Yes, the WWE Saudi Arabia shows are a joke. They are blatant sports washing, and WWE Crown Jewel is part of the issue. There is, however, wrestling to be watched and enjoyed – albeit in a weird way where the show isn’t treated as canon except in certain matches based on WWE discretion – and there is more interest than normal this year, given that this is the first Saudi show that Triple H has been in charge of. Here are a few throughs on the card.
Title Matches
Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul: WWE Universal Championship
I like the build. Paul is a star, and WWE has been using him wisely. No one would believe Paul was a credible threat through a traditional build. By framing it that all Paul needs is one lucky shot – and comparing it to his Floyd Mayweather boxing match – there is a believability factor in him finding a way to win.
He won’t, of course, as this would be a terrible place for Reigns to drop the strap after holding it for so long, but expect to see a spot of two where Paul looks like he has connected with something to win it.
Bianca Belair vs. Bayley: Raw Women’s Championship
The stipulation – Last Woman Standing – means that this has to be the final match in this feud (unless something weird happens). The winner of this will be seen as the new Lady Boss of the company, and the trending theory seems to be that this is the time for Bayley to take the strap.
Reasons for this include the friendship she has with IYO Sky and Dakota Kai, which should play huge in the Last Woman Standing match, and that if Reigns retains as he should, then a different title will need to change hands to give the show a talking point moment.
Other Bouts
Braun Strowman vs. Omos
If this were Vince’s product, then I would lean toward Omos winning this as punishment for Braun disappearing and then coming back. Classic Vince. Thankfully, this is not a Vince show. This is the type of match that Stroman needed to come back to. I don’t expect the match to be any good – the styles and lack of mobility on Omos’ end will hurt it – but Stroman should go over convincingly to set up something better for him just around the corner.
The O.C. vs. The Judgment Day
Strange to think that this is the match on the card with the most buzz from wrestling insiders. The returns of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to rejoin former Bullet Club stablemate AJ Styles would have been news enough, but that Anderson is the reining NJPW NEVER Openweight Champion makes it all the more interesting.
It looked like a working relationship was on the cards, which is now in question given that Crown Jewel – and therefore this match – falls on the same date as the New Japan Battle Autumn show, where Anderson is supposed to defend his strap against Hikuleo.
The interesting side note here is that Anderson has not (to date) been stripped of his title. NJPW does this when a champion fails to be available – through injury or other bookings – for a title defense date. It will be very intriguing to see where this all leads.
What matches are you looking forward to here? Will you be watching Crown Jewel, or are you more interested in Battle Autumn on the same date? Either way, more wrestling is always a good thing as long as the action is high quality.
Always remember, folks. Pro Wrestling is Real.
