WWE’s Crown Jewel event, scheduled for Saturday in Saudi Arabia, will go ahead despite the war in neighboring Iran. Mark Shapiro, president and COO of WWE parent TKO Group Holdings, described the risk of cancellation as “extremely minimal.”
Speaking on TKO’s third-quarter earnings call, Shapiro said the team was proceeding with preparations. Crown Jewel was moved from an outdoor stadium to an indoor arena as a war-related precaution.
Shapiro said WWE’s two previous events in Saudi Arabia in 2026 had proceeded without interruption. He added that the team organizing Crown Jewel was ready to put on the show.
On the Iran war, Shapiro referred to a post by U.S. Vice President JD Vance saying voters wanted the conflict wrapped up. Shapiro said U.S. officials’ statements had shifted, while TKO was continuing to prepare for the event with its partners.
WWE’s annual flagship event, WrestleMania, is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia next April. It would be the first time in the event’s four-decade history that it is held outside North America.
Shapiro said WrestleMania could be moved but would not be canceled. TKO has been in touch with a long list of cities, mainly in the U.S., as potential backup hosts. He said the company had already received half of the payment from its Saudi partners upfront.
