Despite growing backstage tension surrounding the upcoming event in Riyadh, top WWE talent face pressure over the Crown Jewel Saudi Arabia trip as reports indicate wrestlers are being strongly discouraged from opting out of the show.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, no wrestlers have officially pulled out of the November 7 event in Riyadh. However, Meltzer revealed that it remains unclear whether talent were ever explicitly granted the option to decline participation.
Addressing the situation after speaking directly with a top WWE star, Meltzer reported that turning down the Saudi Arabia trip is “very much not being encouraged” within the locker room.
Backstage Backlash And The Career Stigma Of Staying Home
The internal pressure surrounding the event follows recent comments from former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman, who claimed that Kevin Owens was among several talent allegedly “furious” backstage over the international booking.
“Correct. Kevin Owens was one of the names that was told to me yesterday. So I respect that he’s saying something backstage.”
Owens is currently slated to face CM Punk in a taped match at the Barclays Center set to air on the November 6 episode of SmackDown. While rumors suggested the match was moved to domestic television due to travel refusal, no official confirmation exists stating Owens pulled himself from the Saudi show.
Highlighting the potential professional fallout for anyone considering skipping the event, WrestleVotes detailed the hidden risks involved for talent choosing to stay home:
“They could say they’re not going, and they won’t get paid, and the rest of their career will be reflective of that. Not the pay, but the stigma — the position that they might find themselves no longer in. They can say, ‘I’m staying home. I’m watching it on my couch. You can figure it out,’ but things may be different when they go back to work.”
With no stars formally withdrawing from the premium live event, questions remain regarding how much leverage wrestlers truly have when deciding whether to make the trip to Riyadh.
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