the risk of events in the Middle East being cancelled was “extremely minimal,” as TKO executives stated their optimism about their business partnership with Saudi Arabia.
The Canelo Álvarez and Christian Mbilli fight at an arena called The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Halloween went through without any disruption. There will be multiple WWE, UFC, and Zuffa Boxing events in the Middle East in the coming months.
POST Wrestling has reached out to WWE for comment on this report and will update this story if we receive a response.
