WWE Crown Jewel: Predicting the full match-card 

The main event for Crown Jewel has already been announced
The main event for Crown Jewel has already been announced

Last night on Raw, the WWE confirmed the name of their next network special to take place in Saudi Arabia - Crown Jewel.

This will be the company's third event outside of the USA this year, and the second to take place in Saudi Arabia following on from April's Greatest Royal Rumble event.

While the card itself received mixed reviews, the company clearly saw the event as a success and wasted no time in announcing their continued presence in the country.

As with the other two non-USA network specials, the WWE will likely announce all of the matches for the event in one go, with little to no build. So before the company gets a chance to do that, let's have a go at predicting what the match card will look like at Crown Jewel.


Pre-show: World Cup quarterfinals

The WWE may have problems fitting the whole tournament on one card
The WWE may have problems fitting the whole tournament on one card

The Greatest Royal Rumble event was one of the longest events of the year so far, and there is every chance that Crown Jewel will run just as long, if not longer.

It is going to be interesting to see how the WWE manages to fit a whole tournament into one night, if that is what they decide to do, and they will likely have to use the pre-show to fit some of the matches in.

The quarterfinals can be kept short and sweet and the WWE could probably fit all four of them into an hour slot on the pre-show.


#1 Cedric Alexander Vs Buddy Murphy - Cruiserweight Championship

Cedric Alexander impressed on his last visit to Saudi Arabia
Cedric Alexander impressed on his last visit to Saudi Arabia

On their last trip to Saudi Arabia, the WWE made a big deal out of having all of their titles on the line at the event.

While that may be somewhat restricted this time around because of the World Cup tournament, the company is still likely to want to have as many belts on the line as possible at the event.

Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy are set to meet in a few weeks at Super Show Down in Australia, and there is every chance that Murphy will capture the title in his home country.

If that is the case, then Alexander will be entitled to a rematch, and that will probably end up taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Alexander put on one of the best matches at The Greatest Royal Rumble, defeating Kalisto in one of the night's early matches, and the WWE will probably be keen to get back out in front of the Saudi crowd to show them what he can do again.

#2 The New Day Vs Sanity Vs Rusev Day Vs The Bar - SmackDown Tag Team Championship

The New Day will be putting their titles on the line
The New Day will be putting their titles on the line

As they did at The Greatest Royal Rumble, the WWE is likely going to end up throwing a few matches together at Crown Jewel that would otherwise have no reason to exist.

The company will want to have as many of their stars on display as possible at the event, and multi-man matches are always an effective way of doing that.

The SmackDown tag-team division is bursting at the seams with talent at the moment and given enough time on the card, they could no doubt set a hot pace for the rest of the night.

#3 World Cup semifinals one and two

The Semi-Finals are likely to be on the main card
The Semi-Finals are likely to be on the main card

Following the announcement of Crown Jewel, the WWE also announced that a World Cup tournament of some kind would be taking place at the event.

While there is the possibility that the WWE will play the whole tournament out over the course of the night, if they decide to have at least 8 competitors, then that is a total of seven matches.

Instead, it seems more likely that the WWE will book the quarterfinal matches on an extended pre-show, and then have the semi-finals and the final take place at the event itself.

#4 World Cup final

The World Cup is going to take centre-stage at Crown Jewel
The World Cup is going to take centre-stage at Crown Jewel

The WWE is likely going to want to make a big show out of their first ever World Cup tournament at Crown Jewel, and the final will no doubt be featured in a prominent position on the card.

There is every chance, as they did at The Greatest Royal Rumble, that the match will be in the main-event slot, and that Vince McMahon and a Saudi official will present the winner with their trophy, to close the show.

#5 John Cena Vs Randy Orton

Big match John is not likely to miss the party
Big match John is not likely to miss the party

As they did with The Greatest Royal Rumble and Super Show-Down, the WWE will no doubt book John Cena in some random match-up at Crown Jewel because let's face it, Cena sells whether his matches make any sense or not.

The WWE has enjoyed given audiences prestige matches at these events, and John Cena Vs Randy Orton certainly falls into that category.

If several stars are going to be involved in the World Cup, then Orton is definitely the best option for Cena at the event.

#6 Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler Vs Seth Rollins * Dean Ambrose - Raw Tag Team Championship

Ziggler and McIntyre have restored prestige to the Raw tag titles
Ziggler and McIntyre have restored prestige to the Raw tag titles

The feud between The Show and The Shield produced one of the best matches of the year at Hell in a Cell, and the two teams are likely to lock up once again in Saudi Arabia.

The men traded victories back and forth on this week's Raw, and it looks as though the company are heading towards a rematch between the four-men in Saudi Arabia.

The two teams tore the house down at Hell in a Cell, and booking them in a match with some sort of stipulation at Crown Jewel may allow them to take things up one more notch, and also provide the night with the perfect hot opener.

#7 The Brothers of Destruction Vs D-Generation X

The Undertaker is trying to tempt Michaels back into the ring
The Undertaker is trying to tempt Michaels back into the ring

Shawn Michaels has not wrestled inside a WWE ring since 2010, but the lure of money looks to be enough to tempt him to lace his boots once again in Saudi Arabia.

The feud between Michaels and The Undertaker that is taking place on Raw at the moment is clearly heading towards an in-ring return from Michaels, and a tag team match for the ages in Saudi Arabia looks set to be his homecoming.

While purists will feel cheated by Michaels' in-ring return, a tag-team match is actually quite a smart way to ease him back into action. Michaels won't have to be too involved in the match and can perform his signature moves, receive a big pop from the crowd, and then go home and cash in his pay-check.

#8 The Miz Vs AJ Styles - WWE Championship

Will The Miz finally get a title shot?
Will The Miz finally get a title shot?

We already know that Roman Reigns will be defending his title belt in a triple-threat main-event match, so the question remains now as to what SmackDown's main event will be on the card.

With AJ Styles facing Samoa Joe at Super Show-Down, and The Miz facing Daniel Bryan in a number 1 contenders match at the same event, smart money would be on the winners of those two matches meeting in Saudi Arabia.

As they did at The Greatest Royal Rumble, the WWE will likely want to have some sort of historically significant moment take place at the event, and having the WWE title swap hands for the first time on the continent would provide the fans with exactly that.

The Miz has been on the precipice of something great for some time now, and having him win the WWE title from AJ Styles would be a fitting reward for all of the hard work he has put in over the last two years.

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