The escalating conflict and tension in the Middle East could claim an unlikely victim this weekend: World Wrestling Entertainment.
The wrestling powerhouse is running two shows this weekend in Saudi Arabia: SmackDown on Friday, and Night of Champions on Saturday. The latter event features a main event between heavyweight champion John Cena and C.M. Punk, two of its biggest superstars.
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Speculation, however, that WWE would be forced to move the events away from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh has mounted after Iran threatened that “every American citizen or military personnel in the Middle East is now on Tehran’s target.”
Iran’s rhetoric comes after the United States launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran responded on Monday by launching ballistic missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
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As of Monday afternoon, TKO, WWE’s parent company, was promoting “International Fight Week,” including the two WWE Saudi dates. Normally, WWE stars also take part in fan-related events in the area as it builds up to the Saturday show.
WWE holds, on average, two big events in Saudi Arabia every year, after signing a 10-year deal in 2018 with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It makes about $50 million per event, according to Wrestlenomics. Also set later for Saudi Arabia is the Royal Rumble, one of the company’s marquee events, in January 2026.
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The State Department issued a worldwide warning for Americans to “exercise increased caution” while traveling abroad. There has also been a region-specific travel advisory for American citizens not to travel to Iran since March 31.
Major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, and Washington have increased security measures. The threat of foreign adversaries within the states, known as sleeper cells, acting out has “never been higher,” according to Customs and Border Protection.