Despite pressure from fans, mainstream media, and US Senators, mixed with the absence of John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Daniel Bryan, topped off by the fact that Hulk Hogan is hosting, somehow, WWE Crown Jewel is actually happening on November 2.
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The Saudi Arabian event has been subjected to no shortage of scrutiny in recent weeks as WWE opted to charge forward with Crown Jewel in the face of a tsunami of controversy. The murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi—allegedly by the Saudis—has American entities severing or freezing their relationship with the country.
But WWE couldn’t find enough justification to cancel their plans, so the show must go on.
And since Crown Jewel will happen Friday at 12 noon ET on the WWE Network, we’ll be watching. Here are a few talking points headed into WWE’s first (and hopefully last) show marred by geopolitical interests.
Who Will Crown Jewel Miss More: John Cena or Daniel Bryan?
Connor Casey: By all accounts, the excellent match Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles had on SmackDown this week was the exact match they had planned for Crown Jewel. Based on what we got, that bout probably would’ve wound up being the match of the night, and I have a feeling we’ll be missing a match like that about three matches into the ho-hum World Cup tournament. I’ll go with Bryan because of what Friday’s show is losing.
Jack Snodgrass: Well in terms of people who bought tickets, they’ll likely be bummed to know John Cena won’t be there. Apparently, WWE planned to have Cena lose to Rey Mysterio in the World Cup final, and I’m not sure why, but I’d rather have seen that than Bryan vs. AJ Styles.
Ryan Droste: I think overall you’d have to go with Cena. He’s the biggest star in the company, bar none, and no doubt a lot of people were looking forward to seeing him given his participation in WWE this year has been very low. In terms of the show’s quality, though, definitely Bryan. He and Styles would have had a classic match at the show, though that bout this week on SmackDown wasn’t too shabby.
The Shawn Michaels Comeback is Real. How Do You Feel?
Connor Casey: Numb. I’ve thought of and listened to people pitch so many Michaels return matches over the years, and I couldn’t care less about what we’re getting. Even if you can remove all of the politics surrounding the show and the reasons why this match is even happening, the idea of a 53-year-old Michaels rolling around with and out-of-shape Undertaker and Knox County Mayor Kane just makes me feel sad. I already want this match to be over so I can forget about it.
Jack Snodgrass: Outside of Taker and HBK’s first dueling promo, I’ve wanted to see exactly none of this. It’s not that it’s bad, it just feels weird.
Ryan Droste: Shawn Michaels is one of my top five favorite wrestlers of all time. In the 1990s, I was a huge HBK mark. In the early 2000s, his comeback was one of my most anticipated moments as a fan. This? It honestly hasn’t interested me that much. Shawn had one of the greatest send-offs in wrestling history in 2010 and the shear fact that this is all about being a cash-grab has kind of ruined the appeal for me. I’m just not that into it.
Most of Crown Jewel Will Be Dedicated to the ‘World Cup’ — What Are You Hoping For?
Connor Casey: Here’s my pitch: Orton vs. Angle in the finals. Angle wins, giving him a nice little feather in his cap and warming fans up for more Angle matches down the road. On top of that Orton is kicked off SmackDown due to the Shane McMahon stipulation, allowing him to go back to Monday Night Raw and wreak havoc as a member of the Raw team for Survivor Series.
Jack Snodgrass: Randy Orton getting fired and jumping to Raw is probably WWE’s best option. With Reigns’ situation, Cena’s Hollywood ambitions, and Lesnar’s ability to be unavailable, Raw needs star power and The Viper is one of WWE’s best.
Ryan Droste: I agree with my two colleagues that sending Orton to RAW would be a breath of fresh air. The show could certainly use a new top heel. I wouldn’t mind seeing Angle or Mysterio get the feel good win in the finals. It’s not like winning this is going to be a springboard for superstardom for anyone so I see no reason you shouldn’t have the older guys win.
Could Samoa Joe Finally Nab the WWE Championship?
Connor Casey: My heart says yes, but my head says Styles hasn’t broken CM Punk’s 434-day reign yet, so WWE will keep it on him until then.
Jack Snodgrass: Samoa Joe has gotten awfully good at not winning WWE Championship matches this year. I don’t see them coming off of Styles here, and maybe not or a while.
Ryan Droste: No. With Styles having held the title this long, they aren’t going to have him drop it at a show that hardly anyone in North America is watching live.
Is There Anyway Brock Lesnar Leaves Crown Jewel as Universal Champion?
Connor Casey: Probably not. I think WWE was so hell-bent on conditioning fans to not like Lesnar as champion in the last few months of his run that they’ll hesitate to give it back to him so quickly. Plus a Braun Strowman world championship win would likely leave fans happy in spite of how lackluster the DX vs. Brothers of Destruction will turn out.
Jack Snodgrass: It’s possible. He could win, then drop it at the Royal Rumble to Strowman or Drew McIntyre. But I think WWE is fine with giving the big red belt to Strowman at Crown Jewel and anything else would be a surprise.
Ryan Droste: It is absolutely possible. Would it be a smart move? I think no. Honestly, if anyone other than Lesnar had held the belt last year, Strowman probably would have won it as far back as a year ago when he first started getting mega over with the fans. However, the company was dead set on the Roman/Brock match at WrestleMania so there was no way they could do the title switch, even with a new face like Strowman catching fire. Due to the unfortunate situation with Reigns, this is a good opportunity to give Braun his run and see what happens.
Pick the WrestleMania 35 Opponents for Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker
Connor Casey: Shawn Michaels vs. AJ Styles, Triple H vs. Batista and Undertaker vs. The Early Bird Special at a local restaurant in Austin, Texas (he’s staying home).
Jack Snodgrass. I only want to see Triple H. vs. Batista. And I think that’s all we’ll get. HBK and Taker are 53.
Ryan Droste: Triple H vs. Batista for certain. If Michaels does work the show, I would think that it would be against Styles, Undertaker, or Bryan. Of those, HBK/Bryan is the one I would want to see the most given the history of Bryan training at the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy. The Undertaker has wrestled more this year than at any point in many years so it would seem WrestleMania is a good bet. Against who? Your guess is as good as mine.
Sum Up the Crown Jewel Controversy in One Sentence:
Connor Casey: I’m ready for the WWE’s normal pay-per-view schedule again.
Jack Snodgrass: Now that Hulk Hogan is hosting, I feel like I live in a Salvador Dali painting.
Ryan Droste: On top of everything else, I can’t believe they thought it was a good idea to add Hulk Hogan to this show too.
