TKO Group Holdings is pressing ahead with events in Saudi Arabia despite ongoing missile and drone attacks in Riyadh, sparking safety concerns among its WWE and UFC employees. The company’s insistence on continuing shows in the capital has left many staff frustrated and fearful amid an active conflict zone.
Less than 24 hours after WWE’s Crown Jewel event ended on Saturday, a missile struck a tower owned by Saudi state oil company Aramco in Riyadh’s financial district on Sunday. While WWE wrestlers had reportedly left the country by then, workers involved in these productions say their safety feels overlooked. One source inside TKO, which owns WWE and UFC, told Uncrowned, “Why are you still even having these shows at this point? If they chose not to do the show, they would lose out on millions and millions of dollars.”
The source, who spoke anonymously citing fear of reprisal, said the company’s motivation is financial rather than protective. “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,” they said. “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.”
TKO has not responded to requests for comment about employee safety concerns or the decision to proceed with events despite the risks.
Saudi Arabia has faced continuous attacks since early October. On October 10, a cruise missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing 13 people and wounding over 300. The U.S. State Department then ordered diplomats and non-emergency personnel to leave Saudi Arabia due to security concerns.
Other sports events have been postponed amid the conflict. The Six Kings Slam tennis tournament and the PIF Saudi International golf tournament were both delayed. Yet fight sports under TKO banners have continued. On October 31, boxer Saul "Canelo" Alvarez fought Christian Mbili in Riyadh despite a “hostile aerial threat” warning issued by the Saudi government just two days before the bout. The fight was promoted partly by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and co-founder of Zuffa Boxing, another TKO brand. Zuffa Boxing has an event scheduled for Riyadh on November 14.
“All [TKO executives] talk about is if the State Department says it is OK to fly there,” said an internal source. “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?”
In the weeks before Crown Jewel, TKO CEO Ari Emanuel told Fox News on October 23 that the company was monitoring the situation closely and considered it safe to proceed. “Right now, everything is still set [for WWE Crown Jewel],” Emanuel said. He mentioned an upcoming UFC fight in Abu Dhabi and a Frieze art show in mid-November as signs that events were continuing. “We have a whole team kind of working on this, and kind of when, and if that doesn’t happen, where we can move it. It’s a daily monitoring.”
Still, some TKO employees feel a lack of communication and planning as events loom. One source said no official information had been shared about the UFC Fight Night scheduled for Riyadh on December 5. “Not one email has gone out saying, ‘Here are the details and the plans for December 5th.’ That’s crazy,” the source said. “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.”
Some crew members also work multiple events under the TKO umbrella, including Power Slap and Zuffa Boxing, often with little regard for long hours and extra labor. The ongoing conflict has intensified concerns about these working conditions.
“They don’t fing care about you one bit,” said one source. “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.”
Saturday’s WWE event coincided with a Power Slap event in Riyadh on November 6, with some TKO production crew expected to work both. The risks inherent in traveling to an active conflict zone have pushed some employees to their limits. One longtime TKO employee said morale darkened after the company refused to reconsider its schedule despite the escalating danger.
According to Yahoo Sports.
