TKO Employees Reportedly Unhappy Over Safety Fears Of Having To Work In Saudi Arabia Amid Missle Attacks & Anger Over TKO Putting Greed Over Employees Well-being

WWE held their Crown Jewel 2026 event this past Saturday at The Venue (ANB Arena) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This event was notable for initially being uncertain over repeated safety alerts issued by The U.S. State Department and U.S. Embassy in Riyadh over the volatile situation in Saudi Arabia from the ongoing Iran War and Houthis missile attacks in the country. Several WWE employees were still in Saudi Arabia following a new round of missile attacks targeting the city this past Sunday and “Big” Bronson Reed is still in the country for medical treatment for injuries he suffered at Crown Jewel.

Yahoo Sports’ Uncrowned’s Ben Fowlkes reported that his sources within TKO Group stated that TKO employees are frustrated over the company’s insistence on holding events in Riyadh despite the ongoing missile and drone attacks in Saudi Arabia by the Houthis.

Fowlkes reported that some TKO workers feel that their safety has been little more than an afterthoughts as these events have gone forward for the company.

One source spoken to reportedly stated “Why are you still even having these shows at this point? I think the answer is, if they chose not to do the show, they would lose out on millions and millions of dollars.”

This same source reportedly also stated that “From what I’ve heard, 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. 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.”

Another source spoken to reportedly stated that TKO executive ignored concerns about the situation and only talked about if the State Department says its okay to fly there. This source reportedly stated “All [TKO executives] talk about is if the State Department says it is OK to fly there. 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?”

Fowlkes reportedly that some TKO employees stated that they are increasingly upset by the disregard they have witnessed for worker safety by TKO executive, as well as a lack of communication about contingency plans. One source spoken to reportedly stated “Not one email has gone out saying, ‘Here are the details and the plans for December 5th.’ That’s crazy. 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. They don’t f***ing care about you one bit. People are just getting tired of the way they’re getting treated. They get treated like s**t and everybody’s tired of it. The lack of communication, the greed, the lack of appreciation, people are just sick of it.”

Another source spoken to reportedly stated that the ongoing TKO events in Saudi Arabia and the risks involved there due to its current status as an active conflict zone have pushed TKO employees to their breaking point with the company. One longtime TKO employee reportedly stated that the mood among the staff darkened after the company refused to move or postpone the events despite the recent attacks. This same employee reportedly stated “I‘m not the only one who does not want to fly there. It’s crazy.“

Another source spoken to reportedly stated that many people within TKO are waiting for the time to fly for when they would announce their decision to not go there. This same source reportedly stated that they do not know how many people will actually follow through with that over fears of the risk of getting fired before Christmas. This same source reportedly stated “But I don’t know how many will follow through with that. This is a company that can fire you for no reason or any reason. Everyone just can’t believe this is a choice that they are being forced to make — fly into a war zone or risk getting fired before Christmas.”

Fowlkes reported that other employees spoken to have mentioned their frustrations with TKO executive and have realize that they have to either “accept it or leave, because nothing’s going to change at this point.”

Fowlkes also reported that several former and current TKO employees have described TKO’s company culture on being “myopically focused on maximizing short-term profitability” and having very little regard for the well-being of workers.