WWEs Crown Jewel pay-per-view took place in Saudi Arabia and aired live at 12 PM ET.
Kickoff Show:
– The Crown Jewel kickoff show is hosted by Jonathan Coachman, Booker T and Dave Otunga, and they start running down the card for tonight’s show.
– Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Rusev: Nakamura’s U.S. Title is on the line in this one. Rusev take control early on, but Nakamura comes back with a leg kick and an inverted DDT to take over. Nakamura puts the boots to Rusev while he’s down, and when Rusev gets up Nakamura drops him with a spinning heel kick. Nakamura follows up with some knee to the head and a front face lock, but Rusev fights out. Rusev hits a suplex and kicks Nakamura in the head, but he can’t keep the Champion down for 3. Nakamura comes back with a kick and a running knee to the face for a two count. Nakamura looks for a shot off the middle rope, but Rusev kicks him out of mid-air for a two count. Rusev looks for the Accolade, but Nakamura grabs the ropes and then hits a cheap shot to the throat. Nakamura follows up with a kick to the head, and then a flying knee to the head off the top. Nakamura wastes some time before pinning and Rusev kicks out at two. Nakamura looks for the Kinshasa, but Rusev dodges it and hits a drop toe hold. Rusev follows up with the Accolade but Nakamura escapes and headbutts Rusev below the belt. The ref doesn’t call the low blow, and Nakamura follows up with the Kinshasa for the three count.
Winner & still U.S. Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura
– Nakamura immediately heads to the back as we go to replays.
– Back to the kickoff show panel, Booker and Otunga go over the card and we see some promo videos for the World Cup, Lesnar vs. Strowman, and D-X vs. The Brothers of Destruction. Crown Jewel is up next.
WWE Crown Jewel:
– Crown Jewel opens up with a video package looking at the World Cup, Lesnar vs. Strowman, and The Brothers of Destruction vs. HHH & Shawn Michaels. We go to the arena and Michael Cole welcomes us to the show.
– Hulk Hogan is introduced and makes his way out to the ring to kick off Crown Jewel. We’re told Hogan will be the host of Crown Jewel tonight, and the fireworks go off around the arena as he steps in the ring. Hogan gets on the mic as the crowd chants his name. Hogan says it feels great to be back with the WWE Universe and all of his Hulkamaniacs. Hogan says when he landed he realized that the Hulkamania is stronger than ever here at Crown Jewel. Hogan says the show starts right now, and asks what are you gonna do when the power of Hulkamania and Crown Jewel run wild on you. Hogan’s music hits and he poses in the ring as a huge fireworks display goes off inside and outside the arena.
– Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio: This one is the first match in the World Cup tournament. Orton and Rey lock up, and Orton slams Rey down to the mat face-first. Rey comes back with some shots to the face and some leg kicks. Rey kicks Orton in the face and then looks for a springboard splash, but Orton dropkicks him out of mid-air for a two count. Orton stomps on Rey and then sets him up on the turnbuckle. Orton tries to rip off Rey’s mask, but Rey fights him off. Orton comes back with more right hands and he looks for a superplex, but Rey again fights him off. Rey goes flying with a splash off the top on Orton, and then a springboard cross-body. Rey follows up with a bulldog for a two count. Rey goes for the 619, but Orton blocks it and answers with a DDT. Orton looks for the RKO, but Rey escapes. Rey rolls Orton up in to a pin out of nowhere and scores the three count.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
– Immediately after the match, Orton hits the RKO on Rey. Orton goes to leave, but changes his mind and turns back to Rey. He picks up Rey and throws him out of the ring, then follows him out to ringside. Orton slams Rey face-first on the announce table. Referees check on Rey as Orton finally heads to the back.
– The Miz does an interview with Byron Saxton backstage. Miz says he plans to walk through Jeff Hardy in the first round of the World Cup, and then he has a hurt Rey Mysterio waiting for him in the semi finals.
– Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz: This is a first-round match in the World Cup tournament. Hardy starts off strong in this one and he connects with several kicks. Hardy misses a shot in the corner and Miz looks for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Jeff escapes and works over Miz in the corner. The Miz comes back with a boot to the face. He follows up with a neckbreaker on Jeff for a two count. Jeff comes back with a clothesline and some punches. Hardy follows up with an inverted atomic drop and a leg drop, then a dropkick for a two count. Jeff hits the Whisper In The Wind off the top for another two count. The Miz starts to fight back until Jeff dumps him out to ringside and dropkicks him through the ropes. Jeff walks the top of the fan barricade and hits a flying clothesline on The Miz on the floor. Jeff looks for the Swanton, but Miz rolls away so Jeff hops down. The Miz rolls up Jeff and puts his feet on the ropes to cheat, so the ref doesn’t count it. Jeff looks for the Twist of Fate, but Miz reverses it into the Skull Crushing Finale for the three count.
Winner: The Miz
– The Miz advances to the next round against Rey Mysterio.
– Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins: This is a World Cup tournament match. Rollins starts off strong in this one with a flurry of punches, but Lashley shuts him down with a spinebuster. Lashley puts Rollins in a side chin lock until Rollins fights out. Lashley hits a knee to the mid section, and then he works over Rollins in the corner. Lashley goes for the big suplex, but Rollin fights back and throws Lashley to the outside. Rollins hits a suicide dive on Lashley, and then he follows up with a second one. Back in the ring, they fight up to the top turnbuckle. Rollins goes for a powerbomb, but Lashley escapes and spears Rollins. Lashley misses a shot in the corner and Rollins answers with the curb stomp for the three count.
Winner: Seth Rollins
– Seth Rollins advances in the World Cup tournament now.
– Kurt Angle is in the back with Byron for an interview. Kurt says people are doubting that he will win this tournament, but people also doubted he would win a Gold Medal with a broken neck. Kurt says he’s not here to add on to his Hall of Fame career, he’s here to write the next chapter, and prove he’s the best in the world.
– Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler: This is the last match in the first round of the World Cup. Fireworks go off as Kurt enters, and Dolph has Drew McIntyre at ringside in his corner. Kurt and Dolph trade holds in the opening moments and try to take each other down to the mat. Kurt hits the first suplex of the match and then applies a front face lock. Ziggler fights up and drops Kurt with a running shoulder block. Dolph runs the ropes and Kurt catches him with a belly to belly overhead suplex. Kurt follows up with a German suplex, and then another. Kurt goes for a third, but Dolph grabs on to the ropes. They fight out to the apron, and it looks like Kurt wants to suplex Ziggler down to the floor, but Ziggler again holds on to the ropes. Dolph elbows Kurt and he falls down to the floor. Ziggler whips Angle in to the steel ring steps before taking him back in the ring. Ziggler stomps on Kurt and then hits a neckbreaker for a two count. Ziggler applies a sleeper, but Kurt fights out and boots him in the face. Kurt hits a Germans suplex, and he doesn’t let go. Kurt follows up with two more German suplexes for a two count. Kurt looks for the Olympic Slam, but Kurt escapes. Ziggler comes back with a DDT for a two count. Ziggler looks for the Fameasser, but Kurt dodges and hits the Olympic Slam for a two count. Kurt gets fired up and looks for the ankle lock, but Ziggler kicks him away and hits the Fameasser for a two count. Ziggler looks for the Zig Zag, but Kurt fights him off and locks in the Ankle Lock. Ziggler almost reaches the ropes, but Kurt pulls him back in the middle of the ring. Ziggler fights out and trips Angle, then Angle misses a spear in the corner. Ziggler follows up with the Zig Zag for the three count.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
– Drew comes in the ring to celebrate with Dolph after the match. Ziggler advances in the World Cup tournament.
– The New Day comes down the ramp in what appears to be a mechanical ‘magic carpet.’ The Big Show comes out with The Bar, and he’ll be at ringside in their corner.
– The Bar (c) vs. The New Day: Big E and Kofi Kingston are representing The New Day in this match. Big E and Sheamus start off, and Big E drops him with a shoulder block. Sheamus starts to fight back, but Big E drops him with a clothesline and then Kofi tags in for the double team. Cesaro tags in and looks for a monkey flip but Kofi lands on his feet. Kofi hits a springboard cross body for a two count. Cesaro gets to his feet and levels Kofi with a European uppercut, and then he tags in Sheamus. Sheamus stomps a mud hole in Kofi in the corner. Cesaro and Sheamus trade frequent tags now to double team Kofi. Kofi starts to fight back with chops to the chest of Sheamus, then Sheamus tags in Cesaro. Cesaro hits a gut wrench suplex on Kingston for a two count, then he applies a chin lock. Cesaro gets distracted by Big E on the apron, and Kofi capitalizes with a back body drop on Cesaro. Sheamus tags in and knocks Big E off the apron, the neh beats on Kofi some more. Cesaro comes back in for the double team suplex on Kingston for another two count. Sheamus tags in and misses a spear in the corner. Big E and Cesaro tag in, and Big E hits a series of suplexes. Big E goes for the big splash, but Cesaro get his knees up to block it. Sheamus tags in, but Big E drops him with a side suplex right away. Big E looks for a spear, but Sheamus blocks it with his knee to the face. Sheamus pummels on Big E in the corner until Kofi distracts him and tags in. Big E and Kofi hit a double team powerbomb on Sheamus for a two count. They dump Cesaro outside and Kofi hits a suicide dive on him. Big E looks for the Big Ending on Sheamus, but Big Show distracts him. This leads to Sheamus pushing Big E into The Big Show, and Big Show punches Big E in the face when the ref isn’t looking. Sheamus follows up with the big boot on Big E for the three count.
Winners & still Tag Team Champions: The Bar
– Sheamus and Cesaro are joined by Big Show on the ramp as they hold up the Tag Titles in the air.
– The Miz and Rey Mysterio both do backstage interviews with Byron Saxton. Miz’s voice is hoarse, and he says Hardy mule kicked him in the throat and he can barely talk right now.
– The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio: This one is a semi-final match in the World Cup tournament. Rey and Miz trade pin attempts early on, until Rey kicks Miz across the face. Rey throws Miz outside and hits his sliding suicide dive under the ropes on him. Back in the ring, Rey continues the offense until Miz finally hits a facebuster. The Miz stomps on Rey’s ribs now and keeps Mysterio grounded. The Miz continues working over Rey’s ribs, and puts him in an abdominal stretch. Rey finally fights back and connects with some kicks. Rey hits a springboard cross body for a two count, and then he hits some more kicks. Rey springboards off the ropes again and hits a hurricanrana. Rey sends Miz face-first into the turnbuckle, then he looks for the 619 but Miz moves. Miz hits the Snake Eyes on Rey in the corner, and he follows up with the Skull Crushing Finale for a two count. Miz hits the It Kicks, but misses one and Rey rolls him up for a two count. Rey follows up with the 619, then Rey goes up top. Rey goes for a frogsplash, but Miz gets his knees up to block it and pins Rey for the three count.
Winner: The Miz
– The Miz advances in the World Cup tournament, and he’ll face the winner of Rollins vs. Ziggler.
– Seth Rollins does a pre-match interview saying the World Cup isn’t supposed to be easy, and he doesn’t want it to be.
– Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler: Drew McIntyre is at ringside in Dolph’s corner. Rollins tries to get a hold of Ziggler’s bad ankle early on, but Ziggler fights away. Ziggler comes back with some elbows to the head and a side headlock takedown. Rollins dumps Ziggler to the outside and follows him out. Rollins beats down Ziggler on the floor and throws him into the barricade. Rollins throws Ziggler back in the ring, and then he gets in Drew’s face at ringside. Rollins gets back in the ring and Ziggler immediately hits a DDT. Ziggler continues the offense and targets Rollins’ neck. Rollins starts fighting back, but Ziggler shuts him down with a leaping elbow to the face for a two count. Ziggler hits a neckbreaker for another pin attempt. Ziggler and Rollins exchange pin attempts, then Rollins looks for a powerbomb but Ziggler escapes. Ziggler misses a superkick and Rollins knees him in the face for another two count. Rollins dumps Ziggler outside and hits a suicide dive on him. Back in the ring, Ziggler hits a Fameasser on Rollins for a two count. Ziggler goes up top, but Rollins runs up and grabs him for a superplex. He hits it and rolls through for a Falcon Arrow, but Ziggler escapes the Falcon Arrow and hits the Zig Zag. Dolph covers for a two count. Rollins comes back with a superkick on Dolph, then he hits a suicide dive on to Drew at ringside. Back in the ring, Rollins goes up top. Ziggler fakes an ankle injury and distracts the ref, allowing Drew to cheap-shot Seth from behind. Dolph follows up with the superkick for the three count.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
– Drew and Dolph celebrate in the ring as we go to replays. As Ziggler makes his exit, Byron interviews him on the ramp and points out that he cheated to win. Ziggler says no one ever believed in him, but the next time you see him, he’ll be holding that trophy.
– AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe: AJ’s WWE Title is on the line in this one. The opening bell sounds and both men come out of the gate with flurries of strikes. AJ starts targeting Joe’s bad knee and he takes down Joe early. They fight out to ringside and AJ throws Joe into the ring post. AJ rolls in the ring for a second to break the count, then back at ringside Joe slams AJ into the fan barricade. Joe then knees AJ off the apron back down to the floor, and Joe hits a hit suicide dive on to AJ. Back in the ring, Joe works over AJ in the corner and hits an overhead kick on the Champion. Joe and AJ trade shots to the face, and AJ hits a Pele kick and now both men are down. They trade shots in the corner until AJ hits a forearm to the face, and then AJ looks for the Styles Clash. Joe escapes, but AJ comes back with the moonsault into a reverse DDT for a two count. AJ connects with some more offense until Joe catches him with a spinning powerslam for a two count. AJ comes back and locks in the Calf Crusher, but Joe escapes. They scramble on the mat and Joe catches AJ in the Coquina Clutch. AJ twists Joe’s bad knee to break the hold, and AJ goes back to looking for the Calf Crusher. Joe hits some elbows to the head of AJ, and AJ fires back with the Pele kick. AJ follows up with the Pheneomneal Forearm for the three count.
Winner & still WWE Champion: AJ Styles
– Acting RAW GM Baron Corbin comes out next for a closer view of the Universal Title match.
– Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar: Paul Heyman does Brock’s ring introduction. Before the match, Baron Corbin comes in the ring to present the Universal Title. Before he leaves, Corbin nails Braun in the face with the belt, and then he orders the ref to ring the opening bell. Lesnar waits for Braun to get up and then he hits the F-5, but Braun kicks out at two. Brock hits another F-5, and Braun kicks out again. Lesnar looks shocked, and he picks up Braun and hits a third F-5. Now Brock is getting mad. Brock picks up Braun and throws him over the top rope out of the ring. Braun slowly gets back in the ring, and Brock hits another F-5 on him, and this time its for the three count.
Winner & new Universal Champion: Brock Lesnar
– Lesnar holds up his Universal Title belt in the ring as we go to replays. Fireworks go off above the arena as Lesnar makes his exit.
– Shane McMahon and Baron Corbin are at ringside to watch the finals of the World Cup.
– The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler: Drew McIntyre is at ringside again for this one, but then the ref decides to eject him. Ziggler argues with the ref, and Miz decides to attack Ziggler from behind before the opening bell. Miz takes Ziggler outside, but when Miz hops out of the ring he appears to injure his leg. The Miz is unable to get back in the ring, so the referee calls off the match. The referee starts to announce that the match isn’t happening due to forfeit, but Shane stops him and says it’s not going down like that. Shane says if Miz can’t wrestle, Shane will take his place and wrestle the match himself.
Winner: No contest
– Shane McMahon vs. Dolph Ziggler: Corbin freaks out at ringside as Shane steps in the ring, and the ref calls for the opening bell. Shane immediately rushes Ziggler and pummels on him in the corner. Corbin causes a distraction so the ref ejects him from ringside. The distraction leas to Ziggler hitting the Zig Zag for a two count. Ziggler pummels on Shane now, but Shane starts to fight back. Shane ducks a shot and comes back with a DDT. Shane slingshots Dolph into the turnbuckle, then he climbs up to the top of the opposite turnbuckle. Shane hits the coast to coast dropkick off the top and covers Ziggler for the three count.
Winner of the World Cup: Shane McMahon
– Shane celebrates in the ring as the ref checks on Ziggler. Shane high-fives fans at ringide, and he is then handed he World Cup throphy. Shane holds up the trophy and runs around the ring with it and kisses the trophy. Shane continues the celebration with the World Cup trophy up the ramp.
– We go to a video package looking at the feud between The Brothers of Destruction and D-X.
– Shawn Michaels & HHH vs. The Undertaker & Kane: There are flames shooting out of the top of the arena for Undertaker’s entrance. The crowd chants for The Undertaker as the two teams come face to face in the ring before the bell. It looks like Triple H and Kane will start this match. Triple H throws the first punch at Kane, but Kane no-sells it and throttles HHH in the corner. Kane hits some shots on The Game, but Triple H comes back and puts Kane in a hammer lock. Shawn Michaels tags in and drops Kane. Shawn wastes some time talking to Michael Cole from the ring, and Kane sits up behind him. Kane picks up Shawn but Shawn breaks free. He goes for the Sweet Chin Music, but Kane side steps it and tags in Undertaker. Kane gets in Shawn’s face and Shawn does the D-X crotch chop at it. They trade punches until Taker hits a big boot and Shawn goes down. Triple H and Kane come in off the aprons now and all four men brawl in the ring. The Brothers pile up D-X in the corner and then throw them out to ringside. Triple H and Shawn go over strategy at ringside before getting back in the ring. Shawn and HHH hit the ring and start throwing punches and chops at the Brothers of Destruction. They back Kane and Taker up to the ropes and clothesline them out to ringside. Kane and Taker grab D-X’s feet and pull them out under the ropes. Kane and HHH fight on the floor, and Taker brings Shawn back in the ring. Taker grabs Shawn’s arm and walks the top rope, then comes flying down with a shot on Shawn. Taker chokes Shawn in the corner until the ref calls him off. Taker looks for a big boot in the corner, but Shawn moves and Taker crashes into the top turnbuckle. HHH tags in and lays into Taker with strikes. Undertaker fires off a big boot to the face of HHH, then he tags in Kane. Kane slams HHH down and then goes for an elbow drop, but HHH rolls out of the way. HHH and Kane get to their feet and trade punches now. Shawn tags in and hits some chops to the chest of Kane. They run the ropes and collide, and both men are down until Shawn kicks up to his feet. Shawn punches Undertaker off the apron, then he tags in HHH for a double suplex on Kane. Shawn tags back in and goes up top and hits the flying elbow drop on Kane. Shawn looks for the superkick, but Kane blocks it and chokeslams him. Undertaker tags in and beats on Shawn in the corner. Taker hits the snake eyes in the corner, then he runs the ropes and boots Shawn in the face. Taker follows up with a leg drop for a two count. Taker punches HHH off the apron, and Taker turns around into a Superkick from Michaels. The Undertaker brings Michaels out to ringside and takes him on top of an announce table. Taker goes for a Tombstone on the table, but HHH makes the save. Kane come over, and during the brawling at ringside HHH is heard clearly on camera saying “this way” to Undertaker. HHH throws Taker into the fan barricade, but then Kane grabs HHH and chokeslams him through the announce table. Taker takes Michaels back in the ring and continues the offense. Kane and Taker trade tags now and tag urns beating on Michaels, while HHH is still laying in table wreckage at ringside. Undertaker pulls Michaels out to ringside, but Michaels breaks free from him and shoves him into the ring post. Kane and Shawn fight in the corner, and Kane’s mask and wig fall off. Kane rolls outside, and Shawn hits a moonsault off the top rope down onto Kane and Undertaker on the ringside floor. Back in the ring, HHH tags in and hits Kane with chops to the chest, and then a facebuster. The Undertaker runs in and HHH hits a spinebuster on him. HHH looks for the Pedigree on Taker, but Taker back drops him. HHH gets up and fights off Taker’s chokeslam attempt, and he hits the Pedigree on taker. Kane comes over and HHH throws him out. HHH turns back to Taker, and Taker catches him in the Hell’s Gate. It looks like HHH is fading, but as Kane and Shawn get back in the ring, Shawn superkicks Kane and he falls on to Taker, breaking the hold. Kane and Taker look for Tombstones in tandem on both D-X members, but Shawn rakes the eyes and they break it up. Shawn superkicks Undertaker and Kane, and HHH hits the Pedigree on Kane for the three count.
Winners: Shawn Michaels and Triple H
– Shawn Michaels appears to be bleeding lightly from a couple of spots on his face. HHH and Shawn recover in the corner as we go to replays. HHH and Shawn raise their hands in the ring as fireworks go off above the arena and Crown Jewel goes off the air.
