Gunther reportedly declined Riyadh trip, canceling planned Finn Balor match at Crown Jewel 2026
Gunther reportedly decided not to travel to Riyadh for WWE Crown Jewel on November 7, 2026, a choice that led to the cancellation of his scheduled match with Finn Balor, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Crown Jewel was held in Riyadh on November 7 as a Premium Live Event and proceeded despite security concerns tied to the ongoing regional conflict; the show featured four matches involving some of WWE’s best-known wrestlers. A missile strike in Riyadh on November 8 reportedly struck a building in the King Abdullah Financial District. An earlier report had suggested WWE officials preferred to give the Ring General–Balor rivalry more time to develop and regarded the existing card as sufficient.
Meltzer reported that Gunther’s choice against travelling forced WWE to abandon plans for the match with Balor and said the situation “went back-and-forth,” which explained why the company continued to build toward the bout on television despite uncertainty about the former champion’s participation. “Multiple WWE sources confirmed the story, which others internally also believed to be true. One source said that the situation went back-and-forth and thus everything on television was going in that direction. There was also talk that Balor was not thrilled to go either but the belief internally was he would have gone if Gunther would have gone,” Meltzer wrote.
Meltzer additionally noted that Balor was not particularly enthusiastic about travelling to Saudi Arabia, and recorded that, in some previous instances, performers who did not want to participate in Saudi Arabia events were reportedly expected to relinquish their championships beforehand. He also observed there had been no recent examples of WWE talent refusing to make the trip, making this reported decision notable.
The TKO-owned promotion has not publicly confirmed Meltzer’s report or commented on Gunther’s decision, and WWE did not officially announce the proposed match for the Crown Jewel card despite the television build-up and promotional material.
The rivalry between the Ring General and Finn Balor remains unresolved; their recent confrontations, including Balor’s return to his Demon persona, provided the foundation for the planned singles match, and WWE’s creative team can revisit the programme through additional SmackDown appearances or by scheduling the showdown for a future Premium Live Event.
The next Premium Live Event is Survivor Series: WarGames on November 28 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas; there is no official confirmation that the Ring General will face Finn Balor at that show.