Three matches pulled from WWE Crown Jewel 2026 in Riyadh, including plans for Oba Femi and CM Punk

Three matches that had been planned for WWE Crown Jewel 2026 in Riyadh — a proposed Finn Balor vs. Gunther singles bout, a six-man tag involving Oba Femi and Bronson Reed, and a potential CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens meeting — have been removed from the event card with the show scheduled for November 7.

WWE’s Crown Jewel has faced disruption amid the ongoing conflict in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and, after weeks of uncertainty, Riyadh Season announced the PLE is set to take place at The Venue in Riyadh on November 7. The promotion has made four matches official for the card so far, and reports indicate some originally planned matchups were changed or shelved during the reshuffle; Riyadh Season also announced that the event had been shifted from the King Abdullah Financial District.

Finn Balor and Gunther, who began a feud while pursuing the Undisputed WWE Championship, were promoted on posters in Riyadh that suggested a singles showdown at Crown Jewel 2026. With the event one week away, those posters are now thought to point to a match WWE will reserve for a later date rather than include on this PLE.

Penta and Je’Von Evans are listed to challenge Bron Breakker and Austin Theory for the WWE World Tag Team Championships at Crown Jewel 2026, but an earlier plan reportedly called for a six-man tag that would have added Oba Femi and Bronson Reed to the picture. Those six-man plans were abandoned once the tag title match was confirmed for the card.

CM Punk and Kevin Owens have carried a prolonged rivalry on SmackDown, and there was speculation their match would headline Crown Jewel; instead, their encounter was announced as a No Holds Barred match for the November 6 episode of SmackDown, scheduled one night before the PLE. That change removed the matchup from the Riyadh event.

The 2026 edition of the PLE is set for November 7 at The Venue (ANB Arena) in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fans in the United States can stream the PLE on ESPN, viewers in most international markets can watch the event on Netflix, and in Sub-Saharan Africa the PLE will be available on SuperSport.

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