TKO promotions WWE and UFC have staged a number of events in Saudi Arabia, even during the ongoing missile and drone attacks by the Houthi militia in Yemen.
The most recent event was WWE Crown Jewel, which took place on Saturday, December 7 in Riyadh. An attack took place in Riyadh’s financial district shortly after the event. WWE talent had reportedly left the country before the attack took place.
On the condition of anonymity, TKO employees spoke with Ben Fowlkes of Uncrowned, expressing their concern and frustration with the company continuing to run event in Saudi.
“Why are you still even having these shows at this point? I think the answer is, if they chose not to do the show, they would lose out on millions and millions of dollars. If we don’t do the shows in Saudi Arabia or [United Arab Emirates] or Doha or wherever we are going, then our fourth-quarter earnings will be off and our shareholders aren’t going to get their money. So it’s all about greed. They don’t care about anybody’s well-being. The level of greed with this company is so gross,” the anonymous employee said.
Ahead of the event, TKO President Mark Shapiro tried to balance business and safety with regard to running the event.
“All [TKO executives] talk about is if the State Department says it is OK to fly there. The rest of us are like, ‘If the State Department has to think about it at all, let’s just postpone.’ That’s what all the other sports are doing. Why can’t TKO?” wondered another source.
Six Kings Slam tennis tournament and the PIF Saudi International golf tournament were postponed after the attacks.
Despite comments about safety from TKO executives, another source told the Uncrowned implied that there were no actual plans.
“Not one email has gone out saying, ‘Here are the details and the plans for December 5th.’ That’s crazy. They don’t tell you anything. They just throw it at you. How about a backup plan? How about a safety letter? ‘Hey, if x happens, we go do y. We’ll all meet here. We’ll do this. We’ll do that.’ Nothing,” said the source.
Another source stated, “They don’t f***ing care about you one bit. People are just getting tired of the way they’re getting treated. They get treated like s*** and everybody’s tired of it. The lack of communication, the greed, the lack of appreciation, people are just sick of it.”
There is a Zuffa Boxing event scheduled for November 14 and a UFC event scheduled for Dember 5 in Saudi.
“Everyone is talking about the Middle East shows,” said a source. “Who has to go, who can get out of going. Some people say they are waiting until the time to fly comes and telling [executives] that they won’t go. But I don’t know how many will follow through with that. This is a company that can fire you for no reason or any reason. Everyone just can’t believe this is a choice that they are being forced to make — fly into a war zone or risk getting fired before Christmas.”
A source also stated, “We’ve come to the realization, this is what it is. We’re going to either have to accept it or leave, because nothing’s going to change at this point. But it’s time to get called out. People think it’s fine and you get taken care of. People realize the fighters get paid s***. I mean, that’s obvious. You guys have covered that aspect of it. People know, and the fighters are starting to speak up for themselves, but it doesn’t stop with them. That’s the message I want to get across. Everyone across the whole company gets treated like s***, whether you’re a fighter or a camera guy.”
Ahead of WWE Crown Jewel, Shapiro stated that he anticipated TKO events in the Middle East would continue as planned despite the attacks.
