A series of attacks on Saudi Arabia this fall has drawn considerable concern regarding TKO’s events in the area.
WWE is heading out to Riyadh this weekend for its annual Crown Jewel Premium Live Event (PLE). The show comes weeks after Riyadh International Airport was subject to a series of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis, including a missile strike that injured over 300 and killed 13.
And, looking even further ahead, WWE plans to stage WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia for the first time ever next year, easily their biggest event yet in their lengthy partnership with the country.
Among those not worried about conflict in the region are the top names inside TKO, who are “all systems go” for the upcoming shows.
Mark Shapiro, President and COO of TKO, was asked about the concerns of future events in the Middle East being cancelled due to ongoing conflict in the region during the company’s quarterly earnings call this week.
“I would tell you that the risk [of events being cancelled] is extremely minimal,” Shapiro said. “I think we’ve endured the tough climb this year thus far. We’ve had no events interrupted. We’ve staged all our events in the Middle East flawlessly. We have three events left this year, one being November 7 with Crown Jewel, which should be a big one for us.”
Looking ahead, it’s hard to tell what level of concern there will be on a trip to Saudi Arabia months from now, when WrestleMania is scheduled to go down.
Conflict in the Middle East is high due to America’s war on Iran, started by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year. After a harsh rejection of Trump and his Republican party during this week’s midterm elections, a result Trump has admitted came partially due to the war in Iran, Shapiro questioned whether the current administration will try to turn down the heat in the region soon.
“Who knows what’s real or what’s true,” Shapiro said when talking about the government’s plans in the Middle East.
Shapiro didn’t seem worried about WWE’s 2027 WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia, even if contingency plans must be activated. He said that they have already been paid half upfront by Saudi Arabia and that, even if the event has to be moved to America, they expect the other half to be paid as well.
Later in the call, a smaller detail about next year’s WrestleMania was mentioned by Andrew Schleimer: Despite the event taking place in the Middle East, WWE plans to broadcast it during prime-time hours in America. This is a significant change compared to most trips to Saudi Arabia. Take this upcoming weekend, for example, where the main card for Crown Jewel will begin at noon Eastern.
“Our partners in Saudi have been stupendous … I couldn’t be more thrilled with the partnership in its current form and what I know is still to come,” Shapiro said.
When discussing site fee payments (described as “Financial Incentive Packages” during the call, or “FIPs”), Shapiro mentioned TKO’s plans to host events in Central Asia and Europe. He also mentioned that many from the company had just returned from a trip to Africa, where they are planning to eventually host a UFC event.
It was also briefly mentioned that there are talks regarding a potential WWE event in Tokyo, Japan.
