The balance of power in the WWE has the potential to shift as five championships are defended in Saudi Arabia at WWE Crown Jewel. In the main event, the Universal WWE Championship is on the line as LA Knight awaits the biggest opportunity of his career when he faces the nigh-unbeatable Roman Reigns. Will the fastest rising star in Smackdown history simply be the latest to fall to the Head of the Table and his Bloodline, or will the WWE Universe be saying ‘Yeah!’ to a new Undisputed Champion? Kicking off the show, Seth Rollins returns to where he won the world title to face a man who has never won a world title in front of paying fans, the Scottish Warrior Drew McIntyre. McIntyre has ensured that Rollins is at 100% and will have no excuse if McIntyre is successful, but that’s easier said than done as Rollins will not go down without a huge fight. Meanwhile, it’s going to be tough for ‘Mami’ Rhea Ripley to stay on top in this Fatal 5-Way match for the Women’s World Championship, against Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler, Raquel Rodriguez and Nia Jax, as the first woman to earn a pinfall or submission will be crowned the champion. Never one to back down from a challenge, Rey Mysterio will also be in action when he puts the United States title on the line against Logan Paul. The social media megastar has proven himself a juggernaut, but you can never count out the great luchador of all time. In the final championship match on the show, the WWE Women’s Championship is on the line as Bianca Beliar goes for what she believes is rightfully hers when she battles Iyo Sky. Rounding out the card, the man they call the Greatest Of All Time, the one and only John Cena will be in action when he has his hands full with the enforcer of the Bloodline, Solo Sikoa, and finally Cody Rhodes looks to make “Senor Money in the Bank” Damien Priest’s trip to Riyadh an American Nightmare when the two meet in singles competition. Taking place on the Kickoff Show, Sami Zayn continues to feel the effects of The Judgement Day, while it is JD McDonagh’s goal to be part of that group as the two meet in a one-on-one bout.
+ Roman Reigns (c) vs LA Knight (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship): I don’t think anybody really gave LA Knight much of a chance coming in to this one, but I have to say by the end his position was absolutely solidified; it will take a special kind of idiot to screw LA Knight up from here. Roman did as Roman does, and much like the fans’ reaction to Rollins, it is nothing but a testament to Reigns’ presentation that the crowd still cares so much about him. This was a good match, albeit very predictable
+ Iyo Sky vs Bianca Belair (WWE Women’s Championship): I sometimes wonder if I am the only fan of Bianca Belair, but I find her an absolute joy to watch. Iyo Sky of course should be on everyone’s favourites list, and that is perhaps why I loved so much of this match. There were some expected shenanigans and some very unexpected shenanigans involved, but overall this was a lot of fun and I very eagerly look forward to where things go from here, with one very obvious connection jumping out to me in my head
+ Rey Mysterio (c) vs Logan Paul (United States Championship): I loved this a lot. On paper this was the match to watch, and to me it delivered. Logan Paul is such a freak athlete that even at his much larger size, he can do all the luchador stuff right alongside Mysterio. There was also a moment here where it looked like Paul saved Mysterio’s life, or at least avoided a serious injury, and that’s always good to see
+ Rhea Ripley (c) vs Zoey Stark vs Shayna Baszler vs Raquel Rodriguez vs Nia Jax (Women’s World Championship): this one had a few messy moments, but overall I thought it was a lot of fun. Shayna Baszler was the star, but I did get a morbid kick out of Nia Jax running through people. A brief tease of more Raquel/Rhea singles stuff is something I would be well and truly down for, whether the championship is involved or not
+ Seth Rollins (c) vs Drew McIntyre (World Heavyweight Championship): the best part about all of this to me is how strongly I agree with Drew McIntyre: he *did* have his moment stolen from him. The match itself was good as you would expect, and the fans still love Rollins which is nothing but a testament to him
– Cody Rhodes vs Damien Priest: this was a perfectly finely wrestled match, but I did not like anything about it. This was a no-win situation and the way things went for the loser only made them look so bad in comparison to the winner. I’m still kind of mad at how Cody Rhodes has gone since his WWE return, and especially the Rumble-to-Mania run last year
– John Cena vs Solo Sikoa: this did nothing for me at all. I just don’t care for Cena, the same way I wouldn’t care for Undertaker or Triple H or Shawn Michaels coming back (and they are all either much older or incapable). Sikoa looked fine, but the ending stretch kind of made him look really bad
– Sami Zayn vs JD McDonagh: what a fall Sami Zayn has had. Noting that he is still as popular as ever, the last time he was here some five months ago, he and Kevin Owens defeated Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa in the main event. Now here he is having a nothing happening match with JD McDonagh. McDonagh ended up with a hell of a graze/ring rash on his abdomen, but nothing else about this match stood out at all
Should you watch this event: Much like essentially ally wrestling shows I watch these days, this was perfectly adequate with one particularly good match, but overall felt entirely missable. Seek out Mysterio/Paul.
MoshFish Reviews 