WWE Crowl Jewel has been and gone, and the road is now clear for the company’s final PPV/Premium Live Event of the year, which will be Survivor Series in three weeks. We will get to the final WWE Big 4 PPV soon on this blog, but it is important to look back at the latest Saudi Arabia show in a quick-hit format.
WWE Crown Jewel Quick Hits
Brock Will Always Matter
At its best, pro wrestling is as close to being believably real as possible (this t-shirt says so). That is why Brock Lesnar will always be an attraction, especially when WWE goes overseas.
The reaction Lesnar got here says everything. It didn’t matter how good or bad his match with Bobby Lashley was – it was certainly above average for a short match as Lesnar (when he cares) is an excellent worker – because the sheer presence of Lesnar makes every event more important in the eyes of the crowd,
Nikki Cross is Crazy Again
WWE loves to book Nikki Cross in the crazy realm. It probably worked best when she was part of Sanity alongside Eric Young and Killian Dain, especially when the stable was in NXT (I could do a whole piece on how Sanity is one of the worst-used main roster call-ups of all time).
On Saturday, Cross cost the team of Asuka and Alexa Bliss the Women’s Tag Team Championship when she randomly showed up to take down Bliss – who was on the top rope – with a neck breaker. Cross won’t be joining Damage CTRL, she is just once again being booked as a psycho who can (and will) attack anyone at any time. It is a good role for her.
Bullet Club
It is a small thing, but Michael Cole on commentary acknowledging that Finn Balor was the original leader of the Bullet Club and that AJ Styles later had that role is important to wrestling fans who live outside the WWE bubble. It is a Triple H change – something that never would have happened under Vince McMahon – and it makes the company feel more authentic somehow.
Also, there is no way that Karl Anderson would have been able to be the NJPW Never Openweight Title holder and wrestle on this show under the old regime.
Cheap Finishes
This is what tells you that these Saudi shows don’t matter. The number of cheap finishes on this card was insane, with something happening in every match to stop the victory from feeling decisive. That is why these shows are sometimes said to exist outside of canon – and why they aren’t required viewing for even hardcore WWE fans – as most every feud (that matters) will continue on to Survivor Series and beyond.
Brawn vs Omos was bad
It was expected to be bad, and I guess in that way, it delivered. Brawn is athletic enough to have quicker matches against smaller guys, but Omos is limited by his size. Monster vs. monster matches will (and should) always have a place in WWE when being a giant still makes you an attraction, but they have to be kept short for maximum impact. At least this only went about seven minutes.
Bianca vs. Bayley
Very good match. The Last Woman Standing stipulation is hard to work with because it kills any chance of a surprise win. I liked the ending – Bayley was trapped between the ring post and a ladder – and it will be interesting to see if Bayley is now moved away from the title scene (Sasha?).
Uncle Howdy
Love everything about this. It needs to be a slow, slow burn into whatever payoff we have. WWE lacks interesting characters with an edge. Bray will always be that.
Roman is Great
Once again, Logan Paul held up more than his end of the bargain in a big spot on the card. Paul is an outstanding athlete, but his timing is stunning for someone without real wrestling training. As good as Paul was, Roman Reigns should get more credit than he will for this. He made Paul look like a superstar and hopefully Logan’s injury isn’t as bad as feared.
The match was a lot of fun – the ending was verging on being overbooked – and a couple of near-fall spots worked. In the end, though, Reigns still stands tall, and it will be interesting to see where the next challenge comes from.
Always remember, folks. Pro Wrestling is Real.
