The international live broadcast of WWE SmackDown from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, experienced a significant technical failure on June 27, 2025, interrupting the show’s opening segment on Netflix. The feed was abruptly cut approximately ten minutes into the broadcast, just as Randy Orton had begun to speak during a face-to-face confrontation with Cody Rhodes.
Viewers were left without a picture for around 20 minutes. A subsequent report from PWInsider revealed the cause was not an issue with the streaming service itself, but rather a power loss at the venue in Riyadh. This outage affected WWE’s entire production infrastructure, including the control room and the gorilla position, leaving the company unable to manage the broadcast.
WWE issued an apology to its international audience on social media for the disruption. When the stream was restored, announcer Michael Cole also apologized to fans for the mishap. The planned segment between Orton and Rhodes was seemingly abandoned as the show proceeded. During the technical pause, fans inside the arena captured video of Orton interacting with the live crowd to pass the time.
This incident marks the first time SmackDown has been held in Saudi Arabia, taking place just one day before the Night of Champions premium live event. While the problem originated at the venue, it underscores the inherent vulnerabilities of live global broadcasting. This comes against a backdrop of historical user complaints logged on Downdetector in late 2024 regarding Netflix’s live sports streaming capabilities, indicating ongoing consumer scrutiny of the platform’s performance in this arena.
The failure occurred as Netflix continues to expand its live content. As of May 2025, the platform offers live events, including WWE programming, as part of all its subscription plans, with features that allow users to pause, rewind, and re-watch, promising a seamless viewing experience that was unfortunately not delivered during the opening of the Riyadh show.