WWE is expected to keep commentary and much of the production for Crown Jewel in Stamford, Connecticut, even as the event itself is set for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. PWInsider reported that a significant portion of the broadcast work for WWE's Crown Jewel premium live event would be done from the United States rather than on site.
The timing matters because Crown Jewel is scheduled for Nov. 7, and the setup points to an unusual split between the live event in Riyadh and the people running the telecast from home base. Michael Cole and Corey Graves are the usual commentary team for WWE premium live events, and the report indicates that role would stay in the United States for this show.
That arrangement leaves the event with some key pieces in place in Riyadh and others back at WWE headquarters in Stamford. Camera and sound crews were sent to Crown Jewel, while mixing, graphics and the bulk of the production work happened in Connecticut. In other words, the broadcast was being built around a partial remote operation, not a fully on-site team.
The decision also fits a larger picture that emerged around the trip. WrestleVotes reported yesterday that WWE offered $3,000 in hazard pay to crew members who made the trip to Saudi Arabia, and some crew members refused the trip. The same reporting also placed recent fatal attacks on the Riyadh airport in the background of the travel and production choices, adding another layer to why the company leaned on a different setup for this event.
WWE wrestlers and staff traveling to Riyadh arrived safely and without incident, but the production plan still shows how far the company was willing to go to separate the live event from the broadcast operation. The open question now is not whether Crown Jewel happens on Nov. 7, but how much of WWE's next major show will be run from Stamford even when the ring is thousands of miles away in Riyadh.
