WWE Offering $3,000 Hazard Pay For Employees To Work Crown Jewel 2026

WWE will present Crown Jewel 2026 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, November 7, amid hostilities in the Middle East and the company looked to incentivise employees to travel to the Gulf region for the pay-per-view.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, WWE were offering crew members $3,000 in hazard pay for making the trip to Riyadh. This payment is not usually offered by WWE for Saudi Arabia shows and the offer of hazard pay failed to convince several crew members, who opted out of making the trip.

PWInsider has reported that a major part of the Crown Jewel broadcast will be put together in the United States with production and satellite trucks stationed at WWE HQ in Stamford, Connecticut. A sizeable amount of WWE's production crew will work Crown Jewel from the United States, while a smaller-than-usual group has travelled to KSA for the event.

There had long been opposition from WWE employees to travelling to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel, something which the company reportedly weren't thrilled about due to wishing to present a united front. Some WWE talents also reportedly expressed their concerns and opposition to wrestling at the event.

The concern around Crown Jewel is due to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis carrying out almost daily airstrikes against Saudi Arabia since early October, with King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh targeted. Acled noted there have been 26 strikes from the Houthis against Saudi Arabia in recent days.

Saudi Arabia have been involved in the Yemeni Civil War since 2015 when a KSA-led coalition intervened militarily to restore the Yemeni government after the Houthis formed their own government in February 2015. The UN-recognised Yemeni government currently controls much of the country, while the Houthis control Sanaa, the capital city, and much of the former North Yemen.

A four-year informal ceasefire in the conflict had been in place until July 2026 when the Houthis began to launch missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia. This came after the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for an earlier strike on Sanaa airport.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia reached out to the Houthis about a new ceasefire but the Houthis demanded $51 billion and KSA to officially recognise them as rulers of Yemen. The demands were not accepted by KSA.

WWE and Saudi Arabia have worked together since 2018, with WWE holding two shows in Saudi Arabia per year, receiving around $55 million for doing so. WWE also receive larger fees for holding their bigger events in Saudi Arabia, with the company estimated to receive $150 million for WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh in April 2027.

While the event is scheduled to go ahead, the venue of Crown Jewel was moved indoors due to safety concerns.