Crown Jewel

WWE Universal Championship Match: Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) vs Braun Strowman: Things can change in a heartbeat in professional wrestling, that’s no secret. Superstars get sick, get hurt, get fed up and leave, get fired and scrap a lot of feuds and storylines. WWE is no stranger to this and has shown in the past that they can put together really great backup plans with very little notice.

The Universal Championship match that was put on at Crown Jewel was NOT one of those times. Brock Lesnar is the new Universal Champion after pinning Braun Strowman. It took Corbin hitting Strowman with the title and several F-5s to do it, which will probably protect Strowman, but doesn’t change the fact that RAW is without a top title for the foreseeable future at a time when they need a top title to keep the ratings.

WWE Championship: AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe: After an amazing title match on SmackDown, AJ Styles found himself without a challenger after defeating Daniel Bryan, but never fear, Samoa Joe bulldozed his way through and got himself another shot at the title.

Like their previous encounters, this match was amazing. Styles and Joe tore each other apart with Styles targeting the injured leg that cost Joe the World Cup qualifying match a few weeks ago.

Despite throwing everything he could at Styles, Joe would come up short once again in his quest to be WWE Champion, falling to Styles’ patented Phenomenal Forearm. Styles survives to fight another day, who will be the one to dethrone his epic title run?

Brothers of Destruction vs DX: Since their less than sportsmanlike reaction to Undertaker’s loss to Triple H at Super Show Down, DX and the Brothers of Destruction have engaged in an increasingly heated war of words before their final(?) showdown at Crown Jewel.

This match from 1997 was surprisingly good considering that HBK hasn’t wrestled since his retirement in 2010 and all four competitors are near or over fifty. There was one big snag in the match: Triple H suffered a serious injury about halfway through the match. To his immense credit, he battled through and was able to help his team score another victory against the Brothers of Destruction.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match – The Bar (with Big Show) vs New Day: New Day have more than had their hands full with the Bar since the Big Show joined the Bar and proved himself to be a big asset.

The match between New Day and the Bar was fun, but crazy, as would be expected from these two teams. Everyone got involved and the ref definitely could’ve used some help out there trying to maintain order. However, despite New Day’s best efforts, Big Show would be the deciding factor after hitting his Weapon of Mass Destruction punch on Big E after Sheamus distracted the ref, letting Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick and get the pinfall. The Bar retain, and it remains to be seen who will be able to dethrone them with Big Show as their backup.

United States Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Rusev: Shinsuke Nakamura hasn’t done much to defend his United States Title, stating that as the ruler of Nakamerica, he didn’t have to defend the title. Apparently, someone informed him that the GM and Commissioner of SmackDown overrule Nakamerica.

For a last-minute addition to the card, the match was surprisingly good. I don’t think Nakamura and Rusev have ever faced off one-on-one, but it didn’t really show on the match.

It honestly looked like Rusev was going to walk out of Saudi Arabia with some new bling to show to Lana, but Nakamura fell back to his old tricks and low-blowed the Bulgarian Brute, allowing him to get the pinfall win after a Kinshasha Kick.

World Cup Round 1

Seth Rollins vs Bobby Lashley (with Lio Rush): Seth Rollins has a lot on his shoulders: The Intercontinental Championship, the Tag Team Championship, and his issues with Dean Ambrose. However, those issues took a temporary backseat to proving himself as the best in the world, but he would have to get through Bobby Lashley first.

The match was pretty good, even if I wanted to shove the microphone somewhere on Rush’s anatomy where it shouldn’t go. Lashley definitely had a size and strength advantage, but Seth Rollins has always been a wily competitor and was able to pull out a surprising victory by utilizing his trusty Curb Stomp to secure victory, to everyone’s shock.

Dolph Ziggler (with Drew McIntyre) vs Kurt Angle: Dolph Ziggler has spent his career claiming to be the best in the world. Kurt Angle, at one time, WAS the best in the world.

The first time ever clash between these two former amateur and professional greats was predictably fantastic. Angle has wrestled in two matches since his return to WWE last year, but he was able to keep up with Ziggler, who proved a tough opponent to put away, especially with McIntyre in his corner.

Surprisingly, the Scottish Psychopath was NOT a deciding factor in this match, Dolph’s wiliness was. He was able to put Angle away with a Zig Zag after ramming him into the turnbuckles, moving on to a confrontation with long-time rival, Seth Rollins.

Jeff Hardy vs Miz: The Rainbow Warrior took on the (wannabe) A-Lister. The match was great. I’m not sure how often, if ever, Hardy and Miz have faced each other, but they worked together like pros.

The match was very back but it looked like Miz had the match won, but the ref had seen him use the ropes. Hardy tried to take advantage with a Twist of Fate, but Miz was able to counter into a Skull-Crushing Finale and get the pinfall and advance to the semi-finals against Rey Mysterio, who just got the snot beat out of him by Randy Orton.

Randy Orton vs Rey Mysterio: Orton and Rey Mysterio are certainly no strangers to each other, certainly not when gold or pride are on the line. However, it’s been several years since they’ve locked up.

This almost rematch of WrestleMania 22 was surprisingly good. Orton and Mysterio have both slowed down a little bit since 2006 but they both fought as hard as they ever did.

To everyone’s shock, Rey Mysterio would actually pull out a victory over Orton with a sunset flip. Orton was understandably furious and attacked Mysterio, giving the winner of the Hardy/Miz match a possible advantage in the next round.

World Cup Round 2

Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler (with Drew McIntyre): Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler have been feuding for months, first over the Intercontinental Championship, then over who was going to be the top faction on RAW.

Like their other encounters, the match was great, but, unlike the match with Angle, McIntyre didn’t hesitate to insert himself into the match, and Rollins didn’t have any backup of his own to counter him.

Surprisingly, despite being in Saudi Arabia, Dean Ambrose did NOT make an appearance during this match, but Drew McIntyre created enough havoc of his own, ultimately costing Rollins the match and allowing Ziggler to advance to the finals.

Rey Mysterio vs Miz: This match looked to be a walk in the park for Miz, given that Mysterio had suffered quite a beatdown at the hands of Randy Orton, it was anything but that.

Mysterio might’ve gotten his ass kicked earlier in the evening, but that didn’t stop him from giving Miz a run for his A-List money. However, Miz’s less beat up state and a countered frog splash would give the A-Lister the victory and a spot in the final.

World Cup Final

Dolph Ziggler vs Miz: Shane McMahon, who had threatened to fire any SmackDown superstar who lost in the World Cup Final, and Baron Corbin, who had cost Braun Strowman the Universal Championship. After Ziggler and Miz are introduced, the ref throws Ziggler a curveball: Drew McIntyre will NOT be allowed at ringside, which gives Miz a slight advantage.

The match between these old rivals was very good, until a misstep seemed to have done a number on Miz’s knee. To Miz’s credit, he tried very valiantly to keep going, but it became clear that he couldn’t keep this up. It seemed that Ziggler, and RAW, were going to walk away with the Cup by default.

Facing the prospect of losing to RAW by default, and possibly not having the heart to fire a superstar who was going to lose because of injury, Shane made a very McMahon decision: He put himself in the ring as Miz’s replacement, though whether or not he’d step down if he lost is unclear.

Given the sudden change in match complexion, the quickness of the finish wasn’t a surprise, what was a surprise was the outcome. Shane managed to survive a Zig Zag and teach Ziggler what it meant to be potatoed by a McMahon. It would take a Coast to Coast, but Shane McMahon emerged as the winner of the World Cup and is dubbed the Best in the World.

Corbin, who had been ejected from the match once Shane inserted himself, was furious and claimed, with good reason, that the win was tainted. It’s not clear what the fallout of Shane’s actions will be, but it’s clear that that he’s made an enemy out of Baron Corbin.

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