It is going to be very hard to be beat this one. After years of disappointing and often embarrassing results surrounding their annual trip to Saudi Arabia, WWE finally has a Crown Jewel even they can be proud of. WWE has always wanted the show to be on the level of a WrestleMania. That aspiration came true as today’s event from the Mohammed Abdu Arena was one of the, if not the best show of 2021.
The blockbuster card delivered on every level and with every match, except for the finals of the Queen’s Crown tournament which was just a mess with Doudrop and Zelina Vega not being able to compensate or work with their difference in size. Everyone across the board stepped up their game perhaps because with AEW gaining momentum the WWE felt like they had something to prove.
Although Edge versus Seth Rollins was easily the match of the night and a definite Match of the Year candidate, it was Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship that was the main event. The WWE continued to pattern Roman’s reign as Universal Champion after Hulk Hogan’s time as champion. Hogan had every monster fed to him until André the Giant wrestled the title away from him ending his reign at approximately four years. Every WWE superstar full and part-time have been fed to Roman too in order to bolster RomanMania so it should be no surprise that Brock ‘The Beast’ Lesnar was no different at Crown Jewel.
The Beast muscled Reigns at the start kicking and pounding him into one of the corners. Reigns desperately held onto the ropes as Lesnar was about to take him on a trip to Suplex City. Roman stunned Lesnar with haymaker blows sending him staggering into the ropes. Lesnar though retaliated by scooping up Reigns easily, carrying him across the ring and driving him into a corner for a shoulder tackle barrage.
Brock battles Reigns. Courtesy: WWE.
Roman receives his first suplex of the evening as Brock wipes away some blood from a cut on the side of his face. Lesnar tugged at Roman who holds onto a corner for dear life fearful of being suplexed once again. Lesnar uses some more shoulder tackles and stomps to bring Reigns down to the canvass. Reigns retreats to the apron where he guillotines Lesnar on the top rope. Reigns tries to pull Lesnar’s legs out from under him but The Beast is too strong. He kicks Roman off into the ringside barrier.
Reigns catches Lesnar as he comes out to the floor with a punch. Roman follows up by ramming Lesnar’s head off a steel ring post. Roman takes a breather to refocus his attack. Dueling “Suplex City!” and “Roman Reigns!” chants echo throughout the arena. Roman throws caution to the wind diving over the top rope on top of Lesnar.
Back in the ring, Roman spears Lesnar for a two count with Micheal Cole jumping the gun and calling the match as a “dominant” victory by Reigns. My definition of “dominant” and Cole’s might greatly differ. While Roman has given as good as he has gotten thus far he hasn’t dominated anything.
A Superman Punch drives Lesnar to a knee. A second brings Lesnar down. Reigns does his obnoxious battle cry rushing at Lesnar for a spear. Lesnar leaps over Roman. Reigns crashes head-first into the steel post. Both men are down.
With a gleam in his eye, Lesnar German Suplexes Roman three times in a row. Roman kicks out of an F5. Lesnar drags Reigns to his feet for another F5. This time, Roman reverses it into a guillotine. Lesnar looks like he is going to pass out. Instead, he slams Roman with a spinebuster. Lesnar goes for another F5. He overcompensates and a spinning Reigns hits the official on his way down. Lesnar pins Reigns but there is no official to count the fall. Lesnar growls before picking up the official by his belt and dropping him back down on the mat. The referee rolls out of the ring to the floor.
While Lesnar checks out how the official is doing, Roman spears him. Both men are down again. Having not shown any emotion or who he might favour for the entire match, standing as still as a statue, Paul Heyman suddenly comes to life.
The Beast at his best. Courtesy: WWE.
Heyman slides the championship belt into the ring right between Roman and Brock.
“I don’t know what to do with it!” he shouts to nobody in particular.
Roman and Brock have a tug of war over the title. Lesnar wins until the Usos storm the ring super kicking him in the face. Reigns bashes Lesnar in the head with the belt and he pins The Beast to retain the Universal Championship.
The women’s triple threat match for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship should have and could have been better than it was, however, the WWE’s instance of booking triple threat matches with the third wheel always disappearing to the arena floor as if a mountain were dropped on them so that the other two can wrestle alone, Becky Lynch’s exaggerated expressions which have reached Shawn Michaels levels of comical absurdity and far too many spots that didn’t look natural but were clearly rehearsed and planned, brought the entire bout down.
Bianca Belair ended up hitting the Kiss of Death on Lynch. Banks stopped the EST of WWE from making the pinfall. Not paying attention to Lynch, Banks was pinned as Becky used the ropes for leverage to retain the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship which means that title is heading to Raw and Charlotte is bringing the WWE Raw Women’s Championship to SmackDown tomorrow night. The announcers act like this is just crazy but just like in previous years you know they are just going to have Charlotte and Lynch trade belts at some point.
As mentioned above, there were many fantastic matches at Crown Jewel but the best was Rollins and Edge’s Hell in a Cell match in which Rollins finally avenged that crapfest he had with Bray Wyatt at the Hell in a Cell event in 2019.
I will say it a million times though, Mr. Rollins. Only douche bags don’t wear socks with their dress shoes. Buy some socks, man. Soon. Like, yesterday.
An angry Edge unleashes his hatred on Rollins as soon as the bell rings. He charges Rollins immediately peppering him with haymakers. Rollins gets dropped on the top rope and a boot to the face. Edge steps out of the way so that Rollins leaps into the steel cage. Edge slams Rollins into the steel post and the cage. Edge breaks off part of a steel chair. He looks to stick it in Rollins’ mouth. Rollins fights him off and tries to ram it into Edge’s eye socket. Rollins smashes Edge’s head into the cage as the crowd cheers Edge on. Rollins goes for some plunder under the ring. Edge drop kicks him into the cage. Rollins picks up the chair Edge brought in the ring and just beats him with it. The crowd chants: You suck! at Rollins. Edge prevents a Conchairto but takes a piece of the chair to his eye as Rollins tries to blind him?
Rollins throws the chair into Edge’s then busies himself setting up a table on the floor. The announcers wonder if Edge is blind in one eye now. Edge shoves Rollins off the top rope. Rollins collides with the cell and he falls right through the table below shattering it.
Edge brings the steel steps into the ring. Rollins takes an Edge-O-Matic on them. Edge dives off the top rope with a steel chair and comes crashing down Mick Foley style for a two count. Rollins stops a spear with a boot to the face. A Pedigree scores him a two count. Rollins has his Stomp turned into a buckle bomb and a spear. Edge gets a two count. Edge pulls another table from under the ring, pauses, smiles and also slides a ladder out.
Edge goes hardcore. Courtesy: WWE.
Edge sets up a ladder in a corner. Rollins throws him into it. Rollins sets-up another table in the middle of the ring and pounds on his neck before laying him on it. Rollins powerbombs Edge off the ladder and through the table. Afterwards, Edge’s back is bleeding from many scrapes and cuts. Some pieces of wood seem to be actually embeded in his back. Rollins still only gets a two count. He hurls away parts of the broken table in frustration.
Rollins takes a steel chain and wraps it around his boot. Rollins super kicks Edge in the face.
“This is how your fairy tale ends!” yells Rollins as he prepares to Stomp on Edge’s head with the chain.
Edge hits Rollins in the “lower abdomen” with a steel chair as he rushes in. He rips the chain off of Rollins’ boot and locks on the crossface with it. Rollins reaches for a wrench. Edge takes it from him and uses that instead for the crossface dropping the chain. Rollins is about to tap out. Edge lets go of the hold. He has a better idea. He Stomps Rollins’ head into a steel chair to win the match.
The next WWE event is Survivor Series on November 21st.
WWE Crown Jewel 2021 results
The Usos versus The Hurt Business
This is a non-title, pre-show match. The Hurt Business almost KO’s Jey with a jumping knee to the jaw as they cut him off from his corner and his brother for almost the entire match. The crowd is solidly behind the Usos though. Jey finally makes the hot-tag to Jimmy who blisters through anyone in his way. Sheldon catches Jimmy with a knee from the apron. Alexander almost pins him with a brainbuster. Alexander takes a double super kick to the face and an Uso splash and gets pinned. Michael Cole says the Usos were “dominant” in the match when Jimmy was being beaten from pillar to post for almost the entire match. I really do think Cole needs to carry around a dictionary, preferably an Oxford edition.
Winners: The Usos at 10 minutes and 40 seconds.
Match Rating: 7 / 10
To introduce the show, the WWE has a massive fireworks display and a flying carpet graphic? Really, WWE? A flying carpet? Oookay. And in case you didn’t know where the show is coming from the WWE has live camels at ringside too. I am serious.
Edge versus Seth Rollins – Hell in a Cell Match
Winner: Edge at 26 minutes and 22 seconds.
Rating: 10 / 10
Mansoor versus Mustafa Ali
Mansoor and Olympian Tareg Hamedi. Courtesy: WWE.
Ali takes things slow in an attempt to teach Mansoor a lesson and keep him grounded. Ali chops Mansoor in a corner.
“How do you like your homeboy now?” yells Ali to the crowd.
Ali leaps through the ropes slamming Mansoor’s head into the ringside barrier. Ali puts Mansoor into a camel clutch in the middle of the ring. A tornado DDT gets Ali a two count.
“You are loser! You are worthless!” shouts Ali as he stomps the crap out of Mansoor in a corner.
Mansoor leaps through the ropes. Ali catches him with a kick to the head. Mansoor dives to the apron thwarting Ali’s 450 Splash. Mansoor hits a neckbreaker from the apron to pin Ali.
Ali attacks Mansoor from behind. A mysterious figure appears on the rampway. His face is covered with a keffiyeh. When he gets to the ring he reveals himself to be Tareg Hamedi, the karate champion who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics this year.
Cole calls him a “karate fighter”. Ugh.
“You think you are tough?” laughs Ali dancing around Hamedi.
Hamedi knocks Ali out with one kick. Hamedi helps Mansoor to his feet. They celebrate.
Winner: Mansoor at 12 minutes and 14 seconds.
Match Rating: 7 / 10
RK-Bro versus AJ Styles and Omos – WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Matt Riddle, Randy Orton and a camel. Courtesy: WWE.
Riddle comes to the ring riding a camel. Riddle spins Styles around and around until he drops him on his head. Styles tags in Omos. The crowd cheers for Orton as he tags in. Omos taunts Orton taking him best shots. Omos has his way with Orton. Omos grabs Orton by the throat from the apron. Riddle comes to Orton’s rescue grabbing onto Omos’ leg. Orton guillotines Omos on the top rope. Styles leaps off the top rope for his Phenomenal Forearm. Orton catches him in mid-air for an RKO. Riddle finishes things off with a Floating Bro.
Winners: …and still Raw Tag Team Champions…RK-Bro at 9 minutes and 4 seconds.
Match Rating: 7 / 10
Doudrop versus Zelina Vega – Queen’s Crown Finals
Bow down to the Queen. Courtesy: WWE.
Zelina survives Doudrop’s power game to pin her with a Code Red and become Queen Zelina in a very sloppy, ugly match.
Winner: Zelina Vega at 5 minutes and 47 seconds.
Match Rating: 4 / 10
Goldberg versus Bobby Lashley – No Holds Barred Match
Goldberg may have not killed Lashley, because that would be wrong, but he beat him within an inch of his life. Courtesy: WWE.
Lashley smiles as he wraps a chain around his fist before the bell even rings. He rains down shots on Goldberg. Lashley looks under the ring for a steel chair. He cannot find one so he snatches one from behind the announce desk. He bashes Goldberg with it in the ring. Lashley stomps on Goldberg’s leg as Goldberg bleeds from the side of the head. Lashley shot blocks Goldberg’s injured knee. Lashley wraps Goldberg’s leg and knee in a steel chair. He stomps on the chair injuring Goldberg’s knee even further. Goldberg crawls and stumbles across the ring. Goldberg dodges a Lashley charge. Lashley goes through a table. Goldberg spears Lashley. Goldberg spikes Lashley with the Jackhammer but refuses to pin him. Goldberg takes forever and ever to rip his gloves off and throw them into the crowd. On the floor, Goldberg spears Lashley through a barricade.
“You hurt my son? You are dead!” he shouts.
Goldberg smashes Lashley’s head into the barricade and the announce table.
Goldberg chases Lashley up the rampway. The Hurt Business arrives with kendo sticks in hand. Lashley is glad to see he has back-up. Goldberg destroys Alexander and Benjamin easily, canes Lashley then spears him off the stage onto a crash pad for the three count.
“That’s what you get when you mess with my family!” proclaims Goldberg as Lashley lays counting ceiling tiles.
Winner: Goldberg at 11 minutes and 30 seconds.
Match Rating: 7. 5 / 10
Finn Bálor versus Xavier Woods – King of the Ring Finals
Bow down to the King. Can we have Corbin back? Just wondering. Courtesy: WWE.
The WWE pushes the story that Woods has wanted to be King of the Ring since he was a small child to the point of it being laughable. Xavier superplexes Balor from the top rope. Balor still has enough to kick out at two. Balor avoids Xavier’s flying elbow smash. Xavier avoids the Coup de Grace. Woods does hit the elbow to become king. Woods starts barking orders at the production staff. One wonders if a heel turn is in the works for him?
Winner: Xavier Woods at 9 minutes and 40 seconds.
Match Rating: 7 / 10
Big E (c) vs. Drew McIntyre – WWE Championship Match
Drew should be an inch or two taller after this. Courtesy: WWE.
Hey, look at this. Vince McMahon is running out of big sweaty men so Drew McIntyre has yet another title match.
“You have never been in the ring with someone like me!” says Big E to Drew.
Big E drapes Drew over the apron dropping elbow after elbow on him. Drew launches Big E into the air on the floor with a belly to belly suplex. Drew almost snaps Big E in half with a jumping spinebuster. Big E splatters Drew with three german suplexes. Drew kicks out of the Big Ending confusing the heck out of Big E. Drew gets a two count with a bulldog from the top rope. Big E kicks out of the Claymore and it is time for Drew to be amazed. The crowd turns on Big E begging Drew to deliver another Claymore but it is Big E who hits the Big Ending once again.
Winner: …and still WWE Champion…Big E at 14 minutes and 5 seconds.
Match Rating: 8 / 10
Becky Lynch (c) versus Bianca Belair versus Sasha Banks – WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Becky: Who’s the boss now? Courtesy: WWE.
The crowd seems torn between all three women with each of them getting tons of cheers and support. Bianca uses Banks to swing into Lynch. Bianca delivers a Warrior Press to Banks with just one arm. Bianca keeps trying to get back into the ring after being dumped out on the floor but Banks, Lynch keep knocking her out again. Bianca lifts up Banks for a Torture Rack. Lynch drop kicks her in the face. Lynch takes Banks out with a flying leg drop as Banks is tied up in the ropes. Lynch hit Banks and Belair with exploder suplexes and tries to pin them both. Banks has the Banks Statement and Lynch has the Disarm-Her on Bianca. They argue about who should let go. Belair and Lynch get onto a slugfest while they are on their knees. Banks and Belair escape a double Disarm-Her. Fight over pin Lynch. Lynch use ropes to pin Banks. Bianca Belair hits the Kiss of Death on Lynch. Banks stops the EST of WWE from making the pinfall. Not paying attention to Lynch, Banks was pinned as Becky used the ropes for leverage to retain the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Winner: …and still WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion…Becky Lynch at..
Match Rating: 8 / 10
Roman Reigns (c) versus Brock Lesnar – WWE Universal Championship
Winner: …and still WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.
Match Rating: 8 /10
WWE Crown Jewel 2021
Summary
It is a shame that the WWE cannot book their weekly shows with the creativity they showed here. Crown Jewel just proves that they are capable of doing better than they have been lately. This was as good or even better than some WrestleManias in the past. It is late in 2021 but let’s hope the WWE can continue this momentum into Survivor Series.