Changes to WWE Crown Jewel 2026: What plans could be altered between now and November 7?

WWE

The eighth annual WWE Crown Jewel premium live event is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 7.

While Money in the Bank is a landscape-changing night for WWE given the implications the two briefcases have on the world championship picture, Crown Jewel is typically very different, as some of the top ongoing storylines hit the pause button in favor of the Crown Jewel Championship matches, which pit Raw and SmackDown’s world title holders against each other.

But will that be the case this year? Or will plans be altered? Here are three potential changes to this year’s event before November 7.

WWE changes location of the event

By far the biggest talking point regarding this year’s Crown Jewel PLE is whether the event should be going ahead at all.

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has been the subject of two missile attacks, with the most recent on Saturday leading two over a dozen deaths and more than 300 injured. The airport has been closed since this latest attack, with plans to reopen on Saturday, October 17.

Despite the severity of the situation, WWE has yet to announce any changes to the event, but its status has reportedly been a topic of conversation within the company.

Hopefully the higher ups at TKO will put the safety of their WWE talent and staff above all else and either reschedule it for a later date, or hold Crown Jewel in the United States this year instead.

WWE adds even more Raw vs. SmackDown matches

Since WWE Survivor Series ditched its brand warfare theming in favor of WarGames in 2022, WWE has yet to truly explore the Raw vs. SmackDown rivalry.

For many fans this is a good thing, as the concept was played out and incredibly inconsequential. While that is certainly true, there is probably a place for it somewhere on the WWE calendar, albeit on a smaller scale.

Rather than having every champion of Raw and SmackDown face off, WWE could stick to just the world champions as they already do, but then also add in either a big Raw vs. SmackDown tag team match, or some kind of battle royal.

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce have always maintained a friendly rivalry, so it’d be nice to see a bit of an exhibition of the talent on each show; hopefully with some actual stakes attached like a future title shot for example.

A Money in the Bank cash-in takes place after one of the Crown Jewel Championship matches

Typically the two Crown Jewel Championship matches result in all involved not defending their respective world championships at the event.

While that will most likely be the case this year, that doesn’t mean we won’t see a world championship defended, and potentially even change hands at the show.

After all, when else would a Money in the Bank holder have both sets of champions right there for the picking in one setting?

The prime candidate for this situation has to be Tiffany Stratton. She’s promised Chelsea Green she’s targeting the Women’s World Title, but we all know that she’s far more likely to plant a knife in her best friend’s back instead. With Green likely taking on Liv Morgan at Crown Jewel, Stratton can head to the ring, appear to be chasing in on Morgan, only to pull off a dramatic swerve and cash-in on Green instead to become new WWE Women’s Champion.

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