WWE Crown Jewel aired live from King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Humberto Carrillo won the 20-man Battle Royal during the Kickoff Show and will face AJ Styles for the United States Championship tonight. In addition to the takeaways below, Mansoor defeated Cesaro in an excellent match.
Here are 7 takeaways from WWE Crown Jewel:
Brock Lesnar Tapped Out Cain Velasquez
Brock Lesnar defended the WWE Championship against Cain Velasquez in the first match of the night. Brock controlled the match early and drove Cain to the corner of the ring.
Velasquez battled back and booted Lesnar in the head. Brock fell to the canvas and Cain unloaded a flurry of punches. Lesnar then trapped Velasquez and applied the Kimura Lock for the quick submission victory.
After the match, Rey Mysterio attacked Lesnar with a steel chair but Brock shrugged it off and sent Rey flying out of the ring. Brock grabbed the steel chair and hit Cain with it several times. Lesnar finished the beatdown with an F5 on top of the chair. Rey got back in the ring and hit Brock in the face with the chair. Mysterio unloaded a few more chair shots before Brock retreated out of the ring.
I was wrong about this match. I thought it had the potential to be entertaining and it wound up being yet another lame Brock Lesnar match. What a gigantic waste of everyone’s time.
The OC Are The Best Team In The World
The largest Tag Team Turmoil Match to determine the “Best Team In The World” went down tonight at Crown Jewel. Roode & Ziggler battled Lucha House Party to start things off. Roode and Ziggler picked up the pinfall and battled Ryder and Hawkins next.
Roode and Ziggler hit Ryder with a Spinebuster/ Zig Zag combo for the quick pinfall. Heavy Machinery was the next team up and made their way to the ring. Roode hit Tucker with a chop and Ziggler connected with a cheap shot on the apron. Otis finally got the tag a couple of minutes later and leveled Ziggler and Roode with a Splash in the corner. Heavy Machinery then planted Roode with the Compactor for the pinfall.
New Day got a great reaction from the crowd as they made their way to the ring. Big E and Tucker took each other out with a Clothesline in the middle of the ring. Kington tagged in and hit Otis with Trouble in Paradise. Big E tagged in and walked into a Belly to Belly Suplex from Tucker for a near fall. New Day then hit Midnight Hour on Tucker for the pinfall.
B-Team (Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas) were the next team and Axel started things off with Big E. Kingston took out Bo Dallas outside the ring as Big E hit Axel with the Big Ending for the pinfall. The Revival was up next and will also defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against New Day tomorrow night on WWE SmackDown. Kingston rolled up Dawson to eliminate them. After they were eliminated, Dawson and Wilder attacked Kofi and hit him with the Shatter Machine.
The OC (Gallows and Anderson) sprinted to the ring and went for the Magic Killer but Kingston was able to escape. Kingston hit Anderson with a Double Stomp as Big E got back on the ring apron. Gallows tripped him up and hit him with a big boot. Anderson booted Kingston in the face and The OC followed it up with the Magic Killer for the pinfall. The Viking Raiders and The OC were the final two teams in the match. The OC wound up hitting the Magic Killer and pinning the RAW Tag Team Champions to win the match.
Of course, both the RAW and SmackDown Tag Team Champions lost in this match. It would make far too much sense for champions to actually be crowned the “best team in the world”. I’m sure Gallows and Anderson will argue that they deserve a title shot because they pinned the champions and will lose that much to ensure that the 50/50 booking never ends.
Tyson Fury Defeated Braun Strowman
Tyson Fury battled Braun Strowman tonight at WWE Crown Jewel. Strowman shoved Fury to the corner to start off the match and the referee separated them. Fury and Strowman then locked up in the middle of the ring.
Fury broke free and hit a couple of punches to Strowman’s midsection. Strowman knocked Tyson to the canvas and stomped on him. Braun sent Fury back to the corner and charged at him but Fury got out of the way. Strowman crashed into the ring post and fell to the floor outside the ring.
Tyson followed him out there and Braun caught him with a right hand to the face. Strowman went for the running shoulder tackle but Fury countered with a Drive-By on the apron. Back in the ring, Fury hit a big boot and went for the cover but Braun kicked out at two.
Fury went for another kick but Strowman caught him and connected with a Slam. Fury rolled out of the ring and Braun connected with the shoulder tackle this time. Strowman rolled Tyson into the ring and tried to hype up the crowd before getting back inside. Strowman hopped on the apron and Fury hit him with a massive right hand and Strowman fell to the floor. Braun couldn’t back in the ring in time and Fury picked up the win via count-out. After the match, Strowman hit Fury with a Powerslam.
Braun Strowman has become a joke at this point and should rebrand himself as the Jobber Amongst Men. This match was actually better than Velasquez versus Lesnar. Granted, that is not saying much but it was better than I thought it was going to be. The best part of this match was Tyson Fury’s ridiculous entrance.
AJ Styles Retained The United States Championship
AJ Styles defended the United States Championship against Humberto Carrillo tonight at Crown Jewel. Styles dominated the match early and beat Humberto down in the corner. Styles hit a Neckbreaker and then applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring.
Humberto escaped but Styles planted him with a Brainbuster for a near fall and then went back to the Headlock. Carrillo escaped and hit an Enziguri but Styles quickly responded with a Pele Kick and both superstars fell to the canvas. Carrillo knocked AJ to the outside and flipped onto him.
Back in the ring, Carrillo went for the cover but AJ kicked out at two. Humberto tweaked his knee and Styles capitalized with the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring. Carrillo battled through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Styles quickly connected with the Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall victory to retain the US Title.
Natalya Tapped Out Lacey Evans In The First Women’s Match In Saudi Arabia
Natalya squared off against Lacey Evans in the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia. Natalya started off the match with an Arm Drag and then a roll-up for near fall. Evans and Natalya shook hands and then locked up in the middle of the ring.
Natalya went for the Sharpshooter but Evans escaped. Natalya knocked Lacey out of the ring but Evans tripped her up on the apron. Evans hit a Dropkick and went for the cover but Natalya kicked out at two.
Evans took control and applied a Headlock before transitioning into a Neckbreaker. Natalya battled back with a Dropkick and went for the Sharpshooter but Evans blocked it again. Lacey connected with a Fisherman’s Suplex and then dragged Natalya to the center of the ring.
Lacey hit a Moonsault off the top rope and went for the cover but Natalya kicked out at two. Natalya leveled Evans with a Clothesline and then locked in the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring. Lacey reached for the ropes but had no choice but to tap out. After the match, Evans and Natalya cried and hugged in the ring.
This was a very cool moment and you could see how much it meant to Evans and Natalya. You’d have to be an extremely jaded person to not acknowledge that this was a great moment.
Team Hogan Picked Up The Win
Team Flair (Nakamura, Lashley, Orton, McIntyre, and King Corbin) battled Team Hogan (Rusev, Ricochet, Shorty G, Ali, and Roman Reigns). Shorty G and Nakamura started off the match. Shorty G connected with a Belly to Belly Suplex for a two count.
Rusev and McIntyre tagged in and Rusev hit a Splash in the corner. Rusev connected with a spin kick and went for the cover but Drew kicked out at two. Corbin and Ali tagged in and Corbin beat him down. Lashley tagged in and hit a Side Slam for a two count.
Ricochet tagged in and McIntyre planted him with an Alabama Slam. Orton tagged in and continued to beat Ricochet down as Ric Flair cheered him on from ringside. McIntyre continued to beat the hell out of Ricochet and hit him with a Suplex for a near fall.
Reigns finally tagged in and hit McIntyre with a Clothesline. Roman hit another Clothesline on Corbin and followed it up with a Drive-By to Orton outside the ring. Reigns hit another one on Lashley and then battled with Corbin in the ring. Reigns unloaded ten Clotheslines to Corbin in the corner and then sent him to the canvas with a big boot.
Roman paid homage to Hogan and connected with a Leg Drop. Reigns geared up in the corner but got distracted by Nakamura. Orton tagged in went for the RKO but Roman blocked it. Shorty G tripped up Corbin and applied the Ankle Lock but Shinsuke hit him with the Kinshasa. McIntyre leveled Ricochet with the Claymore Kick and Team Flair surrounded Reigns.
Rusev hopped in the ring and traded shots with Lashley. Bobby knocked Rusev out of the ring but turned around into a Superman Punch from Reigns. Roman then leaped onto everyone as Michael Cole shouted “Big Dog flies!”. Back in the ring, Roman went for the Spear but Orton countered into the RKO for a two count.
Orton set up for the Stomp but Shorty G held him up. Orton went for an RKO but Ali did the handspring spot again and landed on his feet. Roman Reigns then hit Orton with the Spear for the pinfall victory.
The Fiend Captured The Universal Championship
Seth Rollins defended the Universal Championship against The Fiend Bray Wyatt in the main event of WWE Crown Jewel. Once again, Rollins dominated the majority of the match and set up The Fiend on the announce table.
Wyatt hopped up and shoved Rollins off the turnbuckle and through two tables outside the ring. The Fiend ripped up the padding to expose the concrete floor underneath.
Bray went for Sister Abigail but Seth escaped and hit an Enziguri as the crowd booed. Rollins hit Wyatt with the steel steps and then hit the Stomp on the floor for a two count.
Seth bashed Rollins with a steel chair but The Fiend battled back and hit the Sister Abigail. Wyatt went for the cover but Seth kicked out at two. Wyatt brought Rollins up the entrance ramp and tried to throw him off the stage but Rollins escaped. Seth hit Wyatt with the third Stomp of the match but Bray hopped back up.
Rollins connected with a Superkick and three more Stomps but Wyatt didn’t stay down. Seth hit another Stomp as the crowd loudly booed. Rollins hit two more Stomps and then a Superkick that knocked him off the stage. Rollins hopped down and Wyatt locked in the Mandible Claw. Wyatt then hit the Sister Abigail for the pinfall victory. Bray Wyatt is the new Universal Champion.
This would have been a much better moment at Hell in a Cell but I’ll take it. I don’t know how long Wyatt is going to be the champion, given that he was drafted to SmackDown and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is on that show. I am hoping that WWE uses this opportunity to turn Rollins heel because he was getting booed out of the building tonight. I did not expect that with tonight’s crowd, so the negativity towards Rollins is even worse than I thought.
Overall, Crown Jewel was an okay show. The main event was pretty boring and I’m already over the red lighting during matches with The Fiend. I’m glad that they took the title off of Rollins but WWE still was late to the party with this and should have given Wyatt the win at Hell in a Cell. The Tag Team Turmoil Match was entertaining, even though I hated the finish. Mansoor vs. Cesaro was awesome and Evans vs. Natalya was a great moment.
