Employees working for WWE and UFC are reportedly steaming mad at their parent company, TKO Group Holdings, for continuing to hold events in Saudi Arabia despite ongoing missile and drone attacks.
Yahoo Sports’ Uncrowned is hearing that some TKO employees feel the company is putting profits over their safety. Some workers are so worried about their safety that they’re considering refusing to go to the country for work, even if it means losing their jobs.
“If we don’t do the shows in Saudi Arabia or [United Arab Emirates] or Doha or wherever we are going, then our fourth-quarter earnings will be off and our shareholders aren’t going to get their money,” one anonymous employee said. “So it’s all about greed. They don’t care about anybody’s well-being. The level of greed with this company is so gross.”
On October 10, a missile strike at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport reportedly killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others. Then, just hours after WWE’s Crown Jewel event on November 7, another missile struck a building in Riyadh’s financial district.
Luckily for TKO, WWE wrestlers had reportedly already left the country before that attack.
WWE, UFC And Boxing Workers Say They’re Not Being Told Enough About Safety Plans
One employee told Uncrowned that TKO hasn’t adequately explained what will happen if violence escalates during upcoming events.
“Not one email has gone out saying, ‘Here are the details and the plans for December 5th.’ That’s crazy,” the employee said. “They don’t tell you anything. They just throw it at you. How about a backup plan? How about a safety letter?”
UFC Fight Night is scheduled for December 5th in Riyadh. Zuffa Boxing also has an event planned there for November 14.
Another source was even harsher in its assessment of how TKO is treating its employees.
“They don’t f—— care about you one bit,” the source said. “People are just getting tired of the way they’re getting treated. They get treated like s— and everybody’s tired of it. The lack of communication, the greed, the lack of appreciation, people are just sick of it.”
TKO president Mark Shapiro reportedly assured employees that the company would “not hesitate” to cancel events if conditions became too dangerous. He also said “business is secondary” to employee safety.
WWE Made Changes Because Of Saudi Arabia Safety Concerns
All of this comes after WWE’s controversial Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, and with questions swirling around The Rock’s possible involvement in WrestleMania 43, which will also be held there.
WWE reportedly allowed wrestlers to leave Saudi Arabia early following Crown Jewel. The company also reportedly had its announcers call Crown Jewel remotely from the United States.
Of course, the question then becomes: If there was a reason to avoid having some people travel to Saudi Arabia right now, why was it deemed safe enough for others?
“Everyone just can’t believe this is a choice that they are being forced to make — fly into a war zone or risk getting fired before Christmas,” one employee told Uncrowned.