By David LaGuerre
October 27, 2026 | Evening edition
Some WWE wrestlers and staff are unhappy about plans to travel to Saudi Arabia for WWE Crown Jewel 2026, according to Fightful Select reporting. The event remains scheduled for November 7 in Riyadh, with setup reportedly underway. Meanwhile, Chad Gable’s status remains uncertain after Monday’s Raw, with no substantiated diagnosis or recovery timetable in the sources reviewed for this edition.
Those developments lead tonight’s Late Bell. NXT has five matches advertised for this evening, TNA has added a stipulation match for Thursday, and CMLL has booked Darby Allin against Hechicero for Friday. For the full Monday results, see our October 27 Morning Bell.
WWE Crown Jewel 2026: travel concerns reported, but plans still stand
Fightful’s public October 25 report, written by Jeremy Lambert and crediting Fightful Select, says the outlet heard from a number of WWE staff members and talent who were unhappy with the current plan to hold Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. It also reports that WWE remains in regular communication with its hosts.
The report does not name those employees or wrestlers. It does not establish that the entire roster shares that view, that anyone has refused to travel, or that a boycott is planned. The public article summarizes Select’s reporting; the full subscriber report was not available for this review.
WWE’s official event announcement lists Crown Jewel for Saturday, November 7, at Riyadh Season Stadium at KAFD. In a separate operational update, PWInsider reported October 26 that event setup had begun. That supports the picture of preparations continuing, but it is not independent confirmation of the concerns described by Fightful.
What the U.S. travel advisory actually says
The State Department’s Saudi Arabia advisory, dated October 23, is Level 3: Reconsider Travel. It cites risks including missile and drone attacks, armed conflict and terrorism. It also describes attacks on civilian airports and other infrastructure, with the potential for serious travel disruption and rapid escalation.
On October 23, the department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and employee family members to leave Saudi Arabia because of safety risks. Its airport-use restrictions apply to U.S. government employees working there. These are important warnings, but the departure order is not a blanket prohibition on private travel by WWE performers or staff.
For readers following Crown Jewel, the distinction is straightforward: there is sourced reporting of concern among some personnel, an official warning about travel risks, and evidence that preparations are continuing. The reviewed sources do not establish a cancellation or relocation. A future change would require a new announcement or additional reporting.
Chad Gable update: an injury scare, not a confirmed diagnosis
Gable’s situation remains a question after the October 26 Raw tag-team match. WWE’s official recap says the Intercontinental Champion was taken out of the match at ringside, leaving Dragon Lee at a disadvantage against Ethan Page and Big Cass. Page and Cass won, with Lee taking a big boot and Page’s Egoplex at the finish.
Slam Wrestling’s October 27 report describes an awkward landing after a ringside suplex by Page, followed by medical personnel and Lee checking on Gable. The report says he did not continue, while explicitly noting uncertainty over whether the incident was a legitimate injury or part of the storyline.
That uncertainty is the key update for tonight. WWE’s match recap describes what happened in the show; it does not provide a medical diagnosis. The sources reviewed through approximately 5:45 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday did not establish a specific injury, its severity, a recovery timetable or a confirmed absence.
We are therefore not reporting a named injury or predicting how long Gable could be away. A statement from WWE or Gable, or a clearly sourced medical-status report, would be needed to move beyond the current injury scare. Our morning coverage noted the concern, and the material reviewed for this evening does not resolve it.
NXT tonight: a title bout and two Dusty Cup semifinals
WWE’s official NXT preview lists five matches for the live show at 8 p.m. ET on The CW:
- Jackson Drake vs. EK Prosper for the NXT North American Championship
- Lizzy Rain vs. Chantel Monroe
- Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno vs. The Vanity Project in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic semifinal
- El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno vs. Hank and Tank in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic semifinal
- Saquon Shugars vs. Sean Legacy
The Drake-Prosper title match replaces a planned six-man tag that was called off. WWE says NXT General Manager Robert Stone announced the replacement. Shugars and Legacy are also on the current card, with WWE framing their match around a locker-room dispute.
After NXT, WWE has promoted Danhausen’s Very Nice, Very Evil Halloween Special for 10 p.m. ET on WWE’s YouTube channel. Fightful carries WWE’s announcement. The promotion has not supplied a match card in that announcement, so viewers should expect the advertised themed special rather than an assumed lineup of bouts or surprise guests.
TNA adds Hardys vs. SYX and a German television deal
AMC announced Tuesday that The Hardys will face Sam Shaw and Joseph Sawyer of SYX in a Slaughterhouse SYX match on the October 29 iMPACT!. Fightful’s report includes the broadcaster’s announcement and lists the following card for Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on AMC and AMC+:
- Amazing Red vs. Cedric Alexander for the TNA X Division Championship
- M by Elegance vs. Jada Stone for the TNA Knockouts Television Championship
- John Skyler vs. A.J. Francis
- Elijah vs. Ryan Nemeth
- The Hardys vs. SYX in a Slaughterhouse SYX match
The available announcement does not explain the stipulation’s full rules. The confirmed addition is the match itself, not an assumed set of weapons, location rules or victory conditions.
TNA also announced a new broadcast partnership with SPORT1 on Tuesday. German-language iMPACT! broadcasts will begin November 3, with localized commentary. That is an international distribution announcement, not a change to the U.S. AMC schedule listed above.
CMLL books Darby Allin vs. Hechicero for Friday
CMLL has announced Darby Allin vs. Hechicero for its Friday, October 30, Día de Muertos show at Arena México. F4W’s report carries CMLL’s official announcement, which says tickets are sold out and points viewers to the promotion’s Leyenda-level YouTube membership stream.
Allin is the AEW TNT Champion, but CMLL’s announcement does not advertise the TNT Championship as being at stake. Allin is separately scheduled to defend that title against Josh Alexander on Wednesday’s Fright Night Dynamite. The Friday booking does not replace that advertised defense.
Before Friday, CMLL’s Tuesday card, reproduced by F4W with the official promotional post, features a six-man Rey del Inframundo semifinal with Villano III Jr., El Coyote, Yutani, Rugido, Calavera Jr. I and Barboza. Akuma is scheduled to defend the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship against Esfinge. Bell time is 7:30 p.m. in Mexico City, or 9:30 p.m. ET, with a stream for CMLL YouTube members.
The next bell
AEW’s official event listing confirms Fright Night Dynamite and Collision at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis on Wednesday, October 28. The listing gives a 6:30 p.m. Central venue start, which is 7:30 p.m. Eastern. That is the live-event start, not a revised television start time.
For Mohawk Valley viewers tonight, the immediate choices are NXT at 8 p.m., CMLL at 9:30 p.m., and WWE’s Danhausen special at 10 p.m., all Eastern. The October 26 Late Bell has the previously announced Halloween-week rundown. Tonight’s priority remains the new reporting: concerns over Saudi travel, the unresolved Gable situation, and the verified additions to the coming cards.
Cards and schedules can change. Reporting and announcements were checked Tuesday, October 27, 2026. The Gable status review ran through approximately 5:45 p.m. ET. Cover: Utica Phoenix branding with AI-generated wrestling artwork, not a photograph of an actual event.
