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WWE Crown Jewel will emanate from the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 2nd November 2018. One of the important aspects of the event will be a one-day eight-man 'WWE World Cup' tournament featuring some of the best superstars in the WWE roster.
John Cena was announced as the first participant courtesy of the tremendous accolades he achieved in his 19 years within the company. Baron Corbin thought of sneaking into the tournament by abusing his powers as the Constable, but, Kurt Angle played spoilers to his plans as he eliminated the 'Lone Wolf' in the Battle Royale and made his way to the tournament.
Jeff Hardy became the first SmackDown Superstar to qualify for the tournament after Samoa Joe couldn't continue due to the injury he suffered in his left leg three days earlier in the match against AJ Styles at WWE Super Showdown. Randy Orton would follow suit as he defeated a returning Big Show in the main event of SmackDown.
Who will accompany these four WWE legends in the World Cup to determine the 'Best in the World?' Read on to know our predictions.
#4 Rey Mysterio
This should be a no-brainer. Rey Mysterio is making his return to the WWE after a period of three years, and he will be welcomed only with a victory. That means Shinsuke Nakamura will have to pay the price and eat a 619 and a loss.
However, this match could plant the seeds of Rey Mysterio's first rivalry in the WWE. Shinsuke Nakamura won't take the loss sportingly and interference at the WWE Crown Jewel tournament to cost the Ultimate Underdog his match.
Don't expect Rey Mysterio to stay calm after that as he would challenge Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE United States Championship. With all due respect to the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, his title reign isn't as entertaining as it should be.
Moreover, Nakamura's reign has been subverted below the feud of Rusev and Aiden English, Randy Orton's fresh heel turn, and Andrade "Cien" Almas' rising stardom in the mid-card. Speaking of which...
#3 Andrade "Cien" Almas
Andrade "Cien" Almas should follow the footsteps of Rey Mysterio and become the second Hispanic superstar to feature in the WWE World Cup. It might sound a little unusual as there would be two Mexican superstars in the World Cup, but, WWE has already spoiled the format with announcing four American participants in the tournament.
A tournament like this should give the fans a glimpse into the future, and there is no doubt that El Idolo is the future of the WWE. With backstage talks prevailing that Vince McMahon is highly impressed with the former NXT Champion, one can see no reason as to why he would not be a part of the WWE World Cup.
#2 Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is on a complete downhill path. It looked as if WWE were taking his character seriously when the Canadian announced that he was quitting WWE. However, his return a week later and the attack on Bobby Lashley from behind when he was engrossed in a shanti shtick with Jinder Mahal and Samir Singh, totally derailed his momentum.
Although his segment with Elias a week earlier on Raw did garner a lot of attention, it is nowhere close to the run he had had as the Universal Champion when he was with Chris Jericho. Qualifying for the WWE World Cup, and defeating a prominent babyface like Kurt Angle on the tournament, can put him back on track.
Although Owens' status is up in the air at the moment due to his alleged knee injury and impending surgery, which could lead to him missing Crown Jewel altogether.
#1 Drew McIntyre
With the quota of SmackDown superstars and babyfaces completed, the last spot should go to a Raw heel. If we analyze closely all the remaining heels at the Raw roster, one would discover that there is no one close and more worthy enough than Drew McIntyre.
One ought to note that there are two dissension storylines running parallel at Raw. While the Shield breakup is a captivating one, the author believes that the trio of Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, and Braun Strowman would be the first one to break.
Constable Corbin would announce a Battle Royale to decide the final qualifier for the WWE World Cup (of course, he would insert himself), and the former NXT Champion would eliminate Dolph Ziggler at the end.
So, there you go. Here are our predictions for the remaining 4 qualifiers at the WWE World Cup. Do let us know in the comments section if you agree or disagree with it.
