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Middle East Conflict Escalates, Airspaces Shut Down Ahead Of WWE Night Of Champions

CM Punk is set to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship at WWE Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia.
Rick Ucchino|
CM Punk
CM Punk | WWE.com

The conflict in the Middle East has not de-escalated in the wake of the U.S. airstrikes against Iran on Saturday. Quite the opposite.

Iran has now retaliated after the U.S. military carried out, what's being touted by the Trump Administration, as a very successful attack against three of the country's nuclear facilities. Missiles were launched Monday afternoon toward a U.S. airbase in Qatar, which is located on the border with Saudi Arabia.

Close to 10,000 U.S. military members are currently stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base, but no injuries were reported. It is believed that other U.S. bases in the Middle East were targeted this afternoon as well. The actions by Iran prompted both Qatar and United Arab Emirates to temporarily close down their airspaces.

These are not unsignificant developments in the world of professional wrestling with WWE SmackDown and Night of Champions set for this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that early arriving production crew members are currently stuck at the Qatar airport due to the airspace closures.

Insider X account WrestleVotes has heard from at least one source who is scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia this weekend, who said that they hope the company reconsiders moving forward with both shows.

As of this writing, there have been no official statements from WWE or parent company TKO that these events are anything but full steam ahead.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select is reporting that members of the WWE roster and production crew are still scheduled to head over to Saudi Arabia via charter flight around mid-week, with many of those he spoke with believing that WWE is currently trying to figure out the best course of action.

We will continue to provide any information regarding Night of Champions and this Friday's episode of SmackDown once they become available.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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