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This past week, WWE has announced their second stadium show in Saudi Arabia this year. From the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, WWE Crown Jewel will take place on Friday, 2nd November. The main event and overall concept of the show have already been announced.
After the cheap and uninspiring finish at Hell In A Cell, Roman Reigns will defend his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar in a triple threat match. This is sure to be explosive. These three have faced each other in every possible way, except for a triple threat between all of them.
The excitement doesn't end there. WWE has also announced that Crown Jewel will feature the first-ever WWE World Cup. This is a very interesting prospect and hopefully, they execute it in the right way. Presumably, we will get a whole bunch of tournament matches on this show along with the main event Universal title match.
However, we will still get more matches on this potentially intriguing card. We can be sure that WWE will pull out all the stops to make this show an extremely memorable one, they will be receiving the money to do just that.
Just like the scale, magnitude and star power of the Greatest Royal Rumble event, Crown Jewel will be loaded and jam-packed with superstars from the past and the present. No further matches have been confirmed yet, but there are quite a few possibilities.
If you count a probable five to six tournament matches along with the main event, WWE can still book a handful of matches on the show. Matches that could potentially live long in the memories of those witnessing it. Here are five matches that will likely be added to WWE Crown Jewel.
#5 Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre (RAW Tag Team Championship)
The program between The Shield and the heels of Raw, particularly Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, is not ending anytime soon. We are going to see a six-man tag team match at Super Showdown in Australia, having already seen a Hell in a Cell Universal title match and a blinder of a Raw Tag Team Championship match.
At Hell In A Cell, Ziggler and McIntyre beat Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose by the skin of their teeth to retain their tag team titles. It was one hell of a match, probably the best on the entire show. These four men have done an amazing job in turning the entire legitimacy of the Raw tag team division around in an instant.
These two tandems are undoubtedly capable of putting together another classic tag team match, this time in Saudi Arabia. Rollins and Ambrose could potentially capture the titles from the heels at some point in the coming month, perhaps at Super Showdown. If not, this could be the Shield brothers’ rematch.
Anyway, to be honest, any flaws and loopholes in the storytelling in this feud would be forgiven after a tag title match between these two teams. WWE is dedicating some huge matches to the Saudi shows, the fans there really are spoilt. When it comes to the Raw Tag Team Championship, it does not get bigger than Ziggler and McIntyre vs Rollins and Ambrose.
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura vs Rey Mysterio (United States Championship)
Rey Mysterio has been heavily rumoured to be returning to WWE on a two-year contract. This has sparked a lot of excitement, including speculation about the various dream matches Mysterio could have in the company.
One of the first matches to be booked for the former World Heavyweight Champion is against the United States Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura. This has some serious potential to be a classic, but only if they decide to get out of first gear at Riyadh.
The story also would be solid, as Mysterio has never won the United States Championship in WWE. It has been an extremely long time since we have seen him in a proper WWE storyline.
The Ultimate Underdog made a surprise return to WWE in this year's Royal Rumble Match, he was one of the best surprise entrants in recent Rumble history. Mysterio also competed in the Greatest Royal Rumble Match, at the last Saudi show, entering at number 28 from 50.
He will surely be a part of the second Saudi show of the year but not in the World Cup, because another certain Mexican wrestler could do with the rub of representation. Before we get to the classic dream matches featuring the likes of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Andrade Cien Almas himself, Rey Mysterio will get a crack at the one championship he hasn't won in WWE. This will also make Shinsuke Nakamura's US Title reign feel much more significant.
#3 Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin
Kurt Angle was removed as the general manager of Raw on the night after SummerSlam in favour of Stephanie McMahon's appointed 'Constable’ Baron Corbin. It is a fun change, having an active competitor be the authority of the show. It has done wonders for Corbin, who was terribly languishing in the Raw mid-card with that hairline of his.
His new role has really improved his position on the card, not to mention the haircut. The Lone Wolf looks much, much better now than he did with his hair. While his matches are still not exactly that exciting, the character change has worked well. Corbin feels more interesting now than ever before.
Angle was sent on a ‘vacation’ from Raw GM duties, as Corbin took over. Before that, the Olympic Hero was upstaged by the former Constable at every turn since he was appointed so in June. The 2017 WWE Hall of Famer has been thrown around a lot by heels, whether it be Stephanie McMahon, Triple H or Corbin.
He did get some sort of revenge on the former two, alongside Ronda Rousey, at WrestleMania though. He is yet to get his hands on Baron Corbin. It has been widely speculated that this 'vacation’ Kurt Angle is on is setting him up for a full-time wrestling return. If that is so, expect his first match back to be against the guy who has tormented him for months. Baron Corbin better be prepared for the wrestling machine!
#2 Samoa Joe vs Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship)
This match is purely based on what happens at Super Showdown. It is quite possible, and probably the likeliest outcome, that Daniel Bryan finally beats The Miz to earn a WWE Championship opportunity while Samoa Joe dethrones long-standing Champion AJ Styles to become the man on Smackdown.
To be honest, any combination of these four wrestlers would be a treat to watch. They are all WWE Championship material. However, Samoa Joe vs Daniel Bryan is a match that seemed like it would never happen in WWE. But it will. And it is going to be wonderful. We have seen these two tear it up before, they can do the same at the biggest platform possible.
Bryan and Joe are two of the most genuine wrestlers on the microphone and have that rare ability to grip the audience with their every word. Only a few performers have that skill. However, the one place they operate the best in is the ring. These two both have relatively hard-hitting styles, we could see some real stiffness in Saudi.
We did get to see a picture of what they are capable of in a triple threat match on Smackdown, also involving Big Cass. But a one-on-one match between Bryan and Joe is sure to be a classic, especially if the WWE Championship is on the line. This would also be Daniel Bryan's first WWE Championship match since his last title defence against Kane, at Extreme Rules 2014.
#1 Brothers Of Destruction vs DX (Tag Team Match)
Yes, it is going to happen. They have heavily teased it. There is no other match we could see at Crown Jewel involving this group, except for maybe Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels. It will be a surreal moment, that is for sure, but one would wonder just how ready Michaels is for an in-ring return.
He has remained in tip-top shape, but he hasn't wrestled in almost nine years. HBK's retirement at WrestleMania 26 was probably the best retirement in WWE history, purely because he hasn't gone back on it since then. However, that perfect retirement is at risk of being tainted if Michaels does not live up to the ridiculously high expectations people will have for him.
As things stand, HBK will be in Triple H's corner as he takes on The Undertaker at Super Showdown. The Deadman has called upon his Brother of Destruction, Kane to be in his corner in Melbourne. Things are sure to get physical between all involved, leading to this massive tag match in Saudi Arabia.
One would also wonder the amount of money Michaels would be receiving to return in the circumstances he is. We should expect something special to go down in his return match. Will it be a one-off? Who knows? But we should note that the fact of Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement means that he will be having something special up his sleeve. Whatever that is, it promises to be a huge night.
While Shawn Michaels returning for at least one more match would be a really cool visual, it might possibly threaten his legacy and the legendary retirement he had. Hopefully, we get the same, old Heartbreak Kid who stole every show and every heart, right until his final match. Here's to him doing it again at Crown Jewel!
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