There has been speculation about the status of the upcoming WWE SmackDown and Night of Champions events in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following recent reports that have caused concern. On Monday, reports surfaced regarding “US Jets scrambling over Saudi Arabia,” leading to questions about the viability of this weekend’s events.
According to the Fightful Select report, as of Monday afternoon, WWE talent scheduled for the trip had not been informed of any changes to their travel plans. The current schedule has talent traveling mid-week via a charter plane to be in Riyadh for this week’s SmackDown, followed by the Night of Champions premium live event.
Talent that were spoken to for the report noted that they expect WWE management is assessing the situation just as everyone else is. Additional fan events were also expected to be announced for the trip, but there has been no word on those at this time.
For fans who have asked, the report also clarifies the payment structure for these international events. Talent are no longer paid a separate bonus for participating in the Saudi Arabia shows. Instead, that compensation is now “baked into” their standard contracts, meaning there is no additional financial incentive for the talent making this specific trip.
According to a report from Bryan Alvarez, the airspace around Qatar has been temporarily shut down due to rising tensions in the Middle East. Many WWE production employees who flew in early are now stuck at the Qatar airport.
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