Power Outage Disrupts WWE SmackDown Broadcast in Riyadh

The June 27, 2025, live broadcast of WWE SmackDown from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, experienced a nearly 30-minute outage on Netflix due to a power loss at the venue, not a Netflix technical failure. This outage affected WWE's entire production infrastructure, including the control room and gorilla position, halting the show's broadcast and leaving international viewers with a "Pardon the delay" message. During the blackout, WWE stars Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes entertained the live audience by interacting with fans and hyping upcoming events, turning the disruption into a crowd engagement opportunity. Once power was restored, commentary resumed with Michael Cole and Wade Barrett apologizing to viewers for the interruption. WWE clarified that no live in-ring action was missed during the outage, emphasizing the issue originated at the venue and highlighting the vulnerabilities inherent in live global broadcasting. This incident came just before the Night of Champions event, underscoring ongoing challenges as Netflix expands its live sports streaming offerings.