WWE Crown Jewel 2019 Predictions Opener
WWE returns to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for their WWE Crown Jewel 2019 pay-per-view from King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and as always, SEScoops.com is your number one destination on the web for the most comprehensive coverage leading into a significant pro wrestling event.
The WWE Crown Jewel 2019 show on Thursday marks the second event WWE has promoted under the “Crown Jewel” chronology, and marks the fourth event WWE will be holding as part of their ten-year partnership in support of Saudi Vision 2030.
A Closer Look At WWE Crown Jewel 2019 Lineup
WWE Crown Jewel features an absolutely stacked card loaded with “special attraction” matches such as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez making his WWE in-ring debut against the man he defeated to become the king of UFC’s Heavyweight division, current WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.
The Lineal Boxing Heavyweight Champion of the World Tyson Fury will also step into the squared circle for his WWE in-ring debut, as he meets Braun Strowman in a one-on-one showdown at the event.
Also on tap in a main event featured-attraction bout at WWE Crown Jewel 2019 is a “Falls Count Anywhere” match where there must be a winner, as Seth Rollins defends the WWE Universal Championship against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
Rounding out the card will be a Team Hogan vs. Team Flair five-on-five match, a nine-team Tag-Team Turmoil Match for the WWE World Cup and a 20-man Battle Royal with the winner facing AJ Styles later in the show in a one-on-one match for the WWE United States Championship, the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia with Lacey Evans taking on Natalya, and WWE’s first Saudi Superstar Mansoor will challenge Cesaro.
The Crew Analyzing & Breaking Down WWE Crown Jewel Matches
As is the case before every major pay-per-view event, SEScoops.com compiles a handful of pro wrestling journalists to provide their in-depth insight and analysis into each match scheduled on the card in our SEScoops.com Predictions Roundtable feature.
Joining us for this WWE Crown Jewel 2019 installment will be myself, Matt Boone, as well as fellow veteran staff writers Ian Carey and Andrew Ravens.
Without further adieu, let’s take a look at the SEScoops.com predictions for WWE Crown Jewel 2019.
20 Man Battle Royal For Shot At U.S. Title
Matt Boone: Advertised to compete in this match, where the winner faces AJ Styles later in the show for the WWE United States Championship are: Apollo Crews, Buddy Murphy, Andrade, Drake Maverick, Eric Young, Luke Harper, Cedric Alexander, Heath Slater, Humberto Carrillo, No Way Jose, 24/7 Champion Sunil Singh, Mojo Rawley, Erick Rowan, R-Truth, Sin Cara, Brian Kendrick, Titus O’Neil, Tony Nese, Akira Tozawa, and Shelton Benjamin. What a tough pick. I’d love to see a number of these guys one-on-one against “The Phenomenal One” later in the broadcast for a potential “show-stealer” performance. With that in mind, I’ll go with Buddy Murphy for the win. Who knows! (Prediction: Buddy Murphy)
Ian Carey: This is a complete crap shoot. The person who wins will likely just be in line to lose to AJ Styes shortly after. So it’s likely going to be a babyface so there is a heel vs babyface dynamic in the US title match. Sin Cara, Apollo Crews, and R-Truth are possibilities. Buddy Murphy is another possibility. To be honest, I have no idea if Murphy is a heel or babyface but he could certainly have a great match with Styles! (Prediction: Buddy Murphy)
Andrew Ravens: There is a lot of filler in this match with only a few guys who I can see winning the match. While Andrade and Erick stick out as the top names in this match, both guys are heels. This would make for an odd selection to face AJ Styles since he’s a heel. Thus, they are not an option. I’m taking Cedric Alexander here as he’s a face that WWE has done something with over the last few months although his push has halted. Plus, he has a history with Styles. (Prediction: Cedric Alexander)
CONSENSUS: Buddy Murphy (2-1)
Tag-Team Turmoil For 2019 WWE World Cup
Matt: This one will feature nine WWE tag-teams vying to determine who the best duo in the business is today. The teams competing for the 2019 WWE World Cup in this tag-team turmoil match are The New Day vs. The Viking Raiders vs. Heavy Machinery vs. Lucha House Party vs. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins vs. The Revival vs. The O.C. vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode vs. The B-Team. In a complete shot-in-the-dark, because much like the battle royal, I could see 100 different people coming out on top in this one, I’ll go with the safe pick. (Prediction: The New Day)
Andrew: It seems like every time that WWE holds an event in the country there has to be some sort of gimmick match. This fills that gap. It’s whatever though because unless your name is Shane McMahon then does it matter who wins this match? Does Braun Strowman even have his trophy from last year? Okay, I’ll take The New Day to win because they’re the top tag team in this match. (Prediction: The New Day)
Ian: This match has to go to the Viking Raiders. They are the monster tag team WWE is buiding right now so there is no way they will get pinned in this match. Granted, last time WWE had a tag team turmoil match they were able to get the Raiders out by having them go to a double count-out with the O.C. So something weird could happen but it just seems to be this is a good opportunity to showcase arguably the top team in the company. Expect the Revival and New Day to do something to build to their title match on Friday’s Smackdown as well. (Prediction: Viking Raiders)
CONSENSUS: The New Day (2-1)
Mansoor vs. Cesaro
Matt: See, we have Saudi Superstars, too! In what feels like a clear showcase of the man WWE is heavily promoting as “WWE’s First Saudi Superstar,” I can’t see Mansoor losing here. With Cesaro involved, however, I can see Mansoor looking like 1,000,000 bucks in this one. (Prediction: Mansoor)
Andrew: Who cares? Okay, with us giving picks and all, it’s pretty easy to see who will win this contest. This marks Mansoor’s second match on WWE pay-per-view and with it being in Saudi Arabia, which is the only time he’s basically booked, he should go over in this contest. (Prediction: Mansoor)
Ian: WWE didn’t really capitalize much off Mansoor’s battle royal win on a previous Saudi show but he’ll be in single’s action here. Cesaro is an excellent opponent for Mansoor as he will be able to give him a good match. Mansoor will win here but don’t expect it to lead to anything for him after, as the last time he won on a Saudi show pretty much led to nothing at all… aside from this match here several months later. (Prediction: Mansoor)
CONSENSUS: Mansoor (3-0)
Team Hogan vs. Team Flair
Matt: I think this is unfortunately more an excuse to get big names like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair on the show for promotional purposes, as the Saudi Arabian deal clearly guarantees some high-profile stuff. It’s also an excuse to get a bunch of guys on the card, which a lot of the matches we’ve broken down thus far appears to be designed to do. In any matter, a Hogan muscle-posing outro with an angry Flair freaking out in over-the-top Nature Boy fashion feels like the ending to me for this one, so … (Prediction: Team Hogan)
Andrew: I’m taking Team Hogan on this one. WWE has clearly been building Ric Flair as the heel in this storyline and in legend vs legend matches, usually the babyface goes over. Not always, but the vast majority of the time. I’m expecting that to be the case here. This isn’t an elimination match so expect Roman Reigns to pick up the win for his team, likely over McIntyre, Nakamura or Corbin. (Prediction: Team Hogan)
Ian: This is a one-off match and at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who actually wins the match. However, with it being a special show for the Saudi government, I suppose the right call would be for Team Hogan to go over here. The reason for that is due to the team being full of babyfaces and competed under one of the biggest babyfaces in the history of pro wrestling in Hogan. (Prediction: Team Hogan)
CONSENSUS: Team Hogan (3-0)
First-Ever Women’s Match In Saudi Arabia: Lacey Evans vs. Natalya
Matt: In what was a late addition to the lineup and one that is definitely meaningful in the sense that it is yet another feather in the promotional cap of WWE, as they managed to make history with the first-ever women’s match in the history of Saudi Arabia. This one should be good, with Nattie going far out of her way to deliver, as she clearly is something who takes things like this extremely serious. With that said, the winner is a toss-up in my mind. (Prediction: Lacey Evans)
Andrew: A late addition to the card and while it may be historic, why WWE went with this match remains to be an odd choice for me. These two have worked together so much together with various gimmick types that makes me less interest in seeing it. Since Natalya is a babyface, I’ll have her to win here. (Prediction: Natalya)
Ian: Natalya and Lacey Evans will make history as the first WWE women’s wrestlers to perform on one of these shows. These two have been trading wins and losses for some time now so it’s no guarantee who wins here. I imagine Natalya will win with the sharpshooter as they’d rather the babyface go over for a match like this, however. (Prediction: Natalya)
CONSENSUS: Natalya (2-1)
AJ Styles (C) vs. TBD (WWE United States Title)
Matt: Well, since I’ve got Buddy Murphy winning the aforementioned 20-man battle royal earlier in the show to determine who will be facing AJ Styles in this contest with the WWE U.S. Title up for grabs. It should be an excellent match, but unless they need the strap off of Styles to prepare him for bigger and better things (which is a very good possibility, by the way), I don’t see him losing here. (Prediction: AJ Styles)
Andrew: Aside from a select few guys who were not in this Battle Royal, the title shouldn’t be taken away from AJ Styles at this time. Unless, which I highly doubt, WWE has plans to put him back in the Universal Title scene, Styles should remain as the United States Champion. He makes the title more prestigious and has done a good job as champion thus far. (Prediction: AJ Styles)
Ian: I’m predicting this match is Styles vs Buddy Murphy but really no matter who wins the battle royal, Styles will win this match here. There is not one name in the battle royal which could be argued is a bigger star than Styles. (Prediction: AJ Styles)
CONSENSUS: AJ Styles (3-0)
Tyson Fury vs. Braun Strowman
Matt: Straight out of the gate, I’m a giant combat sports (MMA and boxing, primarily) fan and a huge mark for “The Gypsy King.” That aside, I’ve always thought Fury would be a perfect fit in the world of WWE, and he’s done pretty well so far. He’s definitely making the media rounds to help make this thing feel big, like he is in stature, in the boxing world, the European market in general and internationally as the lineal boxing heavyweight champion of the world. Will this match succeed? Triple H is putting Fury in a rare category that only seems to include Floyd Mayweather and Ronda Rousey in terms of combat athletes making flawless transitions to the world of sports entertainment in WWE. Thursday will be a big test for Tyson Fury. It should be interesting to watch play out, regardless of how it unfolds. WWE has my money for this one! (Prediction: Tyson Fury)
Andrew: If this was a year ago I would wonder how they beat Strowman but he isn’t the same protected guy that he once was. Thus, Fury should go over. Now, the finish of this contest will be interesting to see as they can’t make Strowman look weak in losing. Maybe Fury catches him with a KO punch like Big Show’s finisher used to be. (Prediction: Tyson Fury)
Ian: I don’t expect Tyson Fury would have agreed to this match unless he was going to win. On the other hand, if the Saudi family was able to pay him enough then maybe he doesn’t care about losing. Strowman has been kept strong in Saudi, however, so there could be some type of shakanary at the end to prevent either guy from truly losing in the eyes of the fans. This is a tough one but I’m going to pick Fury. (Prediction: Tyson Fury)
CONSENSUS: Tyson Fury (3-0)
Seth Rollins (C) vs. Bray Wyatt (WWE Universal Title)
Matt: This one should be given all the bells and whistles that come with story-telling in a gimmick match, especially one involving such an extreme gimmick/character like “The Fiend.” Everyone knows the reaction to the (non) finish of their match at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. Obviously this one won’t play out anything like that one did. We will have a winner here, and I think it’s time for the reign of “The Fiend” to begin. (Prediction: Bray Wyatt)
Andrew: WWE should put the title on Wyatt in this match but the company has made it where that is impossible. Wyatt is on SmackDown and obviously, WWE can’t have two world titles on the same brand. I don’t see Wyatt being moved over to RAW either. Also, WWE has already shown that they don’t want to put the title on Wyatt, which is what led to the disaster of the Hell in a Cell match finish. With the odd stipulation that this match can’t be stopped for any reason, WWE will have to be creative with the finish and protect Wyatt. I have Rollins retaining the title over Wyatt. (Prediction: Seth Rollins)
Ian: I almost want them to stop this match without a winner just to see the reaction it would cause on social media. Expect something weird to happen here. Rollins will keep the title most likely because Wyatt is on Smackdown. Now hear me out on this one but Smackdown owes RAW future considerations for the Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. If Wyatt wins the title, does he end up on the RAW brand? Is that the end game here? Probably not, probably Rollins wins. (Prediction: Seth Rollins)
CONSENSUS: Seth Rollins (2-1)
Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Cain Velasquez (WWE Title)
Matt: Did I mention I’m a giant combat sports fan? This match is too cool on so many levels. Watching the face-to-faces, reading into some of the comments in the social media entries particularly shared by Velasquez the past couple of days. Knowing the history these two and how everything played out in their past, it just makes for very entertaining programming. It’s the Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels rivalry on a whole other level of reality. Cool stuff. Will the match deliver? We know Cain can flip around in his Lucha Libre style. We know Brock can make things look like a dog-fight. Will the styles blend? Will their egos sneak into the picture, ala Lesnar decking Strowman in the past hard-way, etc.? We’ll find out in less than 24 hours. (Prediction: Brock Lesnar)|
Andrew: When this match was first announced, I figured that WWE wouldn’t beat Cain in his first match with the company. However, with it being for the WWE Title, I can’t see Cain becoming the champion so soon. I also don’t see them beating him either. However, Lesnar must retain the title so I figure they will do a DQ finish with Cain winning. It isn’t like WWE is against doing these finishes anyways. (Prediction: Cain Velasquez)
Ian: This match runs into the same scenario as Fury vs Strowman. Would Cain agree to lose to Brock his first match in the promotion? Velasquez is signed to WWE for an extended period of time and has retired from MMA. To kick off his WWE career right, they will want to have him win here but that’s not to say that’s what will happen. I feel like Cain is likely going to win this match but I wouldn’t bet my life on it. (Prediction: Cain Velasquez)
CONSENSUS: Cain Velasquez (2-1)
WWE Crown Jewel 2019 Predictions Outro
What do you think about Matt, Ian and Andrew’s picks for Thursday’s matches? How do their above picks compare to yours? Let us know by sharing your own WWE Crown Jewel 2019 predictions in the SEScoops.com “Comments” section below.
If you have somehow failed to get your fill of insight, analysis and predictions for Thursday afternoon’s show, fear not!
In addition to the above picks from our trio of veteran reporters, you can also see what the “betting experts” expect to happen in the top matches by checking out the WWE Crown Jewel 2019 betting odds from 5Dimes (Odds updated as of Tues., Oct. 29th).
Join us here at SEScoops.com throughout the weekend for the best coverage of WWE Crown Jewel news, rumors and spoilers. Make sure to stop by on Thursday afternoon for the absolute fastest and most-detailed live WWE Crown Jewel results coverage on the web.
