if every week wwe The TV shows are like single issues of ongoing superhero comics, the monthly premium live events are big issues that wrap up storylines, and the Big Four PLEs are like crossover events… So this year’s crown jewel This is an “annual” issue that has nothing to do with replacement artists.
From a wrestling perspective, this was both a glorious family show and an absolute PR extravaganza. Everything is loosely aligned with the wider ongoing storyline, but nothing very important happens. This includes the unveiling of the inaugural men’s and women’s Crown Jewel champions. Since both champions are required to leave their belts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and receive a ceremonial (Dynamite Diamond) ring, these titles will not be defended and will feel more like bragging rights at best. Still, hearing gender mentioned in both divisions (instead of “champions” and “women’s champions”) is definitely a plus.
The wrestling in the ring that night was truly unmatched.
Bloodline (Solo Skoa, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga) def. Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso: Incredible acting! The return of Roman Reigns remains a fresh treat. His facial acting is unparalleled and plays a substantial role in driving the broader storyline while guiding the immediacy of the matches themselves. Sikoa excels here too.
A player participates after the game Sami Zane really moves the story forward and points to survivor seriesbut the match itself was unspectacular – like the headliner of a house show, except the heels tipped over and got the win.
“Main Event” Jey Uso was eliminated last, even if he beat Roman, it was great. Michael Cole It’s obviously not nice (racist) to call new bloodlines “rabies-like animals”.
Women’s Tag Team Championship – Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill (c) def. Damage CTRL (Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane), Meta-4 (Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson), Chelsea Green and Piper Niven: The match was well-received by the live crowd and had some fun moments, but was mostly meant to tease future collisions. In particular, the head-to-head confrontation between Cargill and Legend created a passionate atmosphere that worked brilliantly. It’s great to see a range of black women on the WWE roster, each with their own thing.
Another comment – Corey Graves It was highlighted that the championship teams had been eagerly anticipating this match, although their chances of winning were reduced by the number of participating teams. It would be feasible to describe Belair and Cargill as complacent, but instead his angle seems to be that they weren’t very smart – as if they didn’t recognize the possibilities or understand the situation. I don’t know, Graves, maybe they just like wrestling?
Seth “The Freak” Rollins def. Bronson Reed: It’s a positive thing to see Bronson Reed get his first singles match in WWE, and it’s a great match against one of the greatest performers of his generation in Seth Rollins Colorful game. as he and Damian Priest exist money in bankRollins continues to keep things fresh and largely distances himself from his signature action sequences. Rollins has accomplished everything and he may be playing hits at this point, but he moves on – respect. This also perfectly solves the problem of “How can I suppress Bronson Reed?” They serve as the angle of the story in the ring.
Women’s Crown Jewel Championship – Liv Morgan Nia Jax: Heels vs. heels are always an odd selling point for crowning a new champion, though this match was defined by storyline shenanigans (another stopped cash-in attempt came from Tiffany Strattonpredictable interference “Dirty” Dominick Mysterio and Raquel Rodriguez), it’s hard not to be excited for performer Liv Morgan. She has worked hard on every aspect of her craft and is now becoming a centerpiece of must-see wrestling television every week.
United States Championship – Los Angeles Cavaliers (c) def. Andrade, Cameron Hayes: This match had the strongest ring traffic of the night, but it was also fascinating from a “clash of styles” perspective. As a triple threat, this match featured two incredible in-ring talents, as well as a guy who just finished. As always, Andrade and Hayes did bring intensity and in-ring innovation, but with Knight also in the mix, this match was much more low-key than their recent string of excellent singles matches.
Knight more or less kept his style, but it felt like two people performing in a wild and lively place, with a third person popping up every now and then to do an elbow drop and swing his posture. Knight doesn’t have any shading, just a different approach to the art form. All in all, it’s a reminder that in WWE, character work is always the decisive primary focus.
By the way, if you slip on the rope and land on your crotch, great Sabu Remind us you have to sell it. When Knight slipped on his run-up position, he simply climbed back into position as if it hadn’t happened, temporarily breaking the spell. Mistakes happen, it’s how you handle them that matters!
Men’s Crown Jewel Championship – Cody Rhodes defeated Gunther: Another critical observation – some of Michael Cole’s scripts that night were very, very strange. Each of his game intros seemed to include some extremely unnatural copy. He also delivers these messages in the same cadence he used to create his ads, which perhaps tells us something. Cole announced while promoting the main event that it would be followed by “the first match between two of the biggest superstars in WWE.” Before Owens/Orton The match didn’t happen, he said “Kevin Owens and his personal journey of justice will be fighting The Viper Randy Orton”. OK
In any case, Rhodes and Gunther’s cooperation is still good. Their in-ring story, that Cody has to find a way to deal with Gunther, might be bolstered by Cody getting beat down and taking more punishment – but in a champion vs. champion match, everyone comes in and out It is important to look for both, which is understandably strong.
Rhodes Bret Hart The sleeper reverse roll-up is a clever way to ensure a clean finish without Gunther suffering any substantial reputational damage.
take a bow: If a match between Kevin Owens and Randy Orton were to take place, the card here would be seven matches – too many for my tastes for regular PLE. The bigger problem, however, is that the entire show feels very skippable. There was no doubt that the performers connected with the lively crowd at the moment, but crown jewel It ended up being like a house show with its own one-night-only championship belt.
