Gunther Refused To Travel To Saudi Arabia For WWE Crown Jewel

New details have emerged regarding the decision to scrap a planned match between Gunther and “The Demon” Finn Balor at WWE Crown Jewel 2026.

Although WWE had filmed angles designed to build toward the match, the bout was never officially announced for Saturday’s premium live event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

According to a new report, the match was ultimately dropped because Gunther decided against traveling to Saudi Arabia for the show.

Multiple WWE sources reportedly confirmed that Gunther’s decision was responsible for the change, while others within the company were also under the impression that this was the case.

One source indicated that the situation had gone back and forth behind the scenes, explaining why WWE continued moving forward with television angles pointing toward the match despite uncertainty over whether it would actually happen.

There was also talk that Balor had reservations about making the trip. However, the belief internally was that Balor would have traveled to Saudi Arabia had Gunther agreed to participate.

The situation is particularly noteworthy given the perception among WWE talent that declining to work the company’s Saudi Arabian events was no longer an option.

During the early years of WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, certain wrestlers, particularly established main event stars, were permitted to skip the shows. That approach reportedly changed over time, with talent receiving indications that refusing to participate could negatively impact their pushes or require them to relinquish championships.

While wrestlers were not explicitly told that attendance was mandatory, there had been no recent examples of talent declining to make the trip.

The ongoing conflict in the region has introduced a different set of concerns, however, with safety and security becoming significant factors in decisions surrounding this year’s event.

Gunther vs. Balor was not the only match that underwent changes ahead of Crown Jewel.

WWE had also originally planned a six-man tag team match featuring Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans and Penta against Bron Breakker, Austin Theory and Bronson Reed.

Instead, the company moved forward with Evans and Penta challenging Breakker and Theory for the WWE World Tag Team Championships.

The decision was reportedly made to incorporate Femi into the championship change and establish his involvement in the ongoing storyline.

Evans and Penta ultimately captured the titles from Breakker and Theory, with both Femi and Reed getting involved during the match.

The original six-man tag team match is still expected to take place in the near future as the storyline continues.

Despite the changes to the lineup and concerns surrounding the event, WWE Crown Jewel 2026 reportedly ranked as the seventh most-watched television show worldwide and the 12th most-watched program overall on Netflix for Saturday.

(H/T: F4WOnline)