It's the most intriguing boardroom storyline in pro-wrestling — and one you shouldn't expect to see in the next season of "WWE Unreal." Should WWE go ahead with its Crown Jewel event, scheduled to take place Nov. 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, or opt for a safer alternative back in the U.S.?
That the Saudi security situation has deteriorated in the weeks after this year's Crown Jewel was first announced on Sept. 1 is an understatement. Since then, we've seen the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launch a barrage of missile attacks on Riyadh airport, claiming the lives of at least 20 people and injuring at least 370 in what is already the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade.
Right now, WWE is insisting the show will go ahead — a decision that flies in the face of what other businesses and sports events are doing. Just this week, we've seen a bunch of major events in Riyadh postponed, including Saudi Arabia's annual Davos in the Desert, as well as the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament and Saudi International golf tournament.
Why is WWE plowing ahead with Crown Jewel when others are playing it safe? As ever, money talks. Anyone who has spent five minutes following TKO's financials knows how important the Saudis are for WWE — in recent years, they've contributed around one quarter of the company's live-event revenues. The average Saudi show brings in more money than this year's WrestleMania.
Forgoing that reported $50 million fee for Crown Jewel might be one thing. But the tougher question is what it might mean for the future relationship with the Saudis, particularly when the Kingdom is looking to ramp up its investment in WWE in order to bring WrestleMania to Riyadh next year.
We don't know exactly how much Saudi Arabia is shelling out for 'Mania 43, though the estimates of $150 million would appear credible. If anything, they could be said to be a little conservative, given that WrestleMania is at least three times bigger than the typical WWE PLE. What is certain, though, is that this will be the largest payment yet for WWE.
All of which brings us to Turki Alalshikh, the man who controls the Saudi purse strings. Perhaps the most intriguing twist in this whole Crown Jewel saga is the reports that WWE insiders are worried Alalshikh's glazing of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez — who is set to fight in Riyadh on Oct. 31 — on social media is a preemptive dig at those in TKO towers.
How so? When "Canelo" confirmed he would be going through with the fight, Alalshikh posted "hard times reveal true friends." One way to read that is a coded warning that those who cancel their commitments aren't true friends of Turki Alalshikh — and that's always a dangerous position to be in. Not just in the world of combat sports.
Would the country really pull the plug on SaudiMania if WWE canceled Crown Jewel? All common sense would suggest not. But that's the problem with relying on one source for such a hefty chunk of your revenue — you can't really afford to call their bluff. On the other hand, it's not like the other course of action is safe either, with the risk of missiles raining down on Riyadh airport. So what's a TKO executive to do?
If it's so dangerous, you might ask, why is "Canelo" fighting there on Halloween? Well, you'd probably have to ask him. Which is sort of the point: "Canelo" is one man who can make his own decision whether to go to Riyadh to collect his purse or not. (He's also a man who gets punched for a living, so he probably has a different outlook on risk than your typical Wall Street suit.)
More seriously, "Canelo" isn't a corporate entity like TKO. He doesn't have to take a whole production crew, or send dozens of supporting talent on commercial jets into Riyadh airport. He doesn't have to justify the fallout to shareholders should the proverbial mess really hit the fan. He's never going to be dragged in front of Congress like the bosses of Enron and Facebook when they faced scandals.
So given all that, will WWE go through with the show? Without knowing what's in Nick Khan's head, it's hard to do much more than speculate at this point. Obviously one thing that could influence the decision is how the security situation holds up over the next few weeks. Right now, it's been over a week since the last attack on Riyadh, but fighting continues in Yemen.
According to credible media reports, WWE does at least have a backup venue in the States if they need it. Though that's still going to leave an alleged $50 million hole in the next earnings report and a bunch of awkward questions about WrestleMania 43. Even a single emoji from Alalshikh's social media profile could hammer the TKO stock price.
That's the main problem here: WWE might be between a rock and a hard place with Crown Jewel, but you can't say they weren't the ones who walked into that situation in the first place. Can they get themselves out of it without triggering a bigger headache down the line? Over to you, Nick Khan.
source: yahoo.com
*******************||Trending||*******************
October 23, 2026
As missiles rain down on Riyadh, WWE's Crown Jewel dilemma is becoming unavoidable
October 22, 2026
Tyrese Haliburton pays homage to Triple H's MSG outfit in return to NBA action
October 3, 2026
September 30, 2026
Ari Emanuel Details Vince McMahon Resigning From WWE
In July 2022, a report was published by the Wall Street Journal accusing Vince McMahon of sexual misconduct and hush money.
McMahon would retire from WWE after the report was published, though he found his way back into the company by the end of the year.
In his new book “Roll the Calls: A Memoir,” Ari Emanuel detailed where he was and how he felt about the news and McMahon resigning.
“I was at Wimbledon when The Wall Street Journal dropped its first bombshell report: Vince making secret payouts to several women to settle harassment suits. I stared at my phone, then did something I never do: slipped it into my pocket. The rest of the match I didn’t look at the thing once. But I felt it in there like some tiny animal, wiggling, buzzing, chirping. People asking if I’d seen the story. Asking what it meant for the company. For me. Truth was — I didn’t know. And now, months later, I still don’t. As I walked out of Wimbledon, Vince called and assured me the charges were false. But he also said he was going to step down, for the good of the company. His daughter, whom I’ve always remembered fondly from our first meeting, would take over. A short time after that, however, Vince changed his mind and took back the company. What a mess. Such a mess, in fact, that I can see only one solution, and now I’m steadily pitching that solution to Vince. Vince, old buddy: Sell us your company. The idea is to merge Vince’s wrestling empire with UFC, creating one giant fighting mega-organism. Vince can stay on as a sort of chairman emeritus. Shapiro and I get him into a room, show him all the things we’ve learned from UFC, the knowledge that we could bring to bear. We talk about running his company, but it’s more about saving the company. Because the whole enterprise is teetering. Vince, who’s having all manner of health problems, seems not to fully understand.”
Emanuel, leading Endeavor, and McMahon, leading WWE, would eventually negotiate the merger with UFC that led to the formation of TKO.
In January 2024, after the TKO merger was agreed to, Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon, accusing him of sexual assault.
“And then…fuck. More revelations. The worst yet. Vince accused of defecating on a woman during a threesome. Incredible how many things in the world of business are undreamed of in business schools. These revelations are on a different level, orders of magnitude more troubling than the previous ones. Moments after they break, Shapiro calls. Ari—you reading this shit? Yes. We gotta get him out. Yeah. I know. All the way out the door, Ari. Right the fuck now. No emeritus position, no involvement in the company whatsoever. I know. You ready? Yeah. Shapiro dials; Vince answers right away. I know what needs to be done, I have clarity, but I’m feeling uncomfortable. So I deploy my go-to phrase— Tell him, Mark. Shapiro sighs. Vince, we’ve crossed several red lines and we’re in new territory here. We both wait, listening to the white noise. Finally Vince says— Okay. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it. Today. With these two enormously profitable companies now under one banner, which we call TKO, we hope this new structure of Endeavor will, at long last, thrill Wall Street. It doesn’t. The stock price doesn’t budge.”
McMahon would resign from TKO after the Grant lawsuit was filed.
Ari Emanuel: TKO Will Never Be For Sale
In promotion of his new book ‘Roll The Calls’, Emanuel has spent the past number of weeks on the interview trail.
During a recent interview with The Town, Matt Belloni asked Ari to name the ideal buyer for TKO.
“TKO.”
Belloni pressed Emanuel, saying that the company will surely be for sale one day.
“No, it won’t. No. Never.”
Continuing to push for an answer, Belloni brought up other media companies like Paramount and Amazon.
“No. No, not for sale. Never.”
Emanuel then proceeded to explain why the company will never be sold.
“Why would it be? Here’s the great thing. In 2016, Egon Durban, Mark, myself, Patrick, we saw where sports was going and saw where the streamers were going. At the time, people thought that the value — [that] we were crazy to pay what we did when we bought IMG [or] crazy that we paid the two cheapest acquisitions of all time in the sports space. As my son Leo says to me, Thursday is baby Friday. With AI, probably Wednesday is going to be the baby Thursday. There’s going to be more free time than ever. If we grow at 3% GDP, we’re going to have more money than we’ve ever had with AI in my opinion, and I agree with that. Take all the bad things that could happen, you’re sitting in a situation that there’s going to be more time for people to consume entertainment or [be] social animals. Go out, go to sporting events, consume sports. Sports is the greatest reality show of all time. Owning sports assets — now people are trying to own teams — we own four leagues. It’s an incredible asset. The value is going up and to the right. Egon Durban, myself — there’s no chance that that’s happening. Zero."
September 28, 2026
AEW wrestling star Benjamin Satterley, known as Pac, dies at 40
Benjamin Satterley, an English wrestling star known by his ring name Pac, has died at 40, according to All Elite Wrestling.
“A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Satterley began his wrestling career in 2004 and went on to perform for wrestling organizations all over the world, captivating fans with innovative high-flying moves and incredible in-ring ability,” said AEW in its announcement Sunday night.
“Pac signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2019 and held multiple AEW Championships and competed in some of the most memorable matches in AEW history,” it said, extending condolences to his family, friends and fans.
He previously wrestled for WWE under the ring name Neville, and became known for his aerial attacks and explosive style – earning himself nicknames like “King of the Cruiserweights” and “The Man That Gravity Forgot.”
The circumstances and cause of his death were not provided.
The announcement came just a day after Satterley wrestled a match at AEW’s “All Out” pay-per-view event near Chicago, going up against Andrade El Ídolo.
During his acclaimed career, Satterley made history as the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion in 2022 before the title changed to the AEW International Championship. He was also an acclaimed AEW World Trios Champion, winning the championship alongside teammates Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta in front of tens of thousands of fans at Wembley Stadium in his home country in 2024.
source: cnn.com
September 24, 2026
Triple H Gets Emotional Seeing Shawn Michaels & Undertaker’s Success, ‘Nothing Makes Me Happier’
Triple H loves seeing Undertaker and Shawn Michaels thrive.
Earlier this month, cameras recently followed ‘The Game’ as he traveled around North America for WWE, AAA, and Zuffa Boxing events.
While he was backstage for AAA TripleMania 34, Triple H said that he gets emotional when he sees his friends/contemporaries succeed in their roles.
“Seeing the guys that are my generation, my contemporaries, my friends being able to step into these roles, be able to continue — as our bodies won’t allow us to do it anymore — but continue to be able to take all the knowledge that they have in their minds and be able to give it back to this next generation, to me, that’s what this business is all about. To be able to have Shawn running NXT and taking it to a whole other level and to have Undertaker come here and revitalize Lucha Libre in Mexico and take it to a level that it hasn’t seen maybe ever, it’s incredible. It’s emotional for me to see that and to be a part of it and do it with those guys. Nothing makes me happier.”
credit WWE.com and Fightful for the transcription.
WWE Main Event Moves From YouTube to Rumble, a Conservative Streaming Platform Backed by JD Vance
Starting Oct. 14, WWE Main Event is tagging out of the YouTube ecosystem and strutting down the entrance ramp to Rumble — a video-sharing platform and cloud provider that is a favorite of conservative commentators like Dan Bongino, Steven Crowder and Andrew Tate, the journalist Glenn Greenwald, and gamer Dr. Disrespect. Rumble is also where Dana White’s Power Slap competitions stream — the WWE deal highlights a further push into sports (or “sports,” depending how you feel about real slapping and fake fighting).
Rumble markets itself as being anti-cancel culture. It was founded in 2013 and went public as “Rumble Inc., The Neutral Video Platform” in 2021.
Main Event, which features matches that take place weekly ahead of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, will stream Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. These used to be “dark” (non-televised) matches until WWE Main Event debuted in 2012.
“WWE Main Event will be a key pillar in Rumble’s expanding sports programming lineup,” Claudio Ramolo, Rumble’s chief content officer, said in a statement. “WWE content has consistently ranked among the most-watched programming on television, top streaming platforms and social media for decades — a rare combination that resonates with both fans and advertisers alike. This partnership reflects Rumble’s ongoing commitment to bringing our users the very best in sports, entertainment and beyond.”
“Serving a digital-first audience is a core focus for WWE, and Rumble has built an accessible platform that is committed to delivering premium sports and entertainment programming,” added Alex Varga, an executive vice president with WWE.
In 2024, crypto stablecoin venture Tether invested $775 million in Rumble. The platform’s shareholders also include Bongino and a venture capital firm co-founded by Vice President JD Vance. At the time of the Tether investment, Vance’s financial disclosures showed that he had a personal stake in Rumble valued between $100,000-$250,000.
source: hollywoodreporter.com
September 20, 2026
X-Pac Is Taking on More Responsibilities at WWE Than Initially Intended
Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s behind-the-scenes responsibilities with WWE have grown considerably beyond what was initially planned.
The two-time WWE Hall of Famer currently works with independent wrestlers involved in WWE’s ID program. What initially began as weekly tape study has since developed into a broader coaching and mentoring role.
Waltman discussed his expanded responsibilities during an appearance on Six Feet Under. He explained that the arrangement originally came together after he spoke with WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
“Coaching, mentoring,” Waltman said. “Because the original gig was, ‘Hey, can I help out with the ID?’ The original thing was, you can review tapes for six hours a week.”
The role eventually grew because Waltman realized the developing wrestlers needed more than someone to analyze their matches.
“And it ended up not being just that, because they need way more than just [tape study sessions]… There’s things that come up that they have to deal with.”
Waltman also spoke about how fulfilling his current work has become. After dealing with addiction issues that affected significant parts of his life and career, he said helping younger wrestlers has given him another sense of purpose.
“I love this, working with all of them. It’s so fulfilling,” Waltman said. “Life was already great because I go hiking with my dog in the mountains almost every day during the week. But now having that, it’s important to have a purposeful life, right? Meaningful things to do.”
Outside of wrestling, Waltman also pointed to becoming a grandfather and his passion for rescuing dogs as important parts of his life.
“So now I have a grandson, I got my dog I love to go hiking with. I’m big into rescuing dogs and things like that. I just love dogs. I have that and helping those kids down at the [Performance Center].”
September 11, 2026
Triple H And Rob Fee Contributed To Amazing Spider-Man #1000 Comic
This issue will be a celebration and feature additional stories from various creators celebrating Spider-Man’s history, “bringing together veterans of the franchise and creators contributing to the Spider-Man mythos for the first time.”
Among the contributors is WWE Hall of Famer and Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, known to wrestling fans as Triple H.
WWE Director of Character Development Rob Fee is also a contributor.
From AIPT Comics:
Written by JOE KELLY NOAH HAWLEY, FRANK MILLER, DAN SLOTT, J.M. DEMATTEIS, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, TRIPLE H, ROB FEE & LARRY LIEBER
Art by PEPE LARRAZ, PATRICK GLEASON, PEACH MOMOKO, MARCOS MARTIN, HUMBERTO RAMOS, STUART IMMONEN, ED MCGUINNESS & GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. & PAOLO RIVERA
Cover by PEPE LARRAZ
The issue will be on sale on September 30.
September 9, 2026
Nick Khan Makes Big Claim About Triple H and WWE's Creative Team
WWE often draws plenty of fan criticism, and Nick Khan has now shared his thoughts about it while praising Chief Content Officer Triple H.
In recent years, WWE has landed major deals with Netflix and ESPN, among others, as the company has continued to break records from a business perspective. The company also beganresizing superstar compensation following WrestleMania, further improving the bottom line.
However, many fans have been critical of the on-screen product for some time now, and this discourse is especially evident on social media.
In a new interview, WWE President Nick Khan discussed the fans' criticism while also highlighting the company's creative team, led by Triple H.
Speaking on The Varsity with John Ourand, Khan was asked about WWE's deals with ESPN and Netflix. When Ourand noted that some fans were upset they couldn't watch WWE through ESPN Unlimited when the deal launched because it wasn't available on all providers, Khan stated that this has been corrected, as the app is currently available on YouTube TV and Comcast. He also pointed out that sports fans often complain, especially on social media.
Khan went on to compare sports to politics, explaining that by believing what you see on social media, you'll incorrectly predict outcomes.
"If you believe what social media says, you will incorrectly predict so many outcomes," Khan said. "For companies that read it and believe it and react to it, it never, ever works. Even if you see some of these companies that took some of these far-right or far-left positions, that’s not what most people are looking for. Most people are looking for left of center [or] right of center."
Khan then emphasized that you could not be reactive to criticism. Instead, it was crucial to "rely on your team," and he praised Triple H.
"We have the best creative in terms of all of wrestling in Triple H," Khan said. "We have the best live events team. We have the best merchandise and consumer products team. They’re able to monetize it. If you’ve seen the growth of TKO,...each of these [companies] continue to grow every year. It’s not easy, but it’s not supposed to be easy. We have to continue to develop and redevelop what we do, and make sure we have the right team in place to help make the right decision."
WWE is coming off a memorable Sunday Night's Main Event show in Atlanta this past weekend. The company will hold Raw and SmackDown in Mexico City over the next week, and both tapings are set to deliver star-studded cards.
