WWE is still planning to hold its 2026 Crown Jewel premium live event (PLE) on Saturday, November, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, despite a Level 3 security alert issued by the U.S. State Department due to the ongoing war in Iran. Setup for the event is reportedly already underway.
According to Fightful Select, sources on-site in Saudi Arabia have been working there for weeks and expect the event to proceed as planned. Ariel Helwani mentioned on his show that members of the Power Slap production crew will fly to Bahrain and then take a bus to Riyadh for their event, scheduled the night before Crown Jewel. Sources have indicated that the situation is “nowhere near as bad as the media makes it out to be,” although WWE talent and staff have expressed “reasonable concern.”
The report also references WrestleMania, in particular a comment by Eric Bischoff on a podcast, in which he stated he would be “shocked” if WWE’s backup plan for WrestleMania wasn’t The Sphere in Las Vegas. Although there have been rumors about Las Vegas being the backup plan, these have not been confirmed. Additionally, POST Wrestling reported that WrestleMania 43 has been internally scheduled for April 10th and 11th, 2027.
WWE has not yet publicly announced the dates for WrestleMania 43 and has previously said it is waiting until Crown Jewel week to make the announcement. Fightful Select noted uncertainty about whether that remains the plan due to potential issues in Saudi Arabia, and they have not received any confirmation that The Sphere will serve as the backup venue.
Regarding The Sphere’s availability, John Mayer will be using the venue from April 8th through April 18th, 2027, with Oprah Winfrey scheduled to perform there from April 2nd to April 4th. There may be an open slot at The Sphere from April 24th to April 25th, although there’s no confirmation that an event will take place during that time.
