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After a two-year hiatus, WWE Crown Jewel returned to the screens of fans all around the globe with another blockbuster pay-per-view. Many big matches were scheduled for the mega event held in Saudi Arabia on Thursday night.
The Usos and The Hurt Business warmed up the crowd before the action picked up at Crown Jewel. The finals of the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournaments were some of the biggest matches held during the show.
Big E put his WWE Championship on the line for the first time on pay-per-view as he took on Drew McIntyre. Meanwhile, Edge and Seth Rollins looked to wrap up their rivalry in a massive Hell in a Cell match.
Goldberg and Bobby Lashley took their rivalry to the next level in a No Holds Bar Match. Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, and Sasha Banks made history as they competed in the first women’s championship match in Saudi Arabia at Crown Jewel.
Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar gave fans one of the most exciting matches of the night for the Universal Championship. Crown Jewel delivered some of the best action fans have seen all year.
Take a look at the six things WWE got right at this year’s Crown Jewel.
#6. Edge destroyed Seth Rollins at WWE Crown Jewel
WWE decided to kick off Crown Jewel with one of the biggest matches of the year - the one between Seth Rollins and Edge inside Hell in a Cell.
The Ultimate Opportunist unloaded on Rollins as soon as the bell rang. The former Universal Champion tried to take control, but Edge dropped him on the top rope to keep control.
The Rated-R Superstar hit an Edgecution for a two-count before grabbing some chairs from under the ring. The match picked up from there on as both men tried to use weapons against each other.
The Messiah went after Edge’s eye and hit a sling blade for a near-fall. He struck the WWE Hall of Famer with a steel chair several times and nearly popped his eye out with a piece of the steel chair at Crown Jewel.
After exchanging some moves, Edge brought the steel steps into the ring. He hit the Edge-o-Matic on top of them and then hit Rollins with a ladder from the middle rope.
The Messiah still kicked out and hit a Superkick and Pedigree for a near-fall. Both men continued to battle each other with some big moves and sent each other into the cell walls several times.
Rollins hit Edge with a sunset flip powerbomb through the table but couldn’t put him away. He tied a chain around his foot for a superkick and then went for a Stomp into a chair. Edge countered and hit Rollins with a low blow with the chair.
He locked Rollins in the crossface with the chains and hit a Curb Stomp on top of the steel chair for the win. The match was incredible and showed how far both men were ready to go to end each other.
Rollins has had some extremely physical matches since his character change, and this was one of the best to date. Meanwhile, Edge needed the win to end the rivalry on a high note. He will likely move back into the top title picture following Crown Jewel.
#5. RK-Bro retained the RAW Tag Team Championships at WWE Crown Jewel
Riddle and Randy Orton defended the RAW Tag Team Championships against AJ Styles and Omos at WWE Crown Jewel.
Riddle and Styles kicked off the action and exchanged some standard moves. Randy Orton came into the ring and leveled Styles with a double-team maneuver. The Viper went for an RKO early but settled for a kick to the gut.
Omos tagged in and ran through Riddle with ease. Riddle got Orton into the ring, but even the former WWE Champion could not take out the big man.
For some reason, Omos tagged out and let Styles keep the pressure on. The Bro came back in and hit Styles with some good moves, including the Broton. In the end, The Viper countered the Phenomenal Forearm with an RKO before Riddle hit the Floating Bro for the win.
WWE did well to give RK-Bro a big win at Crown Jewel. However, Styles has taken a few too many pins recently and Omos could have been put down this time around. It’s time for RK-Bro to move on and find new challengers for their titles post-Crown Jewel.
#4. Zelina Vega won the Queen’s Crown at WWE Crown Jewel
A couple of crowns were up for grabs at WWE Crown Jewel. Duodrop and Zelina Vega came out to the ring to determine who would win the first-ever Queen’s Crown tournament.
Doudrop showcased her power early on and shoved Vega to the mat. Vega tried to hit Duodrop with some moves but could not do much damage to her opponent.
Eva Marie’s former protege got on the offense and took down Vega with some clubbing blows. A body slam followed by an elbow drop nearly ended Vega’s defense.
Vega worked smartly and tripped her opponent off the middle turnbuckle. She hit a beautiful tornado DDT for a near fall. Vega kept control of the match from there on and refused to give up. In the end, she hit Code Red to put Doudrop away and become the first Queen of WWE at Crown Jewel.
The match wasn’t great, but Vega did well to pick up a convincing victory over a larger opponent. She has been around for some time but hasn’t received a lot of praise for her in-ring work.
Hopefully, the crown will help her reach new heights following Crown Jewel.
#3. Xavier Woods became the King of the Ring at Crown Jewel
At WWE Crown Jewel, all eyes were on Finn Balor and Xavier Woods during the final of the King of the Ring tournament.
Some basic holds gave way to a technical exchange between the two superstars. After countering each other’s moves, Balor delivered a chop to the chest to make things more physical.
Woods took control before a Pele Kick brought The Prince back into the contest. Both men made it to the top of the ropes before Woods hit a picture-perfect superplex for a near-fall.
Balor fought back and went for the Coup de Grâce soon after. Xavier Woods countered and hit a flying elbow to pin The Prince and become The King of WWE at Crown Jewel.
After the match, he celebrated with the cape and crown. The King of the Ring tournament was short but it helped Woods achieve his lifelong dream.
His win over the former Universal Champion will give him a push following Crown Jewel. New Day is now one of the most decorated factions in the history of sports entertainment.
#2. Becky Lynch cheated her way to a win at WWE Crown Jewel
The SmackDown Women’s Championship was on the line at WWE Crown Jewel on Thursday night. Becky Lynch defended her title against Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair in one of the most high-profile contests.
Belair showcased her strength early on and lifted Banks above her head with one arm before dropping her down onto the mat. All three women tried to take the upper hand as fans started to cheer for The Man.
Lynch hit both women with a missile dropkick and tried to pin them but could not pick up the win. The Boss and Belair targeted the SmackDown Women’s Champion and looked to take her out of the equation.
Banks hit the Three Amigos to pay tribute to Eddie Guerrero and give the fans at Crown Jewel something more to cheer about. The EST continued to showcase her impressive strength against both women and remain in the competition.
Banks and Lynch both had Belair locked in their signature submissions at the same time but were forced to break the hold. Towards the end, The Man put both women in the Dis-arm-her at the same time. They powered out, but Lynch stole the win by rolling up Sasha and using the ropes for assistance.
The match was great and all three women got a chance to shine at Crown Jewel. In the end, it was the right call to keep the title on Lynch. She was hugely over with the crowd and did well to stay on top. She will likely switch titles with Charlotte Flair following Crown Jewel.
#1. The Bloodline dropped Brock Lesnar at WWE Crown Jewel
Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns put on the most awaited match at WWE Crown Jewel. The two men went to war with the Universal Championship on the line. All eyes were on Paul Heyman during the contest as fans expected Reigns’ special counsel to pick sides.
Brock Lesnar tried to hit Roman Reigns with German Suplexes early, but The Tribal Chief kept trying to find a way to block them. Reigns knocked Lesnar off the apron with a Superman Punch. He hit a dive over the top rope to take down The Beast Incarnate.
A Spear to Lesnar could only earn Reigns a two-count. Lesnar countered another Spear attempt from Reigns and hit multiple German Suplexes. The Tribal Chief countered the F5 and locked in the Guillotine. Lesnar broke free and hit an F5, knocking the referee out in the process.
Reigns took advantage of the situation and hit a Spear before The Usos arrived to rock Lesnar with superkicks. The Tribal Chief nailed Lesnar with the title belt and pinned The Beast Incarnate for the win. Paul Heyman looked stunned as The Bloodline celebrated before exiting the arena.
Crown Jewel’s main event delivered. WWE did well to protect Lesnar while keeping the title on Reigns. Heyman’s reaction showed that he did not expect The Tribal Chief to win at Crown Jewel. It will be interesting to see how the storyline develops in the weeks to come.
