WWE are concerned amid the threat of an Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia. The company is due to hold their Crown Jewel premium live event in Riyadh this Saturday, but the travelling party are wary of a potential strike by the middle-eastern nation.
Saudi and U.S. officials said on Tuesday that intelligence shared with the States warns of imminent attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and has put the American military and other neighbouring states in the Middle East on notice. According to Brian Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, those behind the scenes are worried and while the situation is being monitored, the show is still scheduled to go ahead.
“As of now, everybody is still heading to Saudi Arabia. It was reported yesterday that Saudi Arabia, ‘has shared intelligence’ with the United States, warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in Saudi Arabia,” he began. "Of course, Crown Jewel is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. And Dave Meltzer tweeted that ‘the best term regarding Saudi Arabia would be, quote, monitoring the situation. All plans are for the show at this moment, but you can’t control the real world.’
“There was a lot of trepidation. Normally the people going on the trip are trepidatious normally going in, but now you have this on top of everything else. So it appears that the show must go on, and hopefully, everything turns out all right.”
Iran have since denied they are planning an attack on Saudi Arabia. The spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry Nasser Kanaani dismissed the claim as "baseless" and insisted that his government was focused on diplomacy within the region.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran adheres to a policy of good neighborliness, acts on the basis of mutual respect and within the framework of international law, seeks to strengthen stability and security in the region and will continue constructive interaction with neighbouring countries," he said in a statement released Wednesday on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.
In the US, the White House National Security Council said it was concerned and it is ready to respond if necessary. A National Security Council spokesperson said: "We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis. We will not hesitate to act in the defence of our interests and partners in the region.”
On the match card Roman Reigns is set to defend his WWE Undisputed Universal title against Logan Paul, who will contest just his third WWE match. Elsewhere, Bianca Belair will put her Raw Women’s championship on the line against Bayley once again, this time in a Last Women’s Standing match.
The latter’s fellow Damage CTRL members Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky, will face Alexa Bliss and Asuka in a rematch for the women’s tag team titles they lost this Monday on Raw.
Britain’s Drew McIntyre will look to get the better of arch nemesis Karion Kross in a steel cage match, while England-born Ridge Holland and Butch, known as the Brawling Brutes, will aim to prize the undisputed tag tiles from the clutches of The Usos.
In another blockbuster encounter, Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar will collide to see who the alpha male of WWE really is. A Crown Jewel press conference is set to be held tomorrow at 2.05 pm which fans can watch on WWE's YouTube, TikTok and Facebook accounts.
