"If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to" - Hall of Famer sheds light on why WWE continued with Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia (Exclusive)

WWE is set to host its upcoming premium live event in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Riyadh's Kingdom Arena will be the home for Night of Champions 2025. The venue is also set to host the go-home edition of SmackDown before the big event on Friday.

There was much speculation on whether the event would take place in Saudi Arabia following tensions between the United States of America and Iran. However, following the announcement of a truce, the show is scheduled to go ahead as planned. WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long recently discussed the company's decision to go ahead with Night of Champions.

On Sportskeeda WrestleBinge's The Wrestling Time Machine, the former SmackDown general manager said no one was being forced to travel to Riyadh. He added that WWE must have asked for the performers' consent before booking them for the event.

"Here's what I think, and I don't know, but I'm sure that they asked everybody, all the talent, if you don't want to go, you don't have to. I don't think they're forcing anybody to go. I don't know that now, but I'm just saying, I think that they would ask everybody if you don't feel like you're going to be saved, then let us know, and you don't have to go,'' Long said. [From 2:12 onwards]

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Night of Champions 2025 is set to be a packed event with two title matches. John Cena will defend his Undisputed WWE Title against CM Punk, while Solo Sikoa will challenge for Jacob Fatu's United States Championship. Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton and Jade Cargill vs. Asuka will also take place on the show as part of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Pratik Singh