Live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, WWE returns for the most prestigious pay-per-view of the year Crown Jewel. Not only were Jewel’s on the line, but 5 championship matches were advertised that hosted an array of highs and lows. A-list stars such as John Cena, Roman Reigns even Seth Rollins were set to compete in front of a sold-out crowd in the Mohammed Abdu Arena. For the first match of the night, the bar was set very high with Seth Rollins defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against the Scottish Warrior, Drew McIntyre.
Seth Rollins Defeats Drew McIntyre | WWE World Heavyweight Championship
What brought these two superstars face-to-face was McIntyre’s eagerness to prove himself worthy of becoming champion again. His determination comes from his time as Champion while the world was suffering from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Drew felt that he couldn’t soak up what it meant to be a champion in front of tens of thousands of people and wanted the sensation. Interrupting Seth Rollins weeks prior, Drew did not mince his words and demanded a match to take the World Heavyweight Championship away from The Visionary. Rollins accepted and the stage was set.
Weeks later we arrive at Crown Jewel and the fans were gifted with a star-studded opening match. The Scottish Warrior kept control throughout the match eventually targeting the back of Rollin’s injury against Shinsuke Nakamura with Seth struggling to overpower the 6’5 bruiser. So, Rollins had to think more tactically. Playing possum Seth was able to draw McIntyre into mistakes and a crucial Curb Stomp followed by a Pedigree was enough to pin the Scottish Warrior for Seth to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
But will Drew want a rematch or will Seth want another opponent to face?
Rhea Ripley Wins Fatal 5-Way | WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Ever since Rhea took the gold from defeating Charlotte Flair the queen of the Judgement Day has not embraced defeat But for her to prove she deserves the championship gold around her waist, WWE Raw General Manager, Adam Pearce decided to even the put the odds against her defending her title against not one, not two, not three but four opponents. Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark and Raquel Rodriguez would all get their chance to dethrone the queen of the Judgement Day.
Bell rings and straight away Jax descends out of the ring knowing her previous encounters with all the superstars in the ring. Then the brawl begins. Seizing the opportunity Jax found a gap in the fight but was soon removed from all four superstars. Rhea knew should we become a prime target and escaped the ring only to be thwarted by Jax who delivered a leg drop. With Rhea down the other four would fight to see if they better each other.
But it wasn’t until Shayna Baszler demonstrated her UFC prowess to seize control of the match with a triple submission hold. Ripley, Rodriguez and Jax are all at the mercy of Baszler until Stark breaks it up but takes the brunt of the impact getting hit with the Tower of Doom Suplex. But it didn’t stop there as the match was drawing to its conclusion. Stark nearly scored the upset after a springboard dropkick and K-360 to Ripley, however, Jax prevented the pinfall. The Texana Bomb was the first blow Rodriguez delivered to Jax before Ripley interceded. It was a Riptide that was used by Ripley to drive Baszler into Rodriguez and Jax resulted in the finish.
So for the queen of the Judgement who is next to try and dethrone Rhea for the Women’s World Heavyweight Championship?
Solo Sikoa Defeats. John Cena
Not long since the actor strikes have blazed across Hollywood, John Cena returned to WWE hoping to create some traction within the WWE. However, Cena’s return brought attention to the wiseman Paul Heyman and the enforcer, Solo Sikoa. The leader of Cenation had not achieved a win in a single match for years. So, for Cena, a win against Silo Sikoa would keep him in the WWE and away from potential retirement.
However, those talks of retirement may come sooner rather than later.
Sikoa defeated Cena with powerful strikes and slams. Using his trademark combination of shoulder blocks and a five-knuckle shuffle, Cena fought as hard as he could topple the Bloodline's enforcer. However, the young enforcer was able to gather momentum. Sikoa slipped behind a third Attitude Adjustment and drilled Cena with Spinning Solo. Cena blocked a Samoan Spike and locked up the STF, impaling Cena with a running, diving Samoan Spike.
In the biggest win of Cena's professional career, Sikoa covered the motionless body of the legendary wrestler, and Cena walked away emotionally, surrounded by adoration from the fans. Sikoa had never achieved such a high level of success in his career before, and Cena's selflessness in that match was the launching pad that enabled him to become a main-event athlete in the WWE.
Logan Paul Defeats. Rey Mysterio | WWE United States Championship
The leader of the Latino World Order, Rey Mysterio and Social Media Megastar, Logan Paul locked horns for a gripping match. A few weeks prior, Paul interrupted Mysterio during a promo on Monday Night Raw, and Logan eager as ever wanted a chance to claim gold for the first time in his WWE career. However, Rey accepted believing that the Megastar needed to be taught a lesson.
Mysterio's agility and poise proved to be too much for Logan Paul at the beginning of his match. Due to Paul's power game, he was able to catch Mysterio mid-air and roll through his attempt to cross body through the top rope.
A springboard moonsault followed a slam into the ring post by Mysterio, who was rolled over. The match ended with a shoulder tackle for Mysterio, but Paul answered with a clothesline slingshot and Mysterio retaliated with a cross-face. Paul's moonsault slam on Mysterio for a near fall was the most impressive moment of the match. Mysterio then used a sunset bomb and Code Red to counter Paul's attempt.
However, Paul knew that he couldn't take on Mysertio in a direct battle so as cunning as he is, he was given a set of brass knuckles to knock out the leader of the LWO for good. And while the first attempt was thwarted by Santoas Escabar, Escaber chased down Logan's accomplice. The distraction worked in Logan's favour and knocked out Rey from a top rope jump to become the new United States Champion.
Iyo Sky Defeats. Bianca Belair | WWE Women’s Championship
Returning after three months, Bianca Belair returned to take back the Women’s Championship she had briefly won at Summerslam, as Iyo Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank contract to steal the glory. And while former women’s champion Asuka could not take back the gold it was Bianca’s turn to take on a member of Damage CTRL.
Sky's speed and technical prowess kept her competitive against Belair's power game. As the match reached its midway point, Belair landed a nasty German suplex, which caused Sky to fall to the ground.
This resulted in Bayley being drawn out to assist Sky, but communication between the Damage CTRL members of the group diminished. In an attempt to assist Bayley, Sky accidentally struck her. A surprise save was made by Kairi Sane, knocking Belair from her feet and allowing Sky to perform the moonsault and win via pinfall.
After the match, Sane caught Belair off guard with an elbow drop and continued to beat down the defeated Bianca Belair. Sky’s title reign needed a jolt of energy, and now the union between Sane and Sky can be the catalyst for an organic breakaway from Damage CTRL, which is a great thing for Sky.
Cody Rhodes Defeats Damian Priest
It is no surprise that Cody Rhodes has locked horns with Judgement Day but this time it was Damien Priest who decided to settle the differences in singles competition by offering Rhodes a match a few prior on Monday Night Raw. Rhodes did not hesitate to accept. And the build to Crown Jewel was a show of its own Rhodes was assaulted by the Judgement to receiving a bad ankle injury to hitting JD Mcdounagh with a Cross Rhodes on the announce table. The fuel for the fire was ever growing bigger and bigger as we reached Crown Jewel.
The start of the match was a brawl no competitor would give in, trading blows and trying to gain the upper hand in the early stages. The Reckoning was used by Priest to counter Rhodes' influence over the battlefield and cause distractions and chaos. In response, Rhodes used the Cross Rhodes, which caused interference from Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, who interfered with the match. An attempted near fall occurred as Priest applied the South of Heaven chokeslam.
However, The Judgement wasn't finished there as they asked for Dominik Mysterio to make the walk, however, that was thwarted by Rhodes tag partner Jey Uso who evened the odds. In tribute to his late father Dusty Rhodes, Rhodes hit Cody Cutter and Bionic Elbow. A trio of Cross Rhodes eventually put Priest down for good when Rhodes gained the edge and put him out of his misery to win via pinfall.
Roman Reigns Defeats LA Knight | WWE Undisputed Universal Championship
The fastest rising star in WWE, LA Knight would see himself his first-ever title shot against The Head of Table. There was a lot of speculation and rumours to see how far LA Knight can work his way up the ladder and now he has locked horns with the powerful force in the WWE, Roman Reigns.
Exchanging words and delivering finishing moves to each other have always been part of the build to any match this intense but for Knight it was a chance to put his stardom on the line to win the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship. And at Crown Jewel, we got a match that even had Reigns struggle to contend with.
Bells ring and Reigns makes his in-ring presence known, lunging towards Knight but Knight makes him pay with a series of attacks and takedowns before taking a serious elbow. Not one superstar could create a strong attack towards the other. As the fight continues outside, Reigns begins to take control not only of Knight but also try to gain control of the crowd to quieten them down.
As soon as Knight regained his composure, he caught Reigns with a bulldog off the top rope. Until, predictably, The Bloodline became involved, Knight held the upper hand. In light of Jimmy Uso's distraction, Reigns was able to regain the advantage. A solo attempt was also made by Sikoa.
Uso kept interfering with Knight's use of the BFT on Reigns. In an attempt to neutralize Uso, Knight forced him into the announcers' table, at which point Reigns speared him through the barricade. The champion delivered a final finisher to complete the victory after dragging his helpless opponent into the ring.
Reigns is without a doubt the best performer in the business at the moment, but The Bloodline's formulaic approach to protecting Reigns against well-known opponents is rapidly becoming outdated. There was no deviation from expectations in either the booking or the outcome. Knight needed assistance. However, no one stepped forward to assist him. In his first ever title fight, LA Knight put a stellar effort in an attempt to dethrone The Head of the Table. Head of Table, Roman Reigns.
Aaron Teasdale
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