'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
WWE will host the Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia after a gap of nearly two years. The event will air this Thursday, featuring some big matches.
Randy Orton and Riddle will defend the RAW Tag Team Championships against AJ Styles and Omos. WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg will try to "end Bobby Lashley at Crown Jewel.
The King of the Ring final and, the first-ever Queen’s Crown tournament final will also take place in Saudi Arabia.
Becky Lynch will face Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in a Triple Threat Match. Brock Lensar will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal title.
Big E will make his first pay-per-view WWE Championship defense against Drew McIntyre, while Edge and Seth Rollins will battle inside Hell in a Cell.
With so many big matches scheduled for the international event, take a look at the five things that must happen at Crown Jewel.
#5. Bobby Lashley must shelve Goldberg at WWE Crown Jewel
Goldberg will face Bobby Lashley in one of the biggest grudge matches of the night.
Both fought for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. The referee stopped the match after Goldberg was unable to continue following an attack by MVP.
After the contest, his son, Gage, tried to help Goldberg out. Lashley ripped Gage apart and infuriated Goldberg even more. While Goldberg wants to end The Almighty at Crown Jewel, the latter wants to end the Hall of Famer's career.
Most fans expect Goldberg to win the contest at Crown Jewel as he will be a fan-favorite in Saudi Arabia. However, WWE must allow Bobby Lashley to dominate the Hall of Famer and pick up the win.
After the match, Lashley must continue to attack Goldberg and shelve him for some time. The ending will allow Lashley to draw more heat as a heel and make Hurt Business even stronger.
#4. Mansoor and Mustafa Ali must patch up at WWE Crown Jewel
Hometown hero Mansoor will get another singles match at WWE Crown Jewel this year. He will face his former partner Mustafa Ali.
Ali and Mansoor had a good partnership on RAW before the creative team decided to split them up. It’s obvious that WWE wanted a singles opponent for Mansoor for Crown Jewel and Ali looked like the perfect option.
The hometown boy will likely pick up the win at the pay-per-view. Mansoor also defeated Cesaro last year at Crown Jewel.
However, WWE must allow the two men to patch up after the match is over. Ali could turn face following the contest and embrace Mansoor to reform the team.
Mansoor and Ali have the potential to get in the Tag Team Titles scene. Reuniting them will help WWE give the current champions some good matches in the months to come without having the titles change hands.
#3. The SmackDown Women’s Championship match must get adequate time at WWE Crown Jewel
This Thursday at Crown Jewel, the SmackDown Women’s Championship will become the first women’s title to be defended in Saudi Arabia. Defending champion Becky Lynch will take on Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair in a huge Triple Threat match.
No matter the result, WWE must give the women’s match adequate time to entertain the fans in Saudi Arabia. WWE has delivered several short women’s matches in recent months, leading to fan backlash.
Lynch, Belair, and Banks are three of the best in the business, and WWE must give them a good spot on the card. It will allow women’s wrestling to leave a mark in the kingdom.
Natalya and Lacey Evans got close to eight minutes during the last Crown Jewel event. This year, WWE must aim to give women a lot more time in the ring.
#2. Big E must retain his WWE Championship at WWE Crown Jewel
Big E will mark his first pay-per-view WWE Championship defense at Crown Jewel. He will defend the title against Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre spent a large part of 2019 and 2020 in the WWE Championship picture. The Scottish Warrior is looking to win the WWE Championship before moving to SmackDown post-Crown Jewel.
Meanwhile, Big E is looking to have a long world championship reign. He’s been a fan-favorite character and will be a big draw in Saudi Arabia.
Even though McIntyre has proven to be a good WWE Champion before, WWE must hand him a loss at Crown Jewel.
Big E deserves a longer run after waiting so many years to win a world title. WWE must allow him to hit the Big Ending on McIntyre to retain his title on Thursday.
Meanwhile, McIntyre will move to SmackDown after Crown Jewel and could soon work his way up to the Universal Championship picture.
#1. Paul Heyman must nearly cost Roman Reigns his title at WWE Crown Jewel
WWE Crown Jewel could turn out to be a pivotal moment in Paul Heyman’s career. He is currently working as Roman Reigns’ special counsel. However, things have been difficult for him since the return of his former client, Brock Lesnar.
Heyman’s loyalty has been tested and questioned many times over the past couple of months. No one knows if Heyman is helping Lesnar behind the scenes.
The Beast Incarnate has also made a few interesting revelations, leading to more doubts. At Crown Jewel, WWE must use these angles to take things to the next level.
Paul Heyman can cause a distraction at Crown Jewel to nearly cost Reigns the match. However, Roman Reigns should recover to defeat Brock Lesnar and retain his Universal Championship.
Following the match, Roman Reigns should have more doubts about his special counsel. Heyman might be forced to join Lesnar again in the months to come.
