5 things WWE did right at Crown Jewel

This year's WWE Crown Jewel is officially in the books, and the show was once again met with controversy, but this time, the controversy surrounded post-event incidents as opposed to general reaction to WWE's current relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Reports surfaced following Crown Jewel that Vince McMahon, upset that Saudi Arabia had not yet paid WWE for the Super ShowDown PPV which took place earlier this year, made the call to cut the Crown Jewel feed early for PPV viewers in Saudi Arabia, a move which reportedly angered the Saudi Crown Prince.

Reacting to Vince's actions, the Saudi Crown Prince allegedly delayed talent flights out of Saudi Arabia following the PPV, a claim which has been vehemently denied by WWE, with the company asserting mechanical issues caused the flight delays.

Nevertheless, WWE announced following Crown Jewel that the company has expanded its relationship with Saudi Arabia, which will now see two major WWE events produced in the country every year as opposed to one event.

Given the above, let's take a look at five things WWE did right at this year's Crown Jewel PPV event.

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#5 Team Hogan defeats Team Flair

Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel

This year's WWE Crown Jewel was headlined by a Team Hogan vs Team Flair 5-on-5 tag team match, and the entertaining bout, pitting Roman Reigns, Rusev, Ricochet, Ali & Shorty G against Ric Flair’s team of Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & King Corbin, was a fun bout of action.

The match finish saw Roman Reigns hit Randy Orton with a spear to score the pinfall victory for his team at Crown Jewel, supposedly ending the long-standing rivalry between Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan.

The match was well booked, and despite not having a tremendous amount of meaning heading into the PPV, gave everyone an ample opportunity to shine which helped boost stars such as Shorty G, Ali and Ricochet.

#4 The first-ever women's match takes place in Saudi Arabia

Natalya and Lacey Evans at WWE Crown Jewel

WWE made history at this year's Crown Jewel PPV, as the first-ever women's match took place in Saudi Arabia, pitting Natalya against her recent foe Lacey Evans.

The match was a very toned-down version of a match that Natalya and Evans would have on a regular episode of RAW, SmackDown or United States WWE PPV, and the women came across as participating in more of a friendly contest as opposed to a fight.

In addition to the in-ring style used in the match, Natalya and Lacey were dressed very differently than normal, exposing no skin except for their heads and faces.

While fans certainly voiced complaints about the type of message the bout sent as it pertains to the way the women wrestled and dressed for the match, the actual history both Natalya and Lacey Evans made cannot be denied, and must be commended.

The first-ever women's match in Saudi Arabia opened doors not only to future women's competition at WWE events in Saudi Arabia, but it might even open the door for women in Saudi Arabia to contribute more to the general world of sports in the country.

#3 Mansoor has another great showing on WWE PPV

Mansoor defeats Cesaro at WWE Crown Jewel

This past June, WWE's first Saudi Arabian-born Superstar, Mansoor, made headlines when he won the 50 man largest Battle Royal in WWE history at the Super ShowDown event.

At the time, Mansoor was a relatively unknown name, and fans were quite puzzled when an unknown Superstar won a such a major Battle Royal match, however, Saudi fans were thrilled to see a native Superstar pick up such an important win in WWE.

Five months later, Mansoor was able to compete in his first singles match, facing Cesaro at this year's WWE Crown Jewel PPV, and the result was another thrilling bout for the young Mansoor.

The match finish came when Mansoor hit a top rope Moonsault on Cesaro to pick up the pinfall victory, and the crowd in Saudi Arabia was certainly thrilled once again to see Mansoor pick up a major win at an event in the country.

WWE has done a good job of building up a new Superstar in Mansoor in just two events in Saudi Arabia, and it seems as if the Saudi Arabian star is just getting started in WWE, as he cut a promo following his PPV match win, saying, “this may have been the most important victory in my life. But I cannot wait for what we do next.”

#2 Brock Lesnar submits Cain Velasquez

Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez at WWE Crown Jewel

This year's WWE Crown Jewel featured a hot opening, as the show began with Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez for the WWE title.

The bout was billed as the long-awaited rematch between Lesnar and Velasquez, stemming from their time in UFC, when Velasquez was the one to defeat Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Prior to WWE Crown Jewel, Cain Velasquez had only one pro wrestling match, competing in a tag team match alongside Cody Rhodes at a AAA event earlier this year.

Due to Velasquez's limited pro wrestling training, WWE was wise to keep the Cain vs Lesnar match at Crown Jewel short, and in the end, Lesnar was able to lock in the Kimura Lock, forcing Velasquez to submit in his first WWE match.

While some fans felt that it was unwise for WWE to have Velasquez tap out in his very first match in WWE, the focus of the Crown Jewel match was more about building to Lesnar vs Rey Mysterio at Survivor Series, and in that regard, the match worked.

Cain's loss to Lesnar will be quickly forgotten as it was a fast match, and after Velasquez secures more pro wrestling training under his belt, he will be able to make a roaring comeback to the ring, and his better days in WWE lie ahead.

#1 The Fiend finally wins the WWE Universal Championship

Bray Wyatt vs Seth Rollins at WWE Crown Jewel

One of the most controversial and fan-rousing match finishes of the year took place at WWE Hell in a Cell this year, when Seth Rollins defeated 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt in a Hell in a Cell match to retain the WWE Universal Championship.

Fans hated the match finish, and hated even more that WWE deprived fans of a Bray Wyatt title win, a moment which has been brewing for years and has never come to fruition the way WWE fans had hoped.

Heading into this year's WWE Crown Jewel PPV, fans wondered whether or not the company could make up for the poor finish to the Hell in a Cell match last month, and it the wrong was indeed righted in Saudi Arabia when The Fiend finally ended the Universal title reign of Seth Rollins, earning Bray Wyatt his first run with the Universal Championship.

Crown Jewel was the first PPV event following Hell in a Cell, so going off the air with The Fiend standing tall as the WWE Universal Champion was the right move to make, and The Fiend can take the title to SmackDown placed at the top of the mountain on the blue brand, a place which many fans feel Wyatt rightfully deserves.

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