WWE’s ‘Crown Jewel’ wrestling extravaganza to be held in Saudi

A wrestling extravaganza featuring some of the WWE’s top stars, including Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman will be held at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on Friday, November 2.

WWE is again teaming up with Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority (GSA) to stage the one-day ‘Crown Jewel’ wrestling event.

The event will feature the universal championship match, while current world champion AJ Styles fight to retain his title. The smackdown tag team championship match pits The New Day against current champions, The Bar (with Big Show).

Also, for the first time since 2010, Shawn Michaels will return to the ring alongside Triple H as DX takes on The Brothers of Destruction, comprising The Undertaker and Kane.

The event will also feature the first-ever WWE World Cup Tournament, featuring Kurt Angle, Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler along with smackdown competitors Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio and The Miz.

The Crown Jewel is expected to fill to capacity the 25,000-seat football stadium at Riyadh’s King Saud University, a statement said.

Airing live on the WWE Network, the event will also be available on pay-per-view outside the Middle East.

The Crown Jewel is the second WWE event to be held in Saudi this year as part of a 10-year agreement between WWE and GSA to support the kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030 reforms plan.

The Greatest Royal Rumble — for the first time featuring 50 WWE superstars – was held at the King Abdullah Sports City on April 27 in Jeddah.

Read: Mega wrestling event set to be hosted in Jeddah next month

Saudi is looking to boost its sports and entertainment offerings as part of its diversification strategy under Vision 2030.

In February, the kingdom also announced a new horse racing championship with prizes totalling more than $17m that would make it one of the sport’s richest events.

The King Abdulaziz Horse Championship aims to attract competitors from the US, the UK and Japan, the government’s General Sports Authority said, but has not yet revealed when the first run will be held.

Read more: Saudi to rival Dubai with $17m horse racing championship