Going into Crown Jewel I was pretty optimistic. There was a lot of talent in the 10-Man tag. Rollins vs. The Fiend just had to make up for Hell in a Cell. Tag Team Turmoil had the potential to be really good. I wanted to see what Mansoor could do. But then you had the intrigue of the question mark matches like what would Cain vs. Brock be like, what will they do with Tyson Fury vs. Strowman, and how will the crowd react to the first ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia? Unlike past Saudi shows, I was somewhat excited for show just because I didn’t know quite what to expect, which is nice compared to the past Saudi Shows that were extremely predictable, glorified house shows. This event went beyond a glorified house show and became an actual PPV in my eyes.
Hits, Splits, and Shits is my rating system for PPVs. Hits (2 pts) are for anything I consider good to excellent, Splits (1 pt) are below average to above average, and Shits (-2 pts) are for, well, shit.
Pre-Show Battle Royal
I didn’t watch the pre-show as I rarely watch them, but Humberto Carillo won the match to face AJ Styles later on in the show. I’m fine with that. – SPLIT (1)
WWE Championship| Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Cain Velazquez w/Rey Mysterio
There isn’t really much to say about this match because nothing really happened. There was talk about Cain’s knee needing some surgery so I imagine that’s why this match was what it was.
RESULT: Brock Lesnar retained via Kimura Lock submission at 2:10 into the match. Glad Brock retained, but this wasn’t a match or an angle – SHIT (1).
Brock F5ed Cain after the match onto a steel chair which is fine, but Rey’s chair shots were awkward and Brock took some stiff shots…it just looked all clumsy like the match. We’re getting Brock vs. Rey? Yay? It’ll be better than this at least. – SPLIT (2)
Tag Team Turmoil Match For a Big Trophy
Participants: Lucha House Party, Ziggler & Roode, Heavy Machinery, Hawkins & Ryder, The B Team, Gallows & Anderson, The New Day, The Revival, The Viking Raiders
It started off with Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode vs. The Lucha House Party which was a good choice. Crowd seemed to like the solid back and forth action. Ziggler hit two absolutely filthy mid-air superkicks on Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik, who then took a wicked Glorious DDT for the elimination – HIT (1). Ziggler & Roode made quick work of Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder to advance. Next came Heavy Machinery and the crowd was super into them, especially Otis. They flipped out for Otis. Glad to see the Saudi fans being so loud an invested. Tucker and Otis hit The Compactor to advance. New Day come out to a huge pop. Tucker hits a great double underhook suplex, but then got hit with The Midnight Hour. New Day advance. They make quick work of the B-Team.
The Revival come out and the match begins to pick up. These two teams have great chemistry and gave us some solid work. Traditional heel work from The Revival after being eliminated by beating down on The New Day to get their heat back and build up their Tag Title match on Smackdown tomorrow, and then to build on the classic heel book Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows of The OC come out to make quick work of a wounded New Day – HIT (2). Last out is The Viking Raiders and we see both teams break out their standard moves. The OC end up winning, which makes sense because they can brag about being the best (and Viking Raiders are already champions) – HIT (3).
RESULT: That said, The Viking Raiders losing via a chop block, though one of my favourite heel staples, made them look weak. I think something more dirty or illegal would’ve worked much better here at giving The OC heat and preserving The Viking Raiders more – SHIT (2). Overall, for a match that went 32 minutes, it was standard and kept my attention. The teams that needed to win a fall won a fall, and those that didn’t, didn’t…and the winner was fine by me – SPLIT (3)
Cesaro vs. Mansoor
This was a very good match. You could tell Cesaro was talking Mansoor through it, but Mansoor did his part. Cesaro was the perfect guy to put in the ring with Mansoor. There were many nice exchanges in this match and I don’t want these reviews to be a play-by-play, so I’m breaking to break it down quick. Several athletic spots from Mansoor were highlights, especially that combo that ended with the standing moonsault – HIT (4). That gutwrench suplex from the middle rope that Mansoor countered into a sunslit flip powerbomb to set up the finish was fantastic – HIT (5).
RESULT: Mansoor won via a moonsault at 12:45. He has a lot of potential. He’s not quite fluid in the ring yet so the match had a couple of clunky transitions, but I have to say he really impressed me. Cesaro made him look great and directed him well. The whole match gets a – HIT (6).
Backstage, Seth gives the same basic promo he’s delivered for the past month or so – SHIT (3)
Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury
That entrance for Tyson Fury, between the music, the overkill on the pyro, the changing pyro, Bran standing in the ring looking angrily confused as lasers danced around him, plus the Fury cheap pop wearing the Saudi garb? I was laughing my ass off – HIT (7)
RESULT: The match itself was fine and Fury won via Countout via TKO after 8:00. Fury’s offense was simple, but the match wasn’t the awkward, lumbering affair it could have been. Fury is a good showman. Braun helped him through it nicely. The finish was pretty much perfect as it protected Fury’s knockout artist status and didn’t make Braun look too bad because he wasn’t pinned. Braun hit a powerslam after the match to set up a probable Wrestlemania rematch they’ll put more effort into. It was fine. – SPLIT (4)
24/7 Title Shenanigans
I learned Truth won the title back from Sunil Singh during the pre-show Battle Royal. He’s confronted by them backstage and Truth says to be the 24/7 Champion (in the way only he can) you have to have an escape plan, which is I guess running face first into a door and losing your title. This was a carbon copy of him running into the field goal post in Knoxville and losing to Kane. They really need to get more creative with this title. – SHIT (4)
United States Championship| AJ Styles (c) vs. Humberto Carillo
Gallows and Anderson carried their big new trophy down the ring. It was a solid match like their match on Raw was. I think if they didn’t just wrestle a few days ago then this match would’ve come across as better…frankly I only half paid attention to it. That said, I think it’s great they’re highlighting Humberto and giving him the time to showcase what he can do against some of the best in the business. Losing to Rollins and Styles does elevate him – HIT (8).
RESULT: AJ Styles won after a Phenomenal Forearm at 12:35. The match was fine, the right person won. Carillo gets to showcase himself more. OC had a strong night – SPLIT (5)
Byron Saxton interviewed Hulk Hogan backstage. He immediately called Byron “Brother”, which is funny in an unintended racism kind of way because it’s Hogan saying it to a black guy and it was awkward. And then he went on some rant about “when he and his team sprint” (My ass, Hulk. You can barely walk let alone sprint) – SHIT (5) and then said he makes his team drink sand when they’re thirsty, which too was possible unintentional racism from the Hulkster…maybe he doesn’t know there is water in Saudi Arabia. Who knows? Hogan had good energy and didn’t flub lines like usual, but still, fuck you Hogan, you’re a total bell end and I hate when I have to look at you and listen to you – SHIT (6)
First Ever Women’s Match in Saudi Arabia| Natalya vs. Lacey Evans
I have to say, I thought this was a pretty special moment because of just how genuine it all came across as. All the fireworks really added to the weight of this little impromptu match. You could definitely see the anxiety in Nattie’s smile during her entrance. Whoever chucked the water bottles at Nattie and Lacey get a SHIT that doesn’t count toward the total. But it seems a lot of the crowd were into it. As the match got going, they were really supportive with numerous “This is awesome” chants and you could see how much hearing that support meant to the women, especially Nattie – HIT (9)
It was a very non-kayfabe match with both women being all smiles. Lacey slowly slipped into her heel persona once she felt comfortable and a great moment for me was when Lacey had Nattie in type of cobra clutch and Lacey looked her heel self while Nattie couldn’t help but smile instead of acting hurt.
RESULT: Nattie wins via The Sharpshooter at 7:20 and the basic and fine match earns a – SPLIT (6), but that doesn’t really matter. The crowd was into them and showed the women support, which they really appreciated. It really did feel like I witnessed something historic, to borrow WWE’s overused phrasing, or something genuine from the fans and talent at least. Was this a stepping stone moment for Saudi Arabia? Who knows? Probably not. But it was a big moment for many of the fans, Nattie and Lacey, and all the women in the locker room who have had to be excluded from these shows – HIT (10)
As a side note, Lacey Evans has tremendously improved since working with Nattie. I think people have been a little hard on her, but she’s learning fast. She’s never going to be a skilled technician, but her character doesn’t need to be.
Throughout the show we learned we’re going MizTV featuring Bray Wyatt on Smackdown and we learned that NXT will be involved with Survivor Series this year – HIT (11)
Team Hogan (Roman Reigns, Rusev, Shorty G, Ali, & Ricochet) vs. Team Flair (Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura & Drew McIntrye)
This was a solid match with a whole lot of fast paced action. Everyone got their time to shine and hit their moves. Roman Reigns is one of the best hot tags in the business. I really liked the ongoing story in the match of Rusev wanting Lashley and Lashley taunting him and them finally getting into a brawl near the end – HIT (12). The sequence near the end of the match where everyone hit their signatures/finishers on each other was near flawless, especially that incredible backflipping Claymore sell from Ricochet; the blocked RKO after the roll through by Ali and the finishing sequence with Roman kicking out of the RKO capped off a very enjoyable match –HIT (13).
It doesn’t matter who won because it was a fun, 20 minute match that really help get me invested for the main event. The match itself gets - HIT (14) and Hogan winning gets a – SHIT (7). This was way better than any other Saudi matches featuring legends.
Falls Count Anywhere Match for the Universal Championship| Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Fiend
I was surprised the Saudi’s let Wyatt come out holding a severed head after the whole Khashoggi incident that overshadowed the last Crown Jewel event. I have to assume that’s why the lantern wasn’t lit, to call less attention to it. No doubt a compromise, so I’ll compromise on the compromised entrance – SPLIT (7). It was clear exactly where they were going to fight in the crowd because people had been all moved away from the corners where obvious stages were set to fight…took away from the unpredictability – SHIT (8)
The dreaded red lights were back. They don’t bother me much and I think they looked better this time around, maybe just without the red cell it worked better – SPLIT (8)
The match itself was a little slow at times. A similar story as last time when Rollins dishing out a lot of offense on The Fiend who takes it all and keeps coming. I get a real Homer Simpson vibe from this, like The Fiend purposely lets his opponent tire themselves out before he finishes them. Both guys went through tables really well, Seth through two at once in a sick landing and Wyatt kicking out at 1 after a senton through the announce table – HIT (15).
The highlight of the match for me was everyone on the ramp. The red light really worked there, especially the deep shots of the stadium covered in red lights and the big, red stage, it was a great visual. I liked the way Rollins kept hitting the stomp and Wyatt rolled a little closer to the finale with each one, it was an organic way to shift the fight without throwing/walking the other guy over there.
As much as I liked the finish of the match, it’s a rollercoaster of quality. Wyatt falling off the stage had the cheesy sparks I love, but it also had a nice burst of fire that from an apparatus you could clearly see shut down – SPLIT (9). Then refs came out with fire extinguishers a good ten seconds after the fire is clearly out and it looked comical watching them extinguish and extinguished fire – SHIT (9). Seth moves an equipment box and sparks “get in his eyes” from about 10 feet away…love the idea but the execution was – SHIT (10). The visual of Wyatt popping up behind a blinded Seth like nothing happened was terrific – HIT (16)
In the end, the match itself was just okay. It had a few good spots and told a good story, but was too similar from the story at Hell in a Cell that detracted from the fact this match was better than that one. The match gets a – SPLIT (10).
RESULT: After 21:20 the Winner and NEW Universal Champion is The Fiend. The lights go out for a few seconds and The Fiend is suddenly on the ramp holding the title in the flashing lights with the noises before going dark – HIT (17)
The lights coming back on and Cole telling to have a great night as the closing image instead of The Fiend was just – SHIT (11)
All in all it was a solid few hours of wrasslin. The only real black mark for me was Brock vs. Cain and that was over and done within 10 minutes and I forgot about it. It was smart to put that on first. All in all the match order was really smart, something WWE has failed at a lot in the past year or so where putting the wrong matches in the wrong places kills the show. Hell in a Cell did that by putting all 4 last minute matches in a row and bookending the event with the announced matches…just knocks the crowd out.
So with 17 HITS beating 10 SPLITS, and 11 SHITS, I determine Crown Jewel to be a HIT overall.
Each PPV will get a score that will be the point value of all three combined. To restate those it is HIT = 2pts, SPLIT = 1 pt, and SHIT = -2 pts. I like this type of system better than a grade out of 10 because it can show just how overwhelming good, average, or shit an event was.
HITS = 34 pts
SPLITS = 10 pts
SHITS = -22 pts