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WWE Crown Jewel 2021 Preview

By John Canton • Published 20th October 2021
WWE Crown Jewel Roman Reigns Brock Lesnar

Welcome to the TJRWrestling WWE Crown Jewel preview. It’s a huge show in Saudi Arabia with nine matches on the main card including four title matches, plus a Kickoff Show that was announced today.

John: I am TJRWrestling Editor John Canton here to guide you through the preview. I think this is probably the best card WWE has ever had on a Saudi Arabia show, so kudos to them for building some of these matches up well. There are some rematches on here like Reigns vs. Lesnar, Lashley vs. Goldberg and Edge vs. Rollins, but also fresh matches like Big E vs. McIntyre and Lynch vs. Belair vs. Banks too. The King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown finals taking place on this show is also cool because it’s a big moment in the career of whoever wins those matches.

There’s a special start time for this show since it’s in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The main show begins at 12pm ET (here in the Eastern time zone where I live) with an 11am ET Kickoff Show. That’s a start time of 9am PT, 11am CT and it’s 5pm for those of you in the UK. Most of these WWE shows in Saudi Arabia run about four hours, so I expect to be watching and writing until about 4pm ET on Thursday. It could go more or less than that, but with nine matches it makes sense to me.

Joining me for the preview are TJRWrestling writers Lance Augustine, Matthew Fowler, Joel McIntyre, and Kelly Dishnow.

(Note: All graphics are from WWE.)

It was announced by WWE on Wednesday morning that The Usos will face Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander at Crown Jewel on the Kickoff Show.

This was after we wrote our preview, so we don’t have thoughts on that match. My opinion is that it should be a win for The Usos as a team that is continually booked in a strong way all the time. I don’t see them losing that match.

Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali

Lance: This is cool that two guys of Middle Eastern descent are getting some time here. Obviously, it’s because of the location, but I think both guys can go in the ring. I wish they were doing more with both, but I will take a match when I can get it. I have a feeling it’ll be competitive, but Mansoor will come away with the victory and get a big pop from the hometown crowd.

Winner: Mansoor

Matthew: They say “there is no such thing as a safe bet.” This may be true, but Mansoor winning in Saudi Arabia is as close as you can get. I am betting my kids college funds on that the most impressive streak in pro wrestling will continue on Thursday, and Mansoor will be victorious in his home country once again.

Winner: Mansoor

Joel: This match was kind of thrown together at the last minute but it is still going to be a hell of a match. I’m bummed because I thought they still had legs as a tag team. However, I’m sure this will be a special match for them as Muslims. It should be a good back and forth match. If given time, this could steal the show. As is usually the case in Saudi Arabia, I’m going with Mansoor with the win.

Winner: Mansoor

Kelly: Since Mansoor is in his hometown, this almost seems like a sure bet. I liked their tag team and wished they could have done more than they did. Let’s hope this moves both men on to bigger and better things and not back to catering.

Winner – Mansoor

John: I think it’s cool that this match is taking place. I’m going to share Ali’s tweet from a few days ago about why this match is important to them.

That’s awesome to see that. Sometimes we get lost in watching wrestling and not realizing the bigger picture. There are going to be kids in attendance or watching at home that see Muslim wrestlers like Mansoor (who is from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) and Ali in a match like this and think “maybe that can be me one day.” That’s cool for those fans or any fan of what pro wrestlers do regardless of the promotion. I also think it will be a very good technical match with some high spots as well. Mansoor should win since WWE books him strong on these Saudi shows even though the company loves booking hometown heroes as losers in American cities. At least in Mansoor’s case, he should be a winner here.

Winner: Mansoor

Finals of the Queen’s Crown Tournament: Doudrop vs. Zelina Vega

Lance: Zelina Vega has had a forgettable run since returning to the company, and it’s a shame. I feel like WWE has a bad habit of only pushing the main event stars in the Women’s division, but don’t even bother with the other great talent they have. Doudrop is getting a big spot here which is awesome, although I do think Vega picks up the win. Hopefully, this will lead to a little bit of a push moving forward.

Winner and Queen’s Crown: Zelina Vega

Matthew: So far this tournament has been a huge disappointment with the matches getting nowhere near the time they deserve. Hopefully the finals of the tournament will change this, with the women getting to put on a competitive match for the Saudi crowd. As for the winner, I am hoping Zelina Vega wins, and finally gets the push she deserves.

Winner: Zelina Vega

Joel: The Queen’s Crown tournament has been disappointing as far as the length given to the matches. I thought either Liv Morgan or Toni Storm should have won their matches, but I’m not too unhappy with the choices here. Obviously, they like Doudrop because she’s given time on the show nearly every week. I like WWE finally giving Zelina Vega a push. I think the Queen’s Crown would work better on a heel like Zelina so I’m going with her on this one.

Winner of the Queen’s Crown: Zelina Vega

Kelly: Since my three favorites (Morgan, Storm, Baszler) have been eliminated, this is what we have. Doudrop has the size, but Vega has the cosplay advantage. I’ll have to go with my gut here.

Winner – Zelina Vega

John: It has been frustrating to watch the Queen’s Crown tournament since almost every match has been three minutes or less. However, I don’t mind the end result with the “rookie” Doudrop getting some big wins on her way to the finals while the crafty heel Vega has finally won some matches to make the finals. Since the men’s matchup is between two faces, I am leaning towards Zelina Vega getting the win here to become Queen Zelina. That’s a cool-sounding name too. Vega is the shortest woman in WWE, but she’s a great talker and putting the crown on her will give her some more credibility. I have no problem with Doudrop winning either. I’m just going for the heel win here.

Winner: Zelina Vega

Finals of the King of the Ring Tournament: Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods

Lance: Balor has had a run with Roman Reigns earlier this year since being pulled up from NXT so I would take that as a positive. I think Balor is so talented and could have another run with the strap, but his time doesn’t seem to be right now. Xavier Woods has surprised a lot of people and got this far in the King of the Ring tournament. He is the only member of the New Day to never have a WWE Title run and I think this is a chance to push him a little bit. Give me Woods for the win after a very competitive match.

Winner and King of the Ring: Xavier Woods

Matthew: I am going to let all of you in on a little secret of mine, I have never liked the King of the Ring Tournament. To me the tournament seems like a huge waste of time, with the winner getting nothing but a silly crown that they will have to wear around for a while. The “king” gimmick seems outdated and overdone to me at this point, and I honestly have no desire to see another “king” in the WWE anytime soon. As for who is winning the tournament, I would like to see Xavier Woods because he seems to care about it, so I will go with him winning and doing a fun silly king gimmick.

Winner: Xavier Woods

Joel: This is one that I am worried about. I love Finn Balor and think he should be an upper midcard or main event guy. However, this tournament was tailor made for Xavier Woods. It is what he has wanted since he got into this business. We know he may never going to be pushed to the WWE Title like his New Day buddies Kofi Kingston or Big E. Give him this as a singles accomplishment. It would be a great moment and I am optimistic they will go that route.

Winner and new King of the Ring: Xavier Woods

Kelly: This has the potential to be really good. We all know how much Woods wants this win, but can the Prince become a King? Woods is also the only member of The New Day to not have a singles title run. The story is good, and both will shine in this match. It’ll likely come down to who wants it more.

Winner – Xavier Woods

John: I hope it’s King Woods. While I agree with Matthew above about how the King of the Ring tournament is a huge waste of time sometimes, it’s really about what the winner does after he (or she) gets the crown. I think Woods is a guy that will make the most out of being King Woods and I’ve never heard another wrestler openly talk about wanting to be King of the Ring as much as him. I’ve written in previous show reviews that Balor doesn’t really “need” to be KOTR based on past accomplishments and I think he can be in the WWE Title scene on Raw quickly. Woods has mostly been a tag team wrestler for the past six years, so this is a chance to help him break out as a singles guy on Smackdown. They can keep him as a face King or turn him heel after his ego gets big. I don’t care which way it goes, but I think Woods winning is the right call here. This should be a fun 10-15 minute match between two great athletes. I think it should be fun to watch.

Winner: Xavier Woods

Raw Tag Team Championships: Randy Orton & Riddle (c) vs. AJ Styles & Omos

Lance: Orton and Riddle won the Raw Tag Titles from Styles and Omos, but haven’t done much with them since. Orton is literally doing whatever he wants to these days, and that’s completely fine since he is already a Hall of Famer (for what that is worth). Riddle is still wallowing around until they find him a meaningful singles feud. I like the pairing of Styles and Omos, but I don’t know if the team has a bunch of time left. I will go with Orton and Riddle retaining.

Winner(s) and STILL RAW Tag Team Champions: Randy Orton & Riddle

Matthew: Besides for Mansoor winning, this match feels like the most obvious to predict. Orton and Riddle have done really well as a team, and I see no reason to squash there momentum here. As for Styles and Omos, WWE is just biding time until Omos is ready for a singles push. Unfortunately for Styles that likely means he will be taking the loss in this match, after his partner looks dominant like always. Therefore, my prediction is that Orton and Riddle get the victory after an entertaining match.

Winner: Randy Orton and Riddle

Joel: This should be a good match, but I am hoping that this is the end of this feud. AJ Styles should be back in the main event or upper main event scene. The RK-Bro thing still has a few months left before it implodes so I think they get the win here.

Winners/STILL Raw Tag Team Champions: RK-Bro

Kelly: This would be a good candidate for the opener. The RK-Bro team has grown on me. I’m still puzzled by the draft move having both Omos and Azeez on the same show. This might expose Omos in the long run. Anyway, I don’t see a title change coming here and I am still hoping for a Super RKO to Omos as the finish. Probably won’t happen, but I can still dream, right?

Winners – RK-Bro

John: It’s a SummerSlam rematch since RK-Bro won the titles from Styles/Omos at that show. It feels like the end of this rivalry and just a way to get the tag team titles on the show since the RK-Bro team is popular. They’ll probably get around ten minutes, Riddle can be the face in peril for most of it, hot tag to Orton and go to the finish from there. Like the SummerSlam match, I think Styles is the guy that will get pinned for his team since Omos has never been pinned yet and I doubt it happens here. Orton will probably get the win for the champions.

Winners: RK-Bro – Randy Orton & Riddle

No Holds Barred Match: Bill Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley

Lance: Just when I thought we were out of the woods with this feud, here we are again. I was a huge Goldberg mark when he had his WCW run, but that was 20 years ago. While I don’t mind Goldberg being on the show, I don’t like him being paired up with Lashley. Lashley has had a dominant 2021, and for me, the only way this match makes sense is if Lashley squashes him. With the No Holds Barred stipulation, I think there will be a lot going on, but Lashley eventually picks up the win.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

Matthew: I was taught if you do not have anything nice to say, do not say anything at all. Goldberg overall seems to be a great family man, and has also done many great things for charities throughout the years. Now as for his wrestling ability and my excitement for this match….

Winner: Bobby Lashley

Joel: With Arn Anderson and his glock and Goldberg’s threats of murder, I’d like to think they call each other once a week and just reminisce about killing sumbitches. Anyway, the feud leaves a lot to be desired but I understand wanting to get Goldberg on the show. Goldberg is leaving right after the show so this should be a win for Bobby Lashley. He needs an impressive win after several losses in a row to The New Day.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

Kelly: The No Holds Barred stipulation was just to make it seem like Goldberg has a chance here. If this is truly Goldberg’s last match, Lashley will win. If it is not, Goldberg might win but still not likely. Lashley should win regardless to re-establish his dominance to gear up for another WWE Title run.

Winner – Bobby Lashley

John: Based on the storyline in place, Goldberg should get the win because he’s seeking revenge for Lashley applying the Hurt Lock on Goldberg’s son Gage. However, Goldberg is just a part-timer in WWE and we don’t know when he’ll wrestle again, so they should put Lashley over and give him the win as a full-timer in the company. With that said, I think they might do some post match angle where perhaps Gage shows up to help his dad Bill get the upper hand and hit Lashley with a Spear. At least that way Goldberg can stand tall, but Lashley should absolutely win the match. Since it’s Goldberg, keep it under ten minutes. That’s the right way to do it.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

Hell in a Cell Match: Edge vs. Seth Rollins

Lance: This is a feud that I wish was over a couple of months ago and both of these guys had moved on. I like that Edge is working with guys that we never thought that we were going to see, but for the most part, this has been lacking. I really like Rollins and think he should be in the main event scene as long as he is in his prime. I do think this new character takes some getting used to, and I think Rollins does a good job pulling it off. Since this isn’t AEW, I HIGHLY doubt that there will be any graphic violence here. I think Rollins picks up the win, and I will go into the next couple of weeks hoping for new feuds for both guys.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Matthew: If anything shows that WWE is making considerable money for these Saudi Arabia shows, it is that they are willing to build a Hell in a Cell particularly for this event. Of all the matches on the card, this is by far the match I am most excited for. Edge and Rollins have perhaps had the feud of the year so far, and a Hell in a Cell Match should be a great conclusion to it. Hopefully this match gets plenty of time to be the classic that I think it can be. I predict Edge will go on to get the win in this match, ending what has been a great feud.

Winner: Edge

Joel: This is the match I am most looking forward to. This has been one of the best built rivalries in all of wrestling this year and I will stand by that. Edge got a crucial win at Summerslam while Seth Rollins won the return match at MSG. So now this is the rubber match and I feel like it is going to be the blow off even though both superstars were drafted to Raw. The Hell in a Cell stipulation makes it even more likely that this will be the match of the night. They have delivered two classics in just regular matches. I can only imagine what they do here. That said, Edge is probably going to take some time off after this and probably return around the Royal Rumble. With that in mind, I’m going with Seth Rollins here.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Kelly: How about this? A Hell in a Cell match that’s actually going to end a feud instead of just being some random gimmick match because that’s what the PPV is called. This feud has been great and I’m looking forward to this one. This has been one of the best built feuds in a while on the main roster. Who will win the rubber match? I think it’ll depend on what each are planning on doing afterwards. Both got drafted to Raw but I don’t think they’ll continue the feud there. Rollins has been hinting at a gimmick change so that could be a clue, too. I’m going to have to flip a coin for this one.

Winner – Edge

John: This is a Smackdown brand feud featuring two guys that were drafted to Raw, but I think the feud is going to end here. Edge won clean at SummerSlam, Rollins won a month later on Smackdown in MSG with Edge doing a stretcher job to put over The Stomp. Both matches were around the four-star level, I think this one could be that good or better and they are on their way to having one of the best WWE feuds this year. When I think of the future, it makes a lot of sense for Rollins to win since he’s the younger guy in his promo while Edge is the older veteran that wrestles less often, so Edge should be putting over the younger guy, right? With that said, this is also Edge trying to get revenge for Rollins putting him into the hospital and Rollins also going to Edge’s house uninvited, so you could say Edge should win. The thing is, Rollins makes sense as the next logical challenger for Big E’s WWE Championship on Raw, which is why I would have Rollins get the win. Both guys are still going to be right at the top of the card whether they win or lose. I just think Rollins winning is the better decision.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Smackdown Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

Lance: This one should be fun. Becky Lynch has been on fire since returning at Summerslam and has been a bright spot on otherwise weak television lately. I think both Banks and Belair are stars and that this is the type of match that, if given the time, should shine. You have to assume that they aren’t taking the belt off of Lynch just yet, but this is WWE. I thought her match with Banks on Smackdown was solid and I am looking forward to what they can do here. I will take Lynch to retain.

Winner and STILL Smackdown’s Women’s Champion: Becky Lynch

Matthew: Having the draft before Crown Jewel has made this match even more intriguing. Of the three women in this match, only Sasha Banks will be on the Smackdown brand. This would seemingly point to her winning the match to keep the Smackdown Women’s Championship on Smackdown. However, the Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair is also scheduled to switch brands next week. Therefore, I predict Lynch retains here in what should be an awesome match, and WWE just has Charlotte and Lynch trade belts next week.

Winner: Becky Lynch

Joel: This is an interesting match. You have Sasha Banks as the only Smackdown superstar in the match so surely that means she has to win the title right? Well yes, except for the fact the RAW Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair, was drafted to Smackdown and as of now, doesn’t appear she will be losing that title before rosters go in to effect this Friday. Becky and Bianca have had a pretty good rivalry despite the backlash of Becky turning heel and defeating Bianca in 26 seconds. Of course, Bianca and Sasha are tied at one match apiece and are moving to different shows. I expect the Becky and Bianca feud to continue after this since they are both on Raw and they are not going to put both titles on Smackdown so I’m going with Bianca in this one.

Winner/NEW Smackdown Women’s Champion: Bianca Belair

Kelly: The draft has put this match into quite the conundrum. With Charlotte going to Smackdown with the Raw title and Becky going to Raw with the Smackdown title, Bianca should have won the Raw Women’s Title on Monday so Sasha could win the Smackdown Women’s Title and all would be right. But typical WWE didn’t go that way, so Sasha isn’t winning this one. Either Becky or Bianca wins and Smackdown has the stupid title exchange like last year. This could be the way to put the title on Bianca without having Becky lose to her, but I don’t think that’s the plan yet.

Winner – Becky Lynch

John: This could be confusing to anybody that doesn’t watch the WWE product regularly. Lynch is the Smackdown Women’s Champion that was drafted to Raw, Belair was also drafted to Raw and Banks is staying on Smackdown, so maybe Banks should win to keep the title on Smackdown? I don’t know about that. Since Banks has wins over both women on TV, I doubt she wins again. Lynch won this title from Belair at SummerSlam, then held onto it at Extreme Rules because Banks attacked both women, so I think Lynch is going to do a “steal the pin” finish where she gets the pin after one of the other women hits a big move, Lynch shoves that woman out of the way and Lynch covers to win.

As for the future of the titles, I can see Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and Smackdown Women’s Champion Lynch swapping the titles like New Day/Street Profits did last year. Another option is at Survivor Series you can do Charlotte vs. Becky, the winner gets both titles and then has to forfeit the title of the show they are not on, so then there’s a tournament to crown a new champion? I don’t know. Just an idea. I’ll go with Becky here.

Winner: Becky Lynch

WWE Championship: Big E (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

Lance: I am proud of McIntyre for fighting through bad creative and getting back into the title picture. He had a forgettable feud with Jinder Mahal, which ended in him winning big. Big E, on the other hand, has had himself quite the month. He cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and beat Lashley to become WWE Champion. I, like a lot of other fans, was super stoked on this. The guy worked his ass off and made his way up through the ranks to capture the title, which is the way it should be. This will be a battle between two hosses, but I just don’t know I am there with another McIntyre run, at least yet. I think Big E picks up the win with McIntyre looking strong in defeat.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion: Big E

Matthew: This is another match that got affected by having the draft before Crown Jewel. McIntyre is scheduled to move to the Smackdown brand on Friday, which makes this match very predictable. Big E has been doing great so far as WWE Champion, and I do not see that ending here. I expect to see both these guys to have a very competitive and fun match, with Big E pulling out the victory in the end. McIntyre then can move over to Smackdown to feud with Roman Reigns, and Big E can move on to possibly a feud with Seth Rollins.

Winner: Big E

Joel: This should be an underrated banger right here. Drew McIntyre hasn’t had many bad matches in recent memory. I wouldn’t have put him in this match. He is going to be the top babyface on Smackdown and I wouldn’t have sent him over there with another world title loss. Big E has a lot of momentum as WWE Champion and I feel like his run will continue in to the new year.

Winner/STILL WWE Champion: Big E

Kelly: This match has really good potential. Big E is on his well-deserved push and McIntyre is going to make sure Big E looks good on his way out to Smackdown. It is too soon for Big E to drop the title so this will be a good win for him to notch.

Winner – Big E

John: It’s a face vs. face match between two guys around the same age that are very likable in their current roles. The story is simple with Big E wanting to prove he’s a worthy WWE Champion while McIntyre wants to get the title back as a former two-time WWE Champion. I liked Drew’s promo about how his two title reigns happened when there were no fans, so he’s yet to hear a crowd cheer for him after a WWE Title win. Since Drew was drafted to Smackdown, Big E winning here seems like an absolute lock and it makes sense anyway. Big E recently won the title for the first time, so he needs decisive like beating Bobby Lashley in a Steel Cage Match last month and also beating McIntyre in this match. It should be a close match that goes around 15 minutes and we’ll see a post-match handshake as well.

Winner: Big E

WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

(Note: The graphic above comes from WWE’s Instagram page.)

Lance: This is the match everyone is waiting for. I recently wrote a column on Paul Heyman singing his praises and this last year has been some of his best work to date. Obviously, he was attached to Lesnar, but has since joined forces with Reigns. I think Reigns is at the absolute top of his game right now and will continue to be the man for the foreseeable future. Over the last couple of weeks, both men have had great promos and the constant tug of war over Heyman’s allegiance has been something to see. Lesnar hasn’t had a match in over a year, so the questions will come up about his ring rust. The dude is a premier athlete though, so I am sure all will be fine. My biggest gripe with this match is that it is happening on this show and not Survivor Series after some serious build-up. I still think Reigns holds on to the title until WrestleMania, but I also wouldn’t be stunned if Lesnar wins and joins with Heyman again. The Tribal Chief retains.

Winner and STILL WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns

Matthew: WWE has done an amazing job at building Roman Reigns up as one of the most dominant and most successful heels in the history of the business. What WWE has not done a good job of however, is building babyface challengers for Reigns. Therefore, WWE was forced to hit the Brock button again for this show, so they can have a realistic challenger for Reigns. Reigns has held the Universal Championship for an impressive 400+ days, with Lesnar being the only man to have ever held that title longer. Could Lesnar take back the Universal Championship from Reigns here? Possibly but I don’t see it happening. My prediction is that Paul Heyman stays with Reigns and helps him defeat his old client Brock Lesnar to retain the Universal Championship.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Joel: This is probably the most interesting match on the card. It is the second time that these two have faced off in Saudi Arabia, but I think this is the most interesting feud that these two have had largely due to the angle involving Paul Heyman. Having Lesnar as the face and Reigns as the heel is a nice change. I expect The Usos to get involved and take multiple suplexes but in the end, I expect Roman Reigns to get the victory due to Paul Heyman finally choosing a side and choosing Reigns, which will add to the intensity once Brock comes back around the Royal Rumble.

Winner/STILL Universal Champion: Roman Reigns

Kelly: We’ve seen these two square off before, but this time the heel/face roles are reversed. Heyman has been great selling this feud and working both sides of it. I think Heyman sticks with Roman to keep him heel. I’m hoping that Brock takes the title off of Roman to break up the title run, but I saw a recent report that suggested that Brock will take his Saudi check as his last 2021 appearance. With the draft bringing some fresh faces over, Roman might be able to pull off a title run until his WrestleMania match with The Rock…if Rock does it. Time will tell, though.

Winner – Roman Reigns

John: We have seen this match plenty of times before, but never like this with Roman Reigns as the dominant heel champion while Lesnar is the babyface challenger. I have really enjoyed hearing the crowd reactions for Lesnar as a face and I’m sure WWE loves it too. The fans are loving Lesnar right now as he kicks some ass while rocking that ponytail look. There’s also Paul Heyman’s role as Roman’s “Special Counsel” at ringside instead of Brock’s advocate. Does Heyman screw Lesnar out of the win since Heyman has been associated with Lesnar for nearly 20 years or is Heyman more loyal to his Tribal Chief now? It’s an interesting story. I think if you had Heyman distract Reigns or even grab his foot or something leading to an F5 by Lesnar, it’s a way to book a title change in a manner that makes a lot of sense.

I have picked against Roman Reigns a few times during his 400+ days as Universal Champion and every time it was wrong. Will I do it again? Ye…nope! Not doing it. However, I don’t think it’s a terrible idea to have Lesnar win and be the guy that takes the title from Reigns because there’s plenty of time to get the title back on Reigns if WWE wants him to carry it into WrestleMania. This match could also be done as a rematch at Royal Rumble if there’s a controversial finish.

I think they’ll have a good showing here even though it is Lesnar’s first match in 18 months since he lost to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36 in 2020 in front of no fans. I’m not that worried about Brock’s performance since he’s an experienced veteran that is always in top shape. They should deliver an entertaining match with twists and turns. I have a hard time believing it’ll be clean, but I think Reigns will get the victory somehow. Maybe it’s due to The Usos interference or some other reasons. I’m just going with Reigns here although it’s definitely not a lock.

Winner: Roman Reigns

BONUS TOPICS!

The Match I’m Looking Forward To The Most

Lance: Universal Title Match.

Matthew: Edge vs. Rollins.

Joel: Edge vs Seth Rollins.

Kelly: Edge vs. Rollins.

John: I’m going with Reigns vs. Lesnar just because I’m intrigued to see how they book it (and I think it will be just a great match), but I think Edge vs. Rollins is awesome and probably the match that gets my highest rating on the show.

The Match I Care About The Least

Lance: There are a couple, but I will go with Lashley vs. Goldberg.

Matthew: Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley.

Joel: Zelina Vega vs Doudrop.

Kelly: Lashley/Goldberg.

John: Zelina Vega vs. Doudrop due to lack of story and so many short matches. It’s not the fault of the talent. The creative team has to be better.

Longest Match

Lance: Smackdown Women’s Title Match.

Matthew: Edge vs. Seth Rollins.

Joel: Edge vs Seth Rollins.

Kelly: Rollins/Edge.

John: I think Edge vs. Rollins will go around 20 to 25 minutes. That’s my pick.

Shortest Match

Lance: Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali.

Matthew: Queen’s Crown Match – Vega vs. Doudrop.

Joel: Zelina Vega vs Doudrop.

Kelly: Queen’s Crown.

John: Bobby Lashley vs. Bill Goldberg. The Vega vs. Doudrop match will probably be short too.

Excitement Level on a Scale of 1-10 (1 being low, 10 being high)

Lance: I am going with 6. The matches don’t have much heat, and outside of Smackdown’s Women’s Title and Universal Title Matches, it’s hard for me to get excited about it.

Matthew: 7- Traditionally WWE’s shows in Saudi Arabia have been some of the worst of the year, with WWE trying to put a bunch of legends on the show instead of worrying about match quality. With the exception of the Goldberg match, this year’s Crown Jewel feels different however. There are several matches on the card that should be good to possibly great, making this show must-watch for me.

Joel: 9 – This is probably the most stacked PPV card of the year and generally probably the most well-built. I think it could be a special night if Woods wins the KOTR, but overall I think this has the chance to be the best WWE PPV of the year from an in-ring standpoint. If the booking lines up, we should be in for a fun afternoon.

Kelly: I’ve got this one as a 5. The Hell in a Cell match is the match I’m most looking forward to. The rest of the card is pretty solid, but I don’t think I’d miss much if I skipped those matches.

John: I’m going with a 7.5 out of 10. As I mentioned earlier, I think it’s the best lineup WWE has had for a Saudi Arabia show so far. It’s cool that there are two women’s matches on the card considering they were unable to have women’s matches in the past. When I think about the star ratings that I rate matches with, there might be four or five matches (Reigns-Lesnar, Edge-Rollins, Big E-McIntyre, SD Women’s Title, Woods-Balor) around the four-star range or higher, so that’s pretty cool to think about. If those top matches deliver, it should be an awesome show. I just don’t know if there is enough storyline interest in the entire show to make people at home care enough. I hope so. I think WWE deserves credit for putting together a pretty good lineup.

In Closing

John: I’ll be back with a review of WWE Crown Jewel on TJRWrestling.net on Thursday afternoon, so check that out live or any time after it’s over.

You can also tweet me @johnreport, Joel is @GiftedMoney, Matthew is @fowlerwrestlin1, Kelly is @ciscowebwiz76, and Lance is @Collectiveheel with any comments as well.

If you want to send an email, send it to me at mrjohncanton@gmail.com as well. Thanks for reading.