Early arriving WWE production employees experience delays due to Qatar airspace closure
This story has been updated several times.
A wild travel day in the Middle East saw many WWE production employees that flew in early for this Saturday’s Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia stuck at the Qatar airport.
Earlier on Monday, the airspace around Qatar was temporarily shut down to ensure the safety of both its citizens and visitors. That came after both the United States and the United Kingdom instructed their citizens in Qatar (who borders Saudi Arabia to the south) to shelter in place until further notice.
The order was later lifted Monday.
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Our Bryan Alvarez, who first reported that WWE employees were stuck at the Qatar airport, later reported that some of the early production crew that intended to head to Saudi Arabia eventually made it into the country.
He then added a quote from a source: “The show is definitely happening in Saudi.”
Despite all the craziness, it remained business as usual for WWE/TKO with Night of Champions set for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The company hasn’t publicly commented or replied to media requests about any changes in plan due to the fallout caused by the U.S. bombing several nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend. According to the Associated Press, Iran retaliated Monday with a missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar but no casualties were reported.
There are conflicting reports Monday night that both Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire.
In later reporting regarding an alternative location for Night of Champions, Alvarez noted that, “The belief is because of where the production trucks are in the U.S. that if they don’t go to Saudi, they’d find somewhere between Ohio and Pennsylvania for the PLE, and apparently 4–5 options are available. Not the PC.”
WWE is holding Raw Monday in Columbus, Ohio, before departing for Saudi Arabia. They will hold Friday’s SmackDown in Riyadh before Saturday’s PLE.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.