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The two Saudi pay per views of 2018, Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel, were duds. WWE's first Saudi show of 2019, Super ShowDown, followed that trend. There was more than one questionable booking decision, most of the show felt like filler, and there were some embarrassments in the main event, though it wasn't as sad as the matches involving The Undertaker last year.
But did anyone actually get anything out of this show?
Loser: Monday Night Raw
Seth Rollins defeated Baron Corbin to retain his Universal Championship, but it came through a rollup, which means this feud is going to continue, much to the detriment of Seth Rollins' title reign and Monday Night Raw as a whole. There is a swathe of evidence that the show does poorer when Baron Corbin is in the main event, and that's set to continue for the coming few weeks at least.
Brock Lesnar also showed up seemingly only to get his big Saudi payday, as he was unable to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase thanks to a fumble from Paul Heyman. Brock Lesnar is getting better at cashing in without doing anything it would seem, but it doesn't help the Raw brand any.
Loser: Andrade
Nobody had any inkling that Andrade was actually going to win this match, but it shows that his place remains as that guy that works with top talent and makes them look good, but can never have a breakthrough of his own. That view was now reinforced on Andrade's biggest stage yet.
It's a shame, because he can do a whole lot more, as he's shown, but he can just never get above that glass ceiling that's looming ominously over his head.
Loser: Roman Reigns
If the use of Andrade was disappointing, this was just downright terrible. True, Roman Reigns only lost due to shenanigans, and this feud is certainly set to continue, where the Big Dog will eventually get his win back over the so-called "Best in the World," but that's the entire point.
Why is Roman Reigns going 50/50 with Shane McMahon? Why does this feud, which no one is interested in, have to continue?
There just seems to be something about the Saudi shows that causes WWE to turn up its usual booking problems to the most frustrating level possible.
Loser: Lars Sullivan
This was about as bad as we expected. This was a dud. Nobody cared. Why did the referee need to call the match? Lars Sullivan, for all his "monstrosity" defeats the Lucha House Party by disqualification?
Obviously, that means that another feud nobody wants to see is continuing, and Lars is going 50/50 with the Lucha House Party.
This act just isn't working out. I'm tempted to stick a fork in Sullivan even before he loses to someone like Roman Reigns. By this time next year, I guaranteed hardly anyone will remember him.
Winner: Randy Orton
Given their infamous history, this match could have been a disaster, but thankfully it wasn't. It was just ordinary and run of the mill. Randy Orton was the right winner here. He's still an active Superstar on a week to week basis and he hasn't done much of late. This victory can be used as a springboard for him if need be.
Triple H obviously wouldn't have been able to do anything with a win. That's how you know the right guy went over.
Loser: Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston retained his WWE Championship over Dolph Ziggler, as expected, but as per the norm on the night, WWE just won't let the feud die. At the end of the day, Kofi Kingston needed Xavier Woods to help him put Ziggler away, intentional or not. That gave Ziggler an excuse to whine, so the feud will continue.
A built to Kofi Kingston defending his title against Dolph Ziggler just doesn't sound like exciting television, sorry. Kofi Kingston could have a much better opponent. WWE continues treating this time of the year as filler, despite the fast-sinking ratings.
