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WWE Crown Jewel has just ended, and on a show that needed to be a success due to current events in Saudi Arabia and fans already displeased with the show taking place, it failed to deliver to expectations.
The quarter-final and semi-final matches in the World Cup Tournament were all good, with the semi-final match between Rey Mysterio and The Miz arguably being the best of the bunch. The Smackdown Tag Team Championship match between The Bar and The New Day and the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe were also good, even if they were predictable. However, things went downhill from there.
First was the Universal Championship match between Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar. The match began with Baron Corbin attacking Braun with the belt, followed by Lesnar hitting an F5 for a near fall. Lesnar hit two more F5s for near falls and then an F5 to the outside of the ring.
Strowman got back up and got a little offense before another F5 finished things off. In a match which I believe Strowman needed to win in order for him to take the next step, not only did he lose but the entire contest was a one-sided affair.
After that, the World Cup Finals to determine the "Best in the World" between Dolph Ziggler and The Miz never happened, as The Miz suffered a "leg injury" while going to the outside of the ring. Miz wanted to compete, but the referee wouldn't allow it and called the match off.
Shane McMahon said it wasn't going down that way and said HE will take Miz's spot. Shane O Mac went on to defeat Ziggler and is now "Best in the World". It might be too early to criticize this since this could set up a feud between Miz and Shane. It could also add fuel to the fire for the Raw vs. SmackDown Survivor Series build, and Miz might have been legitimately hurt, but Shane McMahon? Best in the World? This could have been handled way better.
It might be unfair to say that two matches made an entire pay per view event a flop. However, the two matches were two of the biggest selling points of the event and a lot more could have been done. I believe it is fair to say the show will be remembered for all of the wrong reasons and left a lot to be desired.
