Major Update On Brock Lesnar's WWE Status Ahead Of Crown Jewel In Saudi Arabia

WWE's Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is quickly approaching and the card for the November 4 event is coming together, with four championship matches announced so far. But the event is also shaping up to be the first of WWE's Saudi Arabian excursions to not feature former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. 

PWInsider Elite is reporting that Lesnar has not been factored into creative plans for Crown Jewel and won't be appearing at the event, the first time WWE has run a show in Saudi Arabia without him (Crown Jewel will be the 10th such event; Lesnar wrestled on eight of the previous shows and appeared as part of a major angle at the ninth). The report cites sources within WWE who supposedly believe it would be better to save Lesnar for a future Saudi event, as the upcoming show in Riyadh was an immediate sell-out. The card doesn't lack for star power without Lesnar, either, as matches featuring Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, LA Knight, and Logan Paul have all been signed.

Brock Lesnar last wrestled for WWE at SummerSlam earlier in August, suffering defeat in a rubber match against Cody Rhodes (Lesnar had previously defeated Rhodes at Night of Champions earlier this year in Jeddah). Lesnar seemed to go off-script after the bout and showed a rare demonstration of respect for Rhodes, to the awe of fans — and apparently those watching backstage, as well. It was reported after the event that Lesnar would be taking an extended period of time off, but he is believed to be scheduled for a return come WrestleMania season, which typically kicks off in January with the Royal Rumble.