For the first time since late February 2020, the WWE returns to Saudi Arabia for the third edition of its Crown Jewel supershow.
Three world titles will be on the line Wednesday in Riyadh. In a battle of Paul Heyman clients, Roman Reigns defends the Universal championship against the returning Brock Lesnar. Big E makes his first major defense of the WWE championship against Drew McIntyre. And in a first of its kind match, Becky Lynch defends her SmackDown women’s championship against Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks.
There’s also a No Holds Barred match between Goldberg and Bobby Lashley, while Edge and Seth Rollins square off inside Hell in a Cell. The finals of two tournaments will also crown champions as Xavier Woods and Finn Balor battle for the King of the Ring title, and Doudrop and Zelina Vega vie for the first ever Queen’s Crown.
Follow along throughout the event for live, match by match updates.
Match in progress: No Holds Barred: Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg
Results:
Hell in a Cell match: Edge def. Seth Rollins
The rubber match of the long-running rivalry between Edge and Seth Rollins somehow raised the bar following two other tremendous matches. And while Edge’s hand was raised at the end of a 27-minute spectacle, both men proved why they are considered among the greatest in-ring performers in the history of the wrestling business.
“This is awesome” chants rang out in Riyadh before the match even began, as the crowd anticipated what was to come. But even the most optimistic of those in the crowd couldn’t have foreseen just how beautifully violent the match would be.
From the moment Rollins’ suicide dive attempt missed, sending him head-first into the side of the cage, the level of dedication and sacrifice that he and Edge were willing to put in to their match was clear. Chairs, tables, chains, and the Hell in a Cell cage itself each became vital pieces of the story Edge and Rollins told in the ring.
?????
The #HellInACell wall just proved VERY valuable for @EdgeRatedR as he sent @WWERollins crashing through a table! #WWECrownJewel pic.twitter.com/qIQJZjLweQ
— WWE (@WWE) October 21, 2021
The innovation throughout was incredible, including a moment in which Edge pushed Rollins off the top rope, bounced him head-first into the cage halfway up, and then Rollins fell helplessly through the table below. Rollins hit a sunset flip powerbomb while falling off a ladder, sending Edge through a table below.
Both men tried to use each other’s signature offense, to varying levels of success. Rollins went so far as to wrap a steel chain around his foot to enhance his attacks.
But as Rollins laid Edge’s head on top of a chair on the ground, his hubris became his downfall. “This is how your fairytale ends,” shouted Rollins. Rollins went for a stomp to Edge’s head while it hovered over a steel chair, but Edge grabbed the chair and stood it up vertically at the last second for a low blow on his opponent.
Edge set himself up for a variety of chokes, using the same chain, as well as a broken chair brace for aid. But he pushed beyond that point, set Rollins up in the same precarious position he had been in moments before, and then stomped Rollins’ head down into a steel chair to win.
What’s next: Edge and Rollins both moved from SmackDown to Monday Night Raw in the 2021 WWE Draft, but this match had an air of finality to it. Only time will tell.
Queen’s crown finals: Zelina Vega def. Doudrop
Recap to come.
Raw tag team championship: Riddle & Randy Orton (c) def. AJ Styles & Omos
Randy Orton and Riddle, collectively known as RK-Bro, successfully retained their Raw tag team titles at Crown Jewel against AJ Styles and Omos. From the moment Riddle made his ring entrance on the back of a camel, to the befuddlement of both his tag team partner and their opponents, it felt as though it was their match to win.
Styles got ragdolled by Orton and Riddle early, but from the moment Omos tagged in, he took over the match and became the focal point for the majority of the action. He quickly took out both men, as Styles occasionally tagged in to get a few licks in for himself.
Riddle eventually mounted a comeback on Styles, and Orton used Styles as a battering ram to knock Omos off the apron to balance things out. Riddle interrupted a chokeslam attempt from Omos on Orton by grabbing Omos’ leg, and while Omos was taken out in the confusion, Orton was left dazed. Styles lined up for the phenomenal forearm, but instead flew directly into an RKO from Orton. They added a floating bro from Riddle for good measure, and the champions retain.
GOT HIM! ?#WWECrownJewel @RandyOrton pic.twitter.com/GJcLPnrg3Y
— WWE (@WWE) October 21, 2021
What’s next: The balance of power shifted somewhat in the WWE Draft, with the Mysterios, The Street Profits and the Dirty Dawgs moving to Raw. Hopefully that can breathe some new life into the tag team division on Monday nights.
Mansoor def. Mustafa Ali
Mansoor’s winning streak in Saudi Arabia stretched to four with his victory over Mustafa Ali at Crown Jewel 2021. After winning a 50-man battle royal at Super ShowDown 2019, and one-on-one wins over Cesaro (Crown Jewel 2019) and Dolph Ziggler (Super ShowDown 2020), Mansoor once again recorded a victory intended to appeal directly to the local crowd.
Mansoor weathered a long choke-out attempt, and when Ali missed the second of two 450 splash attempts, Mansoor springboarded from the apron to the inside, landed a neckbreaker and secured the win.
Ali attacked Mansoor post-match, only for a masked man to slowly walk down to the ring. He eventually revealed himself as Tarek Hamdi, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist in karate who represented Saudi Arabia in Tokyo. With a kick to Ali’s head, the crowd got an extra dose of hometown happiness.
Olympic silver medalist Tareg Hamedi just DROPPED @AliWWE!#WWECrownJewel @KSAMANNY pic.twitter.com/0cN7wQ437x
— WWE (@WWE) October 21, 2021
What’s next: Both Mansoor and Ali were drafted from Raw to SmackDown, so it may not be the last chapter between the rivals turned tag team partners turned rivals.
The Usos def. The Hurt Business
With the newly reformed Hurt Business staying on Raw, and The Usos remaining on SmackDown, this non-title match carried little in the way of stakes. It wasn’t surprising to see The Usos, the SmackDown tag team champions, win. Hopefully Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin will be able to rebuild some momentum as part of a reunited unit beyond being a storytelling device.
What’s next: In the immediate future, Benjamin and Alexander could very well play a role in the No Holds Barred match between Bobby Lashley and Goldberg. The Usos will almost certainly factor into the Universal championship match between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, if history is any indication.
Still to come:
(c) – indicates defending champion
Universal championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE championship: Big E (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Triple threat match for the SmackDown women’s championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks
King of the Ring finals: Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods