Former WWE co-president George Barrios has broken his silence on one of the most talked-about incidents in the company’s history, suggesting that the widely reported plane delay following Crown Jewel 2019 in Saudi Arabia was “exaggerated to some degree.”
Barrios made the comments on the “My World with Jeff Jarrett” podcast, hosted by Jeff Jarrett and Conrad Thompson, as WWE prepares for another return to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel 2026. The timing of his remarks places renewed attention on an episode that has lingered in wrestling lore for years without a detailed on-the-record account from company leadership.
The original incident occurred after the 2019 Crown Jewel event, when members of the WWE roster and staff experienced an extended delay while attempting to leave Saudi Arabia. Reports at the time described a chaotic scene at the airport, with talent and crew left waiting for an unusually long period before departure. The episode fueled speculation that some involved had feared they were effectively being held against their will, a characterization that became part of the lasting narrative around WWE’s dealings with Saudi authorities.
Barrios, who held the co-president role at WWE during that period, said he does not claim to know every detail of what unfolded on the ground that night, but he pushed back on the more dramatic retellings of the story. According to his account relayed on the podcast, he believes the situation has been overstated relative to what actually happened.
His comments arrive at a notable moment, with WWE once again scheduled to stage Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia in 2026, a continuation of the company’s long-running partnership with the kingdom that began with the first Crown Jewel event in 2018. That relationship has remained a frequent subject of scrutiny throughout the industry, with the 2019 airport delay standing as one of its most cited flashpoints.
Barrios did not offer a detailed, moment-by-moment account of what caused the delay or confirm specific claims that have circulated since 2019. His remarks represent one executive’s perspective from inside the company at the time, offered years after the fact and ahead of WWE’s next scheduled trip back to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel.
