WWE Crown Jewel 2019 Predictions and Pressing Questions

WWE latest event as part of its ongoing deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Crown Jewel, takes place on Thursday in Riyadh. The company is coming off of a woefully-reviewed Hell in a Cell pay-per-view and its last Saudi event, Super ShowDown, wasn’t well-received either. But it appears the creative team is shaking up the format, adding major names from other combat sports — Cain Velasquez and Tyson Fury — to the card rather than retired legends like Shawn Michaels and Goldberg. The show’s headlining matches include WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Velasquez, Fury vs. Braun Strowman and Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

As is tradition with every pay-per-view, we here at ComicBook.com have gathered our team of wrestling writers to break down the biggest questions heading into the show and pick who will come out on top.

Check out their picks in the list below, and remember to post yours down in the comments!

The First Three Saudi Events Have Been Pretty Lackluster. Does This Show Break the Streak?

Connor Casey: While I’m glad the company isn’t relying on retired wrestlers like Shawn Michaels or Bill Goldberg, I’m still pretty worried about this one. We have no idea what Fury is going to look like, it’s unclear if Cain will be allowed to use the lucha styles he showed off in AAA (plus his worked punches are just terrible), Team Hogan vs. Team Flair feels like the ultimate house show match and the Rollins vs. Wyatt stipulations feels like they’re setting up for more shenanigans. The first three Saudi events all felt like glorified house shows, and this one will have to do a lot to shake off that perception. 

Ryan Droste: No. It’s probably more indicative of the entire product being in a rut right now, but I just sense a complete lack of excitement whatsoever in this show. There’s really nothing on the show I’m looking forward to and likely more disappointment when it comes to Rollins/Wyatt (more on that in a minute).

Matt Aguilar: To me this is the strongest card of all the Saudi Arabia events, especially with Lesnar Velasquez and Fury Strowmon on the books, and the Team Hogan Team Flair matchup should be a great match even if it is without much meaning beyond that. 

Cain Velasquez or Tyson Fury — Who Has the Better Match?

Connor: Cain, only because he’s at least wrestled once before and probably won’t go very long with Lesnar. 

Ryan: Cain for the same reasons Connor listed. Experience matters.

Matt: Yeah, going for the three count and saying Cain, just because of past experience.

Book an Ending for Rollins vs. Wyatt That Doesn’t Enrage People

Connor: Wyatt wins. It really is that simple. For weeks I’ve heard how WWE “booked itself into a corner” with Hell in a Cell‘s ending, but I never heard a good reason why Wyatt shouldn’t have won the championship. And all of the ridiculousness that first match had would’ve been forgiven if Wyatt simply beat Rollins. Unfortunately I’ve got a nagging feeling they’ve got something else planned that will keep the title on Rollins and make the fans resent Rollins. Again. 

Ryan: I’m still of the opinion that not having Wyatt win at Hell In A Cell was a ludicrous, mind-numbing decision, so I’d say Wyatt winning here makes sense. However, with him now a member of SmackDown, that would create a whole host of issues. They’ve created a mess here.

Matt: Here’s the thing, as long as it has a definitive ending I’m pretty sure people will be fine with it, as that was the main issue with the last time these two faced each other. That said, the best for all parties would be for Rollins to lose to Fiend and have Fiend take the belt, and then figure out some way to get the belt back over to Raw, because having Fiend lose to Rollins just doesn’t make sense here.

Which Team Takes the World Cup?

Connor: Viking Raiders. It’s not often you hear a WWE wrestler mention their accomplishments from outside the company, yet War Machine/War Raiders/Viking Experience/Viking Raiders weren’t afraid to mention that they’ve held the Raw, NXT, IWGP Heavyweight and Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships. My hunch is that they keep piling on the team’s accomplishments by giving them the trophy and keeping their unbeaten streak intact. 

Ryan: I’ll go with The New Day, simply because they’ve really dropped the ball with Kofi since he lost the title. It’s like he doesn’t even care to go after his championship, so at least this would give him something to hang his hat on. Plus, Kofi is by far the biggest star in this match, so it makes sense for his team to win. They could dedicate it to their injured partner, Xavier Woods.

Matt: HEAVY MACHINERY! Okay okay, that’s the heart’s pick, but honestly they’ve been doing stellar work for a while now so I’d be very happy to see them get a run with this best Tag Team in the world moniker. As for who I think will win, my money goes to Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins or The New Day, because both teams can make that best in the world gimmick work.

We’ve Never Seen a Champion Lose Their Title in Saudi Arabia. Does That Happen This Time?

Connor: I’ll say no. Brock gets his win back over Velasquez, Rollins beats Wyatt via some eye-rolling shenanigans and Styles beats whoever wins the battle royal (my guess is he keeps the title for a full year to wipe Dean Ambrose from the record books). 

Ryan: No. It makes virtually no sense to change a championship at a show that is during the middle of the week, during the middle of the afternoon North American time, that hardly any American fans are watching live. A major championship, anyway. 

Matt: Well, if the Rollins Fiend scenario wasn’t a mess I would say no, but being that they don’t want to enrage people more, who knows, maybe Rollins will lose his belt to Fiend here.

As of Right Now, What’s Your Main Event for Survivor Series?

Connor: Brock Lesnar vs. The Fiend, Champion vs. Champion. Tell me that’s not a match that gets you excited!

Ryan: I’d love Lesnar vs. Wyatt. I mean, they can’t actually do Rollins vs. Lesnar again, right? That would  be….uninspiring. So with Wyatt a member of the SmackDown roster, I suppose Wyatt vs. Lesnar is possible even without it being a champion vs. champion match.

Matt: Hmmm, nothing really sticks out at the moment so will say Lesnar Fiend as well. At least that would be interesting, but hoping another match comes to the forefront before the pay-per-view.