With all the controversy surrounding WWE Crown Jewel, the decision to carry on with the show ultimately came down to whether WWE was going to be told by the government if they couldn’t or shouldn’t go. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE was never going to cancel the show on its own but there was enough concern there would be government intervention that officials were told the chances were “less than 50 percent” that the show would take place in Saudi Arabia.
When it started to look like the event wouldn’t happen, Vince McMahon was seeking to “reach an assurance” that when the controversy over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi went away, he would be able to simply push back Crown Jewel to a few weeks later. On 10/24 he received word that the decision was entirely up to him and it all became official the next day that the show would go on.
