Airspace shutdowns have already had a small effect on WWE Night Of Champions weekend in Saudi Arabia.
The United States recently carried out what is being called a “successful” attack against three of Iran’s nuclear facilities. In response, Missiles were fired at a US Airbase in Qatar, which borders Saudi Arabia. Iran’s actions have resulted in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates closing their respective airspaces. This could also have a potential effect on WWE’s events this week. In fact, it has already resulted in several WWE production employees being stranded at the airport.
SmackDown and Night of Champions are both set to take place this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to F4WOnline.com’s Bryan Alvarez, “Many WWE production employees who flew in early for this Saturday’s Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia are now stuck at the Qatar airport.”
In addition, @WrestleVotes claims a source who is scheduled to be part of Night Of Champions said they hope WWE considers rescheduling the event.
Will WWE Night of Champions still take place?
WWE is advertising a SmackDown taping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 27. Night Of Champions is still scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 28. The company has not publicly commented on the situation. Despite that, a source told Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp that they are actively monitoring the situation. WWE talent is expected to leave on a chartered flight for Riyadh in the middle of this week.
In addition, a source also claims the promotion postponing or canceling the event would be a costly financial decision, as there is too much money at stake in regard to the 2026 Royal Rumble. It was stressed that this source was sharing an opinion, not fact. As of Sunday, the team in Saudi Arabia was preparing as if the event will still happen.
As far as whether the event will actually take place, many fans expressed hope that WWE considers postponing it. However, WWE talent scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia “had not been updated on any changes” as of this afternoon, according to Fightful.
