WWE Crown Jewel 2021 — Review & Grading — #MyOpinion
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Usually I am not that much hyped about these Saudi events but this time the card looked pretty stacked and my expectations were high. So here is my short and crisp review of WWE Crown Jewel 2021 :
Edge Vs Seth Rollins Hell in a Cell Match
This was something which was a perfect end to one of the greatest rivalry ever. Finally a Hell in a cell match with some great storyline involved and which actually made sense instead of those mandatory cell matches at Hell in a cell PPV. After a very long time WWE did something which was out of the blue and which brought my interest back. The match started at 5th gear and crowd was into it right from the very start as we heard “This is awesome” chants even before the match started. Rollins attacking Edge’s eye with chair rod was brutal to watch and Seth taking that huge bump outside on table was very well executed. Both athletes very well complemented each other’s moves which kept the WWE universe on the edge of their seats. The match had tables, ladders, chairs, steel steps and what not..it was pure chaos…! Hats off to Edge for taking that sunset powerbomb through that table, I really thought that the match was over at that moment. The closing moments of the match were outstanding as it was Seth’s game when he had those chains tied to his boot but when Edge applied crossface with those chains, we thought it was over for Seth. Edge curb stomped Seth on steel chair and won this epic match. A perfect opener…that’s why I love WWE…they can produce epics whenever they want to. 5 ♥ for this match.
Mansoor Vs Mustafa Ali
Ali once again proved why he was the face of 205 live as he is one of the best (under utilized) performers we have in WWE right now. Ali played the perfect villain and helped the home boy gather local support which was the ultimate motive of this match. The match was decent with few good moves but it could have been a lot more according to me. The ending was also pretty normal with Mansoor reversing a 450 splash to a neck breaker. After the match Ali started attacking Mansoor only to be interrupted by a guy in karate uniform which was revealed to be Olympic silver medalist Tareg Hamedi from Saudi Arabia. Tareg dropped Ali with a left kick to head and helped Mansoor while crowd cheered. 2.5 ♥ for this segment and match overall. WWE knows its way to please the local crowd.
RK-Bro Vs AJ Styles & Omas for RAW Tag Team Championship
So it is again going downhill after the first match, WWE never learns I guess. This match had nothing new to offer as it had the same moves, reversals and even the finish was the very same. Randy RKOed AJ while he was going for phenomenal forearm followed by floating bro. Even though the RKO is a joy to watch but you can’t use the same finish every time you have AJ and Randy in ring. Totally disappointed with this match, at this point what is the use of Omas being with AJ if he can’t even break the pin when required. It was the first major pin attempt and RK-Bro just won. 2 ♥ for whatever this was, WWE NXT produces better tag matches every week as compared to this disaster.
Doudrop Vs Zelina Vega — Queen’s Crown Finals
So I had little to no expectations from this match as WWE hardly gave any time for women’s matches in this tournament which was a shame. It was brave of WWE to put Doudrop and Zelina in the finals as both were not the top faces of women’s division and win at this point could help them to reach great heights. It is always fun to watch wrestlers of different size battle and this proved that point as it was a decent match. Doudrop dominated most of the match with few of the quick moves by Zelina. It was good to see WWE pushing Zelina and hope this crown helps her further as she is a great athlete. 2.5 ♥ for this unexpected good match, great to see Doudrop also performing consistently.
Goldberg Vs Bobby Lashley No Holds Barred Falls Count Anywhere Match
Surprisingly, this was a good and lengthy match from Goldberg which is a rare scene. Lashley used steel chain right from the start and bombarded Goldberg with punches. Lashley then moved to the previously injured left knee of Goldberg and completely damaged it with steel chair and it looked like it was over for Goldberg. Soon…Goldberg delivered a devastating spear and a perfect jackhammer which was a treat to eyes. The action moved outside after this where Goldberg delivered another spear through barricade. During the closing moments, Goldberg first destroyed Hurt Business and then attacked Lashley with Kendo stick. Goldberg delivered an amazing spear from top of the stage to the table below which was a risky spot but fantastically done by Bill. Hats off to Goldberg for that spot…well done. 4 ♥ for this no holds barred contest.
Finn Balor Vs Xavier Woods — King of the Ring Finals
So this was a classic from two of the very best in WWE currently. Xavier is a great athlete and some would say it was the right move to crown him the king but not according to me. Finn Balor recently returned to the main roster and since then has lost to Roman so he definitely needed something to shine as he is a former NXT and universal champion. The match was well paced with great moves and there was nothing wrong with the match other than the finish. Finn Balor losing to Xavier on a PPV who is also not a singles superstar is quite disappointing for me. There is no doubt Xavier is deserving but in this case Finn deserved it more. 3.5 ♥ for this great bout but it should have been the prince crowned the King..!
Big E Vs Drew McIntyre for WWE Championship
So Drew McIntyre was drafted to SmackDown and there was no way in hell we would have WWE and Universal titles on the same show. Also, it was Big E’s first title defense and hence the outcome of the match was pretty obvious. It was a great match with close finishes which was fun to watch as both Drew and Big E kicked out on 2 after Big ending and Claymore Kick. The match was well paced with great execution and also the ending was satisfactory as Big E dropped Drew with a modified big ending which was innovative. This match portrayed Big E as a fighting champion as he defeated 2-time WWE champion. 3.5 ♥ for this good match with an obvious winner..!
Becky Lynch Vs Sasha Banks Vs Bianca Belair for WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship
OMG…this was a triple threat classic and definitely matched the opener match. This match had few innovative moves where all three contenders were involved which was amazing to watch. Few moves worth mentioning were…Sasha kicking Bianca on apron while delivering bulldog to Becky and Becky monkey flipping Sasha on Bianca after which Sasha was about to deliver Hurricanrana which was stopped by dropkick from Becky. It had lots of amazing moves and great spots which made this match an instant classic. The closing moments of the match saw Bianca dropping Becky for Kiss of Death after which she was thrown out of the ring by Sasha. As soon as Sasha reached was about to pin Becky, Becky rolled her over for a pin and won the match after getting little help from the rope. Now it will be fun to watch as Charlotte with RAW’s women championship is on SmackDown and Becky with SmackDown’s women championship is on RAW. I think they will just swap the titles as WWE did last time with tag titles. 4 ♥ for this….could have been 4.5 ♥ if either Bianca or Sasha would have won.
Roman Reigns Vs Brock Lesnar for WWE Universal Championship
I am not sure what the hell happened here…they added a no disqualification stipulation to the match before the show began and then I think they again went back to the original match without informing anyone. The referee was doing 5 counts, he was doing count out and he was knocked out so definitely no disqualification rules were not there…but what…why..? Also the match was pretty average with nothing to offer. Everybody knew Usos will interfere, there is nothing new in that but Brock will not get up after just one interference was a huge disappointment. Heyman sliding that title between Roman and Brock instead of giving to Roman was the only point where I thought something will happen but it felt flat as Usos appeared. Even I wanted Roman to retain the title but the way it was done was plain stupid and also Brock looked weak in this match. Totally disappointed, never thought Roman’s matches will fall flat with this Tribal Chief gimmick..but I was proved wrong today. 3 ♥ for this non no disqualification match.
Based on my above grading, overall I will give 3 ♥ for this PPV. Thank you for reading, if you liked the article please click on the clap button and show your support. You can clap more than once, just keep pressing the icon!!!
