WWE Crown Jewel (October 2021)

Original Airdate: October 21, 2021

 

From Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia; Your Hosts are Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves

 

Opening Hell in a Cell Match: Seth Rollins v Edge: Edge comes at him to start, so Rollins starts throwing fists, but walks into a hotshot. Seth buys time by snapping Edge’s throat across the top rope, allowing Rollins a springboard flying high knee, and Edge ends up on the outside. Seth dives with a tope, but Edge sidesteps, and Rollins goes crashing into the cage. That was a silly looking spot considering Seth was nowhere near connecting with the move regardless of whether Edge moved or not. Edge grabs a chair as they head back in, but Seth is showing signs of life, so Edge gives him an implant DDT for two before using the weapon. Edge breaks off a piece of the chair to choke Rollins with, but Seth manages to block, and returns the favor. Sling blade gets him two, and a baseball slide knocks Edge to the outside. Seth sends him into the cage out there, and finds another chair to unload with on the way back in. Edge manages a crippler crossfire to buy time, but Rollins gets hold of the broken chair leg from earlier, and he gets himself free. He punches a chair into Edge’s face to set up a flying frogsplash for two, and the unprettier gets him two. To the top for a moonsault, but Edge gives him a hard shove, sending Seth flying into the cage, and down through a table. That was a pretty wild bump. It only gets two, so he uses an Edge-o-Matic on the steps, then dives with a chair-assisted flying elbowdrop for two. Seth comes back with a pedigree for two, but Edge counters the curb stomp with a bucklebomb into a spear for two. That triggers a ‘this is awesome’ chant, since people are pretty easily impressed these days, I guess. Edge brings a ladder into play next, but a whip into it in the corner gets reversed, and Seth sets up a table. He places Edge on it ahead of a dive off the ladder, but he takes forever getting up there, and Edge is able to meet him at the top. He tries a superplex, but Rollins counters with a sunset bomb through the table for two. Trio of superkicks leave Edge on dream street, allowing Rollins to find a chain. He wraps it around his boot ahead of another superkick, and then puts Edge’s head on a chair ahead of curb stomp with the chained boot, but Edge blocks. That allows him a few superkicks of his own, and he steals the chain to fishhook Rollins with. Seth grabs a wrench to try and whack his way free, but Edge steals it, and fishhooks him with that instead, but Rollins won’t quit. Edge responds by giving him his own curb stomp onto the chair, and that’s enough at 27:30. Thirty minutes is quite a statement as far as openers go. This was mostly slow and plodding, and would have been a lot more fun with all the fat trimmed off, and a quicker pace. * ½

 

Mustafa Ali v Mansoor: Feeling out process to start, dominated by Mansoor. He hits a standing moonsault for two, and a dropkick puts Ali on the outside to regroup. Back in, Mansoor uses a waistlock to take him down, but Ali fights into the corner to force a break, then takes a cheap shot when Mansoor gives him a clean one. Chops, but Mansoor turns the tables, and Ali bails again. Mansoor chases, but Ali pulls the rug out from under him on the apron, and Mansoor hits it hard on the way down. Ali gives him a trip into the barricade for good measure, and an Oklahoma roll gets him two on the way back inside. Ali works a camel clutch, but Mansoor escapes, so Ali uses a tornado DDT for two. He unloads in the corner, but Mansoor gets all fired up, and makes a comeback. Using an inverted atomic drop into a spinebuster is a good combo, and more people should use it. Mansoor turns him inside-out with a big clothesline, so Ali bails. Mansoor responds with a tope, but Ali blocks with a dropkick. Ali tries a dive on the way back in, but Mansoor dodges, and suplexes him into the buckles. Mansoor goes up with his own dive in the form of a flying moonsault, but he only gets two. Ali uses the momentum of the kickout to trap him in a submission, but Mansoor manages to make the ropes. Ali tries a flying 450 splash, but Mansoor dodges, and a slingshot neckbreaker gives Mansoor the pin at 9:44. This was fine. **

 

WWE RAW Tag Team Title Match: Randy Orton and Riddle v AJ Style and Omos: Riddle rides out on a camel, giving us the first WWE camel appearance since way back at WrestleMania IX. That's quite the drought. Good thing we're talking about camels, then. Riddle and Style start, and Riddle dominates with his educated feet. Over to Orton to unload in the corner, but AJ blocks the RKO, so Randy gives him a Garvin stomp instead. Back to Riddle for a senton splash for two, and a gutwrench suplex follows, but he fails to cut the ring in half, and Omos tags in. He knocks Riddle around for a bit, but Orton manages to sneak a tag. He tries coming at the monster with rights, but Omos ignores them, and shoulderblocks him down. Snake-eyes follows, and poor Omos is already out of moves, and needs to tag. And thank God, that was excruciating. Styles plants a dropkick for two, and it's back to Omos to... work a nervehold. Why tag him in if that's all he's going to do? Orton goes to the eyes to escape, allowing a tag to Riddle, and Riddle comes in hot on both challengers. Suplex on Styles leads to a senton splash, and a kick to the kisser gets him two. Fireman's carry, but Styles slips out, and lands a pele kick. Style Clash, but Riddle blocks, and a reversal sequence ends in Riddle connecting with a knee, before tagging out to Randy. Orton chucks Styles at Omos ahead of a powerslam, so AJ tries the Phenomenal Forearm, but lands in an RKO. That allows Riddle to dive with a flying somersault senton splash, and the champs retain at 8:41. Omos still looks terrible, and Styles was in cruise control here. *

 

WWE Queen's Crown Tournament Final Match: Zelina Vega v Doudrop: Doudrop powers her around to start, but Vega manages to block a pump-splash, and she lands a tornado DDT for two. High knee gets two, and a kneesmash in the corner knocks Doudrop dizzy for two. Doudrop comes back with a sidewalk slam for two, and a senton splash is worth two. Splash, but Vega dodges, and somehow defies physics with a Canadian destroyer to win the tournament at 5:49. ½*

 

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Bobby Lashley v Goldberg: Lashley pulls a chain out to beat on Goldberg with right from the get-go, and he chucks him through the buckles to draw hardway blood from the top of Goldberg's head. Less than a minute in, and that's somehow not even a record for Goldberg. Bobby bashes him with a chair next, and he barrels into Goldberg with a spear. Lashley wraps the chair around Goldberg's leg for some Pillmanizing, but a spear through a corner leaning table misses, and Bobby crashes through it himself. Goldberg with his own spear, and he hits the Jackhammer, but no cover. Instead, he dumps Lashley to the outside for further punishment, and he spears him through a section of the barricade. He tries to smash him with the steps, but Lashley dodges, and he bails up the ramp to try and buy time. The Hurt Business show up to pass him a kendo stick, and they try to run interference on his behalf, but Goldberg takes them out. That leaves Goldberg holding his own kendo stick, and he wins a duel with Bobby on the ramp. Spear off the ramp puts him through a conveniently placed table right beside the stage, and that gives Goldberg the pin at 11:24. This just kind of plodded along, very boring. ¼*

 

WWE King of the Ring Tournament Final Match: Finn Balor v Xavier Woods: Feeling out process to start, with Balor getting control, and trapping Woods in a cobra clutch. Xavier escapes and peppers Finn with some strikes, but a slingshot DDT is countered with a double stomp. Inverted DDT gets two, and a sling blade leads to a running dropkick, but Woods blocks with a superkick for two. Woods starts making a comeback, but Balor cuts him off with a pele kick, leaving both men looking up at the lights. Balor recovers first, but Woods cradles him for two, only to get knocked off the middle rope while climbing. Balor climbs, but Woods superplexes him off the top for two. He goes up with a flying elbowdrop, but Balor dodges, and uses the running dropkick to set up the Coup de Grace - only for Woods to move. Magistral cradle gets Woods two, and a gourdbuster sets up another flying elbowdrop - this one connecting for the crown at 9:37. ½*

 

WWE Title Match: Big E v Drew McIntyre: They measure each other some to start, with Drew dominating. They spill to the outside, where Drew launches him with a suplex on the floor, and inside, Drew hooks a cradle for two. Spinebuster into a somersault cradle gets two, but Big E comes back with a pair of overhead suplexes, and a belly-to-belly version. Drew fires back with his own duplex, and a neckbreaker follows. Future Shock DDT, but Big E blocks, and splashes him for two. Big Ending, but Drew counters with a cradle for two, and a scoop brainbuster is worth two. Drew dives, but Big E dodges, and uses a uranage for two. Drew tries a headbutt, but Big E absorbs it, and hooks a backslide for two. Drew fights him off with the Future Shock for two, but the Claymore gets countered with a powerbomb, and Big E hooks the leg into a submission. Drew counters to an ankle lock, but the champ quickly escapes, and uses the Big Ending for two! Big E tries another one off the middle, but Drew counters to a bulldog on the way down, getting him two. Claymore, but Big E ducks it. He tries a spear, but Drew is ready with the Claymore, sticking it this time, but only getting two! Drew tries his own take on the Ending, but Big E reverses to retain at 13:23. Good little match here. Pretty basic, but well worked, and engaging. ***

 

WWE Smackdown Women's Title Triple Threat Match: Becky Lynch v Bianca Belair v Sasha Banks: Everyone kind of beats up on Becky to start, dumping her to the outside so Belair can give Banks a one-handed press-drop. Becky pulls Belair to the outside ahead to a cover, however, so Banks hooks the champion in a victory roll for two. Reversal sequence ends in Becky hooking a crucifix for two, so Banks slaps her across the chops, and they do another reversal sequence. Sasha tries the Bank Statement, but Becky blocks, so Banks gives her the double-knees for two instead. Statement, but Belair saves. She grabs Sasha in a torture rack, but Becky dives with a dropkick to knock them both down, and she makes failed pin attempts on both challengers. Somersault necksnap on Belair sets up a lightning legdrop, and a bulldog gets her two. Lynch suplexes each of them for two, but an attempt at a double flying dropkick gets her caught, and dumped into the buckles. Belair and Banks do a pinfall reversal sequence that ends in Belair barreling into her with a shoulderblock, and she adds a dropkick. Brainbuster, but Banks counters to a three-alarm rolling vertical suplex. Upstairs for the flying frogsplash, but Bianca dodges, and she dumps Banks to the outside. Belair then charges Lynch in the corner, but Becky dodges, and they trade cradles. Belair gets the better of her with a powerbomb for two, but Becky blocks the KOD. Belair tries to recover with a splash, but Becky lifts her knees to block, and tries a backslide, but Banks breaks it up. Belair tries to respond with a standing moonsault, but Sasha dodges (in an ugly spot), and we get everyone piling up in a centipede submission that goes nowhere. Becky tries a dive on Sasha, but it misses, and the challenger hooks the Statement. Belair saves, so Sasha matslams her, but an attempt to use the braid backfires on her. Belair cradles, but Becky saves at two, and hits Banks with a uranage for two. One for Belair, but the challenger blocks, so Becky starts unloading in the corner instead. Did Cole just call Belair’s braid a ‘ponytail?' Everyone spills to the outside, where Becky gets the better of things, and she takes Bianca in to finish with the Dis-Arm-Her, but Banks saves. Becky responds by putting them both in the hold, but they work together to escape, and Banks drops Belair with a lungblower. Victory cradle for Becky, but Belair cuts it off, and hits Becky with the KOD. Sasha dumps Bianca before she can cover, however, and she tries to steal the pin for herself - only for Lynch to hook her in a cradle to retain at 19:21. This felt like it went on forever, but it wasn’t technically bad. ** ¾

 

Main Event: WWE Universal Title Match: Roman Reigns v Brock Lesnar: I know Lesnar hasn’t had a payday in a while, but is he… homeless now…? Roman controls by slugging him to start, so Brock goes for a German suplex, but Reigns blocks. Roman with more rights, so Brock tries for the suplex again, but Reigns holds the ropes to block. Brock manages to hit it on the third try, but Reigns blocks a second one to avoid falling into the trap. Roman pulls him to the outside for a trip into the post, but Brock shrugs it off, and tries the F5 on the floor. Roman manages to block, so Brock tries taking it back inside, but Reigns knocks him back to the outside with a Superman Punch. Reigns dives after him with a tope suicida, and a spear gets the champion two on the way back in. Another Superman connects, and a third takes Lesnar off of his feet. Spear, but Lesnar leapfrogs, and Reigns crashes into the corner. That stuns the champ enough for Brock to take him to suplex city, and the F5 connects, but Reigns has a shoulder up at two! Another F5, but Romans counters to the guillotine, and Lesnar is in trouble! He fades, but manages to retain a vertical base, and a spinebuster frees him. Another go at the F5 is successful, but the referee gets caught in the crossfire, and there’s no count. Brock responds by prodding the ref like a bear might, but that allows Reigns to recover with another spear. That leaves both men down, and Paul Heyman tosses the title belt in. Not to either man, but right in the middle, giving each a chance. Lesnar gets hold of it first, but the Uso’s run in and super kick it out of his hands, and Reigns retains at 12:20. A fun sports entertainment style match. ** ½

 

BUExperience: This was a mostly solid event with a few strong matches on top, but not strong enough to warrant the four hour investment this show demands.

 

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