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WWE Crown Jewel 2021 will be the first pay-per-view to take place in Saudi Arabia since the global pandemic. The company has done a remarkable job of making a card that might be the best out of all the major events in the country and on par with the Big Four.
The headline matchup for Crown Jewel is one of WWE's biggest feuds over the past decade. The event will also see a well-built rivalry that started this past summer culminating inside Hell in a Cell.
The return of Goldberg, a WWE Championship Match and three of the top women in the promotion will go at it, making this a stacked lineup to say the least.
With the full lineup announced and the buildup ending with this week's episode of Raw, it's time to look a little closer in the lead-up to this major show that just might be the best-built card of 2021. In this article, let's rank the buildup for every match at WWE Crown Jewel 2021.
Zelina Vega vs. Doudrop in the Queen's Crown Tournament Finals - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
One of the biggest flaws in WWE heading into the Crown Jewel pay-per-view has been the presentation of the inaugural Queen's Crown Tournament. This first-of-its-kind tournament was supposed to put a spotlight on the women's division and give them yet another major contest at a Saudi Arabia event for the first time.
However, WWE hasn't done anything to make the Queen's Crown feel prestigious in the least. The company has the most talent up and down their roster for the ladies, but they just haven't been given the chance to succeed with the total amount of time of the matches in the tournament being just 12 minutes. It has been disappointing for the fans.
Despite this misstep, the two women who have made it to the Finals at Crown Jewel 2021 are both gifted in their own ways. On the SmackDown side, Zelina Vega overcame her losing streak since returning to WWE to defeat both Toni Storm and Carmella on her way to the Queen's Crown Tournament Finals.
On the Raw side, Doudrop picked up two of the biggest wins since her call-up to the main roster with victories over Natalya and Shayna Baszler. The big positive to this Crown Jewel 2021 contest is that either woman can realistically come away with the Queen's Crown and should be a solid bout if they are finally given time.
Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
Mansoor looks set to continue his impressive Saudi Arabia winning streak at Crown Jewel 2021. The Saudi Arabian-born superstar started his main roster run with huge victories over Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro in past major events in the country. However, this pay-per-view might be the most personal encounter of his career so far.
Mansoor was off to a slow start to his run on Monday Night Raw with some losses in singles competition, but it was Mustafa Ali who tried to smarten up the new superstar and give him some wisdom. The two formed a tag team that slowly but surely became a popular tandem. They won a few matches, but the losses soon came and caused dissension.
On the October 11th, 2021 episode of Raw, Mansoor and Ali lost to Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin of the Hurt Business. Ali didn't respond kindly and attacked his tag team partner backstage, thus setting up the contest for Crown Jewel 2021. Mansoor will be looking to prove how much he has learned from Ali and beat him in his home country.
RK-Bro vs. AJ Styles & Omos for the Raw Tag Team Championships - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
RK-Bro will defend the Raw Tag Team Championships against AJ Styles and Omos at Crown Jewel 2021. Randy Orton and Riddle have formed arguably the most popular duo in the WWE today. The two men started their tag team following a singles bout and went through their own growing pains before finally beating AJ Styles and Omos to win the Raw Tag Team Titles at SummerSlam 2021.
Over the past few months, the two tag teams have interacted with one another and gotten under each other's skins. All four men fought in singles contests and multi-man clashes before the Raw Tag Team Championship Match was made official for Crown Jewel 2021. There hasn't been much development in their feud since it started in the summer and why it is ranked low among the buildups.
Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley in a No Holds Barred Match - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
Raw's most personal rivalry going into WWE Crown Jewel 2021 is between former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg. Ahead of SummerSlam 2021, the two men were on a collision course for the WWE Championship. Lashley dominated the contest at the event, which led to a referee stoppage when Goldberg couldn't continue after the damage to his leg.
Following the match, Lashley continued the beatdown on his opponent. Goldberg's son Gage came in the ring and jumped on The All Mighty's back. Lashley flipped him over and put on the Hurt Lock, which angered Goldberg. The WWE Hall of Famer has challenged Bobby Lashley to a No Holds Barred Match.
Goldberg threatened to kill his opponent at Crown Jewel 2021. It gets across how bitter this feud has become, but it also feels very extreme. The rivalry has been ongoing for several months now and will be its final blowoff in Saudi Arabia, but the death threats haven't increased the interest heading into the bout.
Big E vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
Big E will defend the WWE Championship for the first time on pay-per-view at Crown Jewel 2021. He will face former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. The New Day member concluded his feud with Bobby Lashley in a steel cage victory over the All Mighty on the September 27th, 2021 episode of Raw. Drew McIntyre came out afterwards to let Big E know that he was coming after the title.
McIntyre lost to Bobby Lashley at Hell In A Cell 2021 in a match where he could never get another shot at the gold against the All Mighty. Now that Lashley has lost the title, it opens the door for the Scottish Warrior's opportunity at Crown Jewel 2021. Over the past few weeks, Big E and Drew McIntyre have expressed their respect for one another and even teamed together.
On the October 11th, 2021 episode of Raw, the two men couldn't coexist, leading to a loss against SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos by countout. The show ended with McIntyre nailing Big E with the Claymore. This should be a competitive showdown, but the buildup hasn't set the world on fire.
Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods in the King of the Ring Tournament Finals - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
Crown Jewel 2021 will see the crowning of the next King of the Ring. Many fans have asked for the return of the popular tournament for the past two years and the company finally delivered. The Finals features two babyface WWE superstars in Finn Balor and Xavier Woods of the New Day.
Balor defeated Cesaro and Sami Zayn on the SmackDown side of the bracket. Both matches were very good and showed just how great Finn Balor is when given time to perform. Xavier Woods defeated Ricochet and Jinder Mahal on the Raw side. Woods has campaigned to become King of the Ring for years now, while Balor would elevate from Prince to King. This should be an excellent encounter.
Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks in a Triple Threat Match for the SmackDown Women's Championship - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
Becky Lynch defending the SmackDown Women's Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks has to be one of the most highly anticipated matches on the Crown Jewel 2021 card. These three women have been the centerpieces of the SmackDown women's division this year.
Bianca Belair defeated Sasha Banks to win the SmackDown Women's Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 37. The two women were supposed to have a rematch at SummerSlam 2021, but Sasha was not medically cleared and Becky Lynch stepped in. In a shocking contest, Lynch beat Belair in just 26 seconds to win the SmackDown Women's Championship.
At Extreme Rules 2021, Becky and Bianca had a rematch, but there was no conclusion due to Sasha Banks returning to attack both women. This sets the stage for this Triple Threat Match at Crown Jewel 2021. In the past few weeks, Sasha has beaten both Becky and Bianca in singles action. This bout has the potential to be a showstealer on this card.
Edge vs. Seth Rollins in a Hell In A Cell Match - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
For the first time in Saudi Arabia, there will be a Hell In A Cell Match at WWE Crown Jewel 2021. Edge will go one-on-one with Seth Rollins for the third time. This time, it will be inside of the Devil's Playground. The two men have been warring with one another since this past summer, but their conflict dates back to 2014.
Seven years ago, Seth Rollins threatened to stomp on the surgically repaired neck of Edge. This is something the Rated R Superstar will never forget. He took measures of revenge at the Royal Rumble 2020 and 2021 by eliminating Rollins, but their issues intensified at Money In The Bank 2021.
The main event of Money In The Bank saw Edge on the verge of beating Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship. However, Seth interfered and cost Edge the match, and the title. This set the stage for SummerSlam 2021 where the two former WWE Champions had the best match on the card, with Edge winning. Rollins avenged his loss with a win over Edge at Madison Square Garden.
Not only did Seth beat his rival, he stomped on his neck and Edge had to be stretchered out of MSG. He then added insult to injury by invading Edge's home. This crossed the line and set the WWE Hall of Famer off. He challenged Seth to a Hell In A Cell Match at Crown Jewel 2021. This has been a tremendously booked feud that has escalated to this final blowoff at the pay-per-view.
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship - WWE Crown Jewel 2021
The main event of WWE Crown Jewel 2021 will see Roman Reigns defend the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar. At SummerSlam 2021, Reigns defeated John Cena to retain his title. Following the win, Brock Lesnar returned and confronted the Tribal Chief.
Since the reappearance of the Beast Incarnate, the loyalty of Paul Heyman has been called into question by The Usos, Kayla Braxton and the WWE Universe. It has played mind games on Roman Reigns, which has only increased Brock Lesnar's appearances since then. Brock asked Heyman why he didn't let Roman know that he was returning to SummerSlam.
Lesnar then informed fans that he was not included in the WWE Draft and would be a free agent who could go to whichever brand he wanted, thanks to his advocate Paul Heyman. These statements have increased the anxiety and doubt Roman has in Heyman on the way to Crown Jewel 2021.
Their final segment together was a contract signing on the October 15th, 2021 episode of SmackDown. Reigns had Heyman look over the contract for their match at Crown Jewel and sign it, while Lesnar didn't even look at the contract and just signed it. When Roman questioned this, Brock let him know that his advocate Paul Heyman had already looked it over with him.
The angles and promos on the way to Crown Jewel 2021 have created so much intrigue and unpredictability on what will go down in this huge bout. They have given a fresh coat of paint to an encounter that has happened a few times over the past six years. That's why Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar has been the best buildup of any match on the WWE Crown Jewel 2021 card.
