Amid reports of a potential threat from Iran, the WWE was full steam ahead for its propaganda tour and most lucrative event in Saudi Arabia this weekend for Crown Jewel. While the controversy persisted, many wondered if the mega cash that the government pays for these tours would be worth the money. In the past, names like Goldberg, The Undertaker, Shawn Micheals, and others made the trip for the almighty dollar, making millions for just one match in the process. Granted, there’s a certain level of sleaze with these shows because essentially, any moral compass an individual might have is ignored for a specific amount of cash. On the other hand, you can’t be surprised when the pro wrestling business doesn’t have standards, and the entire point of the industry is to make money.
That being said, without the nostalgia to boost what were often glorified house shows in prior years, it looked like management used this event to actually progress some of the storylines throughout the show, which at the very least gave American fans a reason to watch a “premium live event” at noon on a Saturday.
The show opened with Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley, and it had Paul Heyman’s finger prints all over it, as it started as a fireworks show right from the bell. It was all the big moves thrown out there at once before a quick conclusion. In many ways, this was almost a carbon copy of their Royal Rumble match from earlier this year, which is fine because it was an entertaining contest. The match only went about five minutes so Brock was probably happy to be back on the private jet before the finish of the second match. Brock got the win, and that sets up for a rubber match since Lashley won the previously mentioned Rumble bout. Bobby attacked Lesnar post-match, which was needed because up until this point, there wasn’t a clear baby face or heel in this angle. Brock jumped Bobby to cost him the US title in a rather random segment on Raw that was only designed to set up this Saudi match to get Lesnar on the show. Cowboy Brock is a baby face so it initially didn’t make sense for him to jump Lashley, but the post-match beat down at Crown Jewel allows for more context to set up the eventual rubber match. So, Bobby appears to be the heel going forward, and it should be noted that Lashley has done the best work of his entire career during this current run.
Damage Control beat Asuka and Alexa Bliss to become the new Women’s Tag Team champions, and while it makes sense to put the belts on Dakota and Io, I’m wondering why Asuka and Bliss were used as transitional champions, unless the office thought that the previous champions didn’t have enough star power for a Saudi show? Regardless, this was another example of the tremendous talent in the women’s division. It was all action and everything was crisp, which kept a pace that built toward the finish. Maybe there are other plans for Bliss, but for the first time in its existence, it seems like there will be a spotlight on the women’s tag belts with the association of Damage Control as champions.
Man, Karrion Kross has come a long way since he was aimlessly wearing a gladiator helmet on Raw. Granted, Drew McIntyre is one of the most well-rounded performers in the sport today, but it was very interesting to see Kross in a featured bout on the show when the previous regime didn’t have anything for him. Kross and McIntyre work very well together, and each continue to benefit from this angle. Kross has a chance to show that he wasn’t some random guy that had a silly outfit, and this feud put more of a spotlight on Drew after he was lost in the shuffle somewhat in recent months. The structure of the match was rather simple, with the baby face trying to overcome the odds as the heels put obstacles in his way, which is completely fine because it accomplished the goal of the storyline. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel if the classic narrative can get the job done. The heels tried to break the rules, with Scarlett spraying Drew in the eyes and locking the cage door before McIntyre eventually overcame the odds to get the win. It will be interesting to see if management tries to get another PPV match from this feud or if this was the conclusion of the storyline.
Something I have to point out, the amount of video packages and commercials at this point, and it continued throughout the event was so ridiculous it was almost comical. After each match, you could’ve went to the kitchen to get some food, or probably taken a short dive to get a takeout order from your favorite local wing place, and get back in time before the opening bell to the next match. I understand that these commercials are why the company makes the money from these broadcasts, but if nothing else, they should at least consider cutting down on the video packages because it makes for such a tedious viewing experience.
The OC vs. Judgment Day was a rather basic six man tag so there’s not much to discuss about it, except that the finish that saw Rhea Ripley help her team get the win sets up for a female member to join the OC, which makes sense. As far as the actual faction, you have to give all the members of The Judgment Day credit, they took a stable that didn’t have much direction and appeared to be on its way to fizzling out and made progress with each of the characters in the group. I don’t know how far up the card Domink Mysterio will go, but for the first time in his entire WWE tenure, it looks like he belongs there rather than just being there because of his last name. That’s not to say he doesn’t have talent, but rather from a storyline perspective, the justification for him being on Raw the past few years was simply because he was Rey’s son. As far as purpose and progress, the faction also rejuvenated Finn Balor’s status too. In a similar way, Damien Priest has the most direction of his WWE run. It goes without saying that Rhea Ripley has the potential to be a major star and this stable helps put the spotlight on her.
I won’t take a lot of time to discuss Braun Strowman vs. Omos, mostly because it was extremely basic, but there’s nothing wrong with that. This was the monster movie match on the card, and the face off was more or less the key moment. That said, this was probably the best Omos match you’re going to find and the six minutes it was given was a wise decision. Braun got the victory, but I’m not sure how many rematches could realistically be booked for this contest.
The Brawling Brutes vs. The Usos was a quality tag match and it continues to prove that the WWE has a solid tag team division when management chooses to showcase it. This was only about 10 minutes so it didn’t drag at any point, but given The Bloodline storyline, there was never a point where you thought there was realistically a chance where the belts could switch. This contest had good action, but there wasn’t much drama because you knew The Usos were going to retain the titles.
Very similar to their recent matches, Bianca Belair vs. Bayley was quality action and very entertaining. The Last Woman Standing match had physicality, but still allowed for the sizzle of sports entertainment with the golf cart spots. The bump that Bayley took from the golf cart onto the table that didn’t break looked brutal. The finish of the match was well done because it wasn’t the same Rocky/Apollo finish that the vast majority of last man standing matches use for the conclusion. Bianca retained, but it would be great to see another Bianca/Bayley match on pay-per-view.
When Logan Paul debuted in the WWE, I made a point not to review his match, mostly because I will never understand the concept of “being famous for being famous.” Despite technically still being in the demographic that might be a part of such a following, I’ve never watched any of the Logan or Jake Paul Youtube content. I guess I’m an old soul because I have absolutely no interesting in watching the Kardashians get coffee or one of the Paul brothers go shopping for furniture on Youtube.
It goes without saying that Logan Paul is athletic, but as I said when the match was announced a few months ago, if Logan Paul, someone with only two matches, has a competitive match with Roman Reigns, what does that say about the rest of the roster that he steam rolled as champion in the past two years? Being a WWE superstar is supposed to be the pinnacle of sports entertainment, what does it say about the caliber of athlete in the WWE when the dominate champion is selling for someone that isn’t an actual competitor? Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the Saudis are paying that $40 million per show for western star power, not necessarily a wrestling show, but the optics of how this could make the rest of the product look should be taken into consideration, especially after The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported that the numbers for the Logan Paul segments on Raw aren’t higher than the usual segments. Sure, Logan Paul has a following, I don’t understand why, but he was able to became a social media star and make money from it. Fair play, that’s capitalism, I don’t blame anyone for making the most money possible. That said, I’m not sure that the vast majority of his following has any interest in WWE, even when he’s on the shows. If there was a major jump in the ratings when he appeared on Raw, it would be a completely different story, but the reality is, his value to WWE is really only in the vacuum of these Saudi shows since it didn’t increase the numbers otherwise. Reportedly, he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the match so he won’t be back in the ring for several months. If he won’t be there to do more business with WWE, you again have to ask if it was worth Roman selling for him in the match?
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Twitter @jimlamotta
