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WWE Crown Jewel 2021 was easily the best card ever assembled for a Saudi Arabia pay-per-view. The buildup centered on the major championship matches from Raw and SmackDown. Roman Reigns defended the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar with Paul Heyman at the center of this highly anticipated main event.
Becky Lynch defended the SmackDown Women's Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. It was the most star-studded women's contest to ever be featured at a Saudi Arabia event. For Raw, Big E defended the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre and Goldberg looked set to settle the score with Bobby Lashley in a No Holds Barred Match.
With these top matches as well as arguably the best WWE feud being concluded inside Hell In A Cell, there was so much to offer in this lineup that it was almost a guarantee to deliver big time. In this article, let's take a look at the five biggest takeaways from WWE Crown Jewel 2021.
5) Big E proves himself as WWE Champion in a competitive bout against Drew McIntyre - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
Heading into WWE Crown Jewel 2021, Big E was set to face the stiffest challenge of his WWE Championship reign so far against Drew McIntyre. The two men have had a lot of tension over the past few weeks with them having to co-exist as tag team partners. However, their respect for one another was still evident and was surely gonna produce a quality contest.
The WWE Championship bout had plenty of back-and-forth action with neither man holding the advantage for too long. This was everything fans had come to expect from a heavyweight slugfest between two heavy hitters in Big E and Drew McIntyre.
It was big move after big move from each competitor here at WWE Crown Jewel 2021. McIntyre hit the Future Shock and the Claymore, but he couldn't keep Big E down for the three count. Big E was able to connect with the Big Ending, but Drew kicked out at two. The WWE Champion hit one more Big Ending to defeat the Scottish Warrior and retain his title.
Big E only won the WWE Championship last month and defended his title twice against Bobby Lashley. The Crown Jewel 2021 contest showed that the New Day member has what it takes to handle the top stars of WWE. Big E will have plenty of new obstacles to overcome with the new superstars on Raw, so he needed this win to establish himself as the top star on the brand.
4) All Hail King Woods! - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
Many fans came into WWE Crown Jewel 2021 wanting to see Xavier Woods realize a boyhood dream. For WWE superstars, many have talked about always wanting to be WWE Champion. However, Xavier Woods always wanted to be the King of the Ring. His online campaign is viewed as one of the key reasons why there was a tournament again this year.
The King of the Ring Finals saw Xavier Woods and Finn Balor have a fun bout that told a nice underdog story. Balor was a favorite with his various singles achievements across all three brands, while Woods was a tag team specialist who had yet to gain any singles opportunities for the most part. The New Day member hit the Limit Breaker to beat Balor and win the King of the Ring.
This provided WWE Crown Jewel 2021 with a wonderful babyface moment. He achieved his dream in a good encounter that elevated him in the eyes of the WWE Universe. Balor didn't lose much, but Woods gained plenty of credibility here. King Woods should be entertaining and could possibly lead to more opportunities for him.
3) Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair symbolizes a change for women's wrestling in Saudi Arabia - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
The previous Saudi Arabia event had just one short female bout. Meanwhile, WWE Crown Jewel 2021 featured two women's contests for the first time, including arguably the biggest to ever take place in the country. Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and Bianca Belair are three of the top stars in the company. Their Triple Threat Match had a big fight feel coming in.
They packed in a lot of action and made the fans believe any of the three had the chance to win. The finish saw Bianca Belair deliver the KOD to Becky Lynch, but Sasha Banks threw Belair to the outside. When Sasha went for the cover, Becky rolled her up and grabbed the ropes for extra leverage to win and retain the SmackDown Women's Championship.
The three women not only delivered one of the best matches on the Crown Jewel 2021 card, but they also symbolized a change in the view of women's wrestling in Saudi Arabia. In a country that is still lacking in female equality, this should be an important contest that shows what women are capable of.
2) Edge vs. Seth Rollins delivers the best WWE match in Saudi Arabia - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
Edge and Seth Rollins finally settled their score at WWE Crown Jewel 2021. After two fantastic bouts at SummerSlam 2021 and on the September 10th episode of SmackDown in New York City's Madison Square Garden, things erupted inside Hell In A Cell.
This fits the mold of Hell In A Cell matches of the modern era. There were plenty of weapons being used, from steel chairs to tables to ladders. Blood and scars were all over both men's bodies at the end of this Crown Jewel 2021 clash. There were callbacks to Edge and Seth's past Hell In A Cell matches as well as their previous meetings.
The Rated R Superstar used a chain and a wrench in the crossface before finally delivering a Curb Stomp on a steel chair to defeat Seth Rollins. This felt like a proper sendoff to a bitter rivalry between the two competitors. Both men laid it all on the line to produce one of the best WWE matches of 2021 and easily the greatest WWE match in Saudi Arabia so far at WWE Crown Jewel 2021.
1) Paul Heyman's allegiance is still unknown following Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
The WWE Crown Jewel 2021 main event saw Roman Reigns defend the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar. The buildup heading in was centered on where Paul Heyman's allegiance truly stood. His loyalty has been called into question since he was both the special counsel to the Tribal Chief and the advocate of the Beast Incarnate.
This Universal Championship bout featured huge moves from both men. Brock Lesnar looked on the verge of victory after an F5, but the referee went down. After a spear from Reigns, both men were down. Paul Heyman threw the Universal Title in between the two competitors and said "YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT!"
Brock won a tug of war over the title, but The Usos came in and delivered a double superkick. Roman followed up with a title belt shot to the head of Brock to defeat him and retain the Universal Championship. The post-match saw The Bloodline celebrating with a clearly conflicted Heyman by their side.
Despite Roman Reigns winning, it seemed as if Paul Heyman didn't truly choose which side he was on. The finish sets up a rematch between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar down the line, whether that be at Royal Rumble or WrestleMania where Heyman will finally have to choose. That's why Paul Heyman's allegiance, still unknown, is the biggest takeaway from WWE Crown Jewel 2021.
