Edge vs. Seth Rollins – Hell In A Cell match

Background: At Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins cost Edge his match for the Universal Championship as Rollins felt he deserved to be in the title match, and that Edge cut in line ahead of him. This led to a match at SummerSlam that Edge won. Unsatisfied, Rollins challenged Edge to a rematch that occurred on the September 10 episode of SmackDown that Rollins won. Rollins was still unsatisfied, however, as he was offended that Edge had called him “Edge Lite” and that Edge did not announce his retirement. He challenged Edge to appear on SmackDown and accept another rematch. On the October 1 episode, Edge appeared to confront Rollins, however, as Rollins thought that Edge would not appear, he instead went directly to Edge’s house and proceeded to make himself at home. The following week on SmackDown, Edge attacked Rollins and challenged him to a Hell in a Cell match, which was scheduled for Crown Jewel.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two men, Edge previously beat Seth Rollins at Summerslam.

Crown Jewel PPV Record: Seth Rollins is 1-2 at Crown Jewel, Edge wrestles at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: It is all Edge in the early going. He soon brings chairs into the match before hitting Rollins with an Edge-o-cution for a near fall. It’s back and forth from here until Seth gains a steady advantage with use of a chair. Rollins hits the unprettier for a near fall. Seth goes to the top but Edge shoves him, bouncing him off the cell and through a table that had been set up earlier in the match. Edge hits an Edge-o-matic on the ring steps and both men are down. Edge hits an elbow drop whilst holding on to a chair for a near fall. Seth hits a pedigree for a near fall and then Edge hits a bucklebomb and a spear for a near fall of his own! Edge brings a table and a ladder into the match but it’s Seth that ends up setting up the ladder and hitting a sunset flip powerbomb through a table for a near fall. Rollins wraps a chain around his boot and hits a superkick before looking for a stomp on a chair but Edge counters, hitting a low blow with the chair. Edge then locks on a crossface with a wrench but breaks it to hit a stomp of his own on a chair which is enough for the three.

Result: Edge wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a really good match. One of the best Hell In A Cell matches in recent memory. Edge wins this rivalry, which comes to an end tonight. Seth seems to be losing a lot as of late, he needs to be careful not to fall too far down the pecking order. It’s a big win for Edge though who has also suffered plenty of losses. A great way to kick off the show.

Rating: 8.25/10

Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali

Background: These two men were tag team partners but after suffering multiple losses Mustafa Ali would take his frustration out on his partner, attacking him backstage and putting an end to this tag team.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match from these two men.

Crown Jewel PPV Record: Both of these men are 1-0 at this event.

Match: It’s a cagey start to the match with plenty of technical wrestling. The pace starts to quicken with Mansoor looking impressive with his fluid wrestling. Ali takes control and takes the fight to the outside where he throws Mansoor into the barricade. Back in the ring and Mustafa Ali verbal abuses Mansoor as he lays into him. Mansoor is impressive as he fires up, hitting some unique offence. Ali hits a superkick and attempts a 450 splash but Mansoor avoids it. Mansoor hits a moonsault for a near fall but Ali then rolls though and applies a Koji clutch but Mansoor gets to the bottom rope. Mansoor avoids another 450 and hits a neckbreaker for the three!

Result: Mansoor wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a good match that I feel over-delivered. Mustafa Ali is a really talented, under-utilised member of the roster whereas Mansoor has improved a lot. This is the best I’ve seen Mansoor. Mansoor does of course win as he always does in Saudi Arabia.

Rating: 6.75/10

RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) (c) vs. AJ Styles & Omos – Raw Tag Team Championship match

Background: Randy Orton and Riddle beat AJ Styles and Omos for the Raw Tag Team Championships at Summerslam and since then AJ and Omos have been looking to win those titles back. Tonight they get their shot.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two teams, Randy Orton and Riddle won their previous encounter at Summerslam.

Crown Jewel PPV Record: Randy Orton is 0-2, AJ Styles is 2-0, Riddle and Omos wrestle at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: Riddle makes his entrance on a camel! It’s Riddle that starts off the match against AJ Styles. It’s a fast start until Randy Orton tags in and the pace slows down. Orton attempts an RKO early but AJ counters it. Riddle shows tremendous strength as he spins AJ Styles around. Omos then tags in and takes control for the challengers. Randy Orton was in the first ever (main card) Crown Jewel match, he fought Rey Mysterio. AJ Styles continues the domination for his team until Riddle gets the hot tag and picks up the pace. Riddle has been such a good addition to the main roster. Riddle counters a Styles clash and the two men exchange strikes. Randy tags in and hits his trademark powerslam. AJ looks for a phenomenal forearm but Orton counters with an RKO! Orton then tags Riddle who hits the floating bro for the win!

Result: RKBro retain the Raw Tag Team Championships by pinfall.

Review: This was a really good tag team match. Two solid enough tag teams, with Omos being the weak link but his mere presence adds so much to the match. Randy and Riddle retain the titles though and will go into their next feud I imagine, if not the cross branded Survivor Series feud.

Rating: 7.25/10

Doudrop vs. Zelina Vega – Queen’s Crown Tournament Final

Background: Zelina beat Toni Storm and Carmella to get to the final of this female version of the King Of The Ring tournament. Doudrop beat Natalya and Shayna Baszler to get to the final.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two girls, it’s actually a PPV in-ring debut for Doudrop.

Crown Jewel PPV Record: Both of these girls wrestle at Crown Jewel for the first time tonight.

Match: This could be a match of power against speed. Doudrop uses her power in the early going as Vega struggles to gain an advantage. Zelina gets a near fall after a tornado DDT. Vega looks for a sunset flip powerbomb but Doudrop counters. Zelina avoids a cannonball and hits a codebreaker but she struggles to drag Doudrop away from the ropes. Zelina avoids a splash and hits a code red for the win.

Result: Zelina Vega wins by pinfall.

Review: This wasn’t a very good match. Not a lot of chemistry with these two girls. It was a little clunky in parts. But Zelina Vega gets the biggest win of her career and I think this could be a really good role for her.

Rating: 3.5/10

Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley – Falls Count Anywhere match

Background: At SummerSlam, Bobby Lashley defended the WWE Championship against WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg. Lashley was declared the winner after the referee called off the match due to Goldberg injuring his knee and rendering him unable to continue. Following the match, as Lashley continued to attack Goldberg, his 15-year-old son Gage came out and jumped on Lashley’s back. Lashley then applied the Hurt Lock on Gage only to release him and flee due to Goldberg aiding his son. Goldberg was then off television due to his (kayfabe) injury while Lashley lost his championship to Big E. Goldberg returned on the October 4 episode of Raw and proclaimed that he would kill Lashley for what he did to his son. Lashley came out and stated that his attack on Gage was a misunderstanding, which Goldberg refused to believe. Lashley then stated he would face Goldberg at Crown Jewel on the condition that the match was a No Holds Barred match, which Goldberg gladly accepted. The day of the event, it was announced that the match would have an added stipulation of Falls Count Anywhere.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two men, Bobby Lashley won the first at Summerslam.

Crown Jewel PPV Record: Bobby Lashley is 0-2 at this event, Goldberg wrestles at Crown Jewel for the first time tonight.

Match: Bobby Lashley wraps his fist with a chain before the bell which he uses to get the advantage in the early going. He misses with a spear though and crashes through a table. Goldberg then hits a spear and a jackhammer but chooses not to pin Lashley. Goldberg takes the fight to the outside where he spears Lashley through a barricade on the outside. Goldberg continues to lay into Lashley and backs him up the entrance way. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin then walk out from the back with kendo sticks but Goldberg makes quick work of those two. Goldberg then leathers Lashley with a kendo stick a couple of times before spearing him off the stage for the victory.

Result: Goldberg wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a really good match and arguably the best Goldberg match I’ve seen. I really enjoyed it though. It wasn’t a quick match as we’ve become accustomed to with Goldberg and it told a better story than any Goldberg match I’ve seen. Lashley played his part well too. It’s a win for Goldberg though who gets revenge for Summerslam.

Rating: 7/10

Xavier Woods vs. Finn Balor – King Of The Ring final

Background: This is the final of the King Of The Ring tournament. Finn beat Cesaro and Sami Zayn to get to the final whilst Xavier Woods defeated Ricochet and Jinder Mahal.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match between these two men.

Crown Jewel PPV Record: Both of these men wrestle at Crown Jewel for the first time tonight.

Match: There’s some nice chain wrestling between the two men in the early going. It’s back and forth for much of the match actually with both men getting near falls. Woods hits a superplex and looks for his trademark elbow drop but Balor counters, hits a dropkick into the corner and then looks for the coup de gras but Xavier avoids it. The crowd are definitely behind Woods in this one. He hits a gutbuster and then an elbow drop for the three.

Result: Xavier Woods wins by pinfall.

Review: This match was ok. It felt like it could have been longer and was a little rushed at the end but it certainly wasn’t a bad match. Xavier Woods wins the match, he’s wanted to be King Of The Ring for a long time so I’m glad he won. It’s not always they give the fans what they want but they did this time and I look forward to seeing Woods have a singles push. I wouldn’t actually mind seeing a heel turn from Woods under this King gimmick.

Rating: 5.75/10

Big E (c) vs. Drew McIntyre – WWE Championship match

Background: Last month Big E cashed in his Money In The Bank contract successfully to defeat Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship. Lashley losing the title meant that Drew McIntyre was eligible to fight for the WWE Championship again and he challenged Big E at Crown Jewel.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two men.

Crown Jewel PPV Record: Big E is 0-2 at Crown Jewel, Drew McIntyre is 0-1.

Match: The match starts with the two men trying to out-power one another. Drew hits an impressive belly to belly suplex outside the ring and that gives him the advantage for a while. Big E counters a futureshock DDT enough but gets hit with a Michinoku driver for a near fall. Big E counters a claymore attempt with a powerbomb and then locks on a stretch muffler but Drew gets out of it. Big E hits the big ending for a near fall. Drew hits a bulldog off the middle rope and attempts another claymore but again Big E avoids it. Big E then looks for his trademark spear off the apron but McIntyre counters with a claymore for a near fall. Not many people kick out of a claymore. Big E then hits a spinning big ending which is enough for the three!

Result: Big E retains the WWE Championship by pinfall.

Review: This match was decent enough. It wasn’t amazing but there were some good false finishes at the end, especially with Big E kicking out of the claymore. This is a first PPV defence for Big E and it sends Drew over to Smackdown without the title. A good win for Big E tonight.

Rating: 6/10

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks – Triple threat match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship

Background: At SummerSlam, Bianca Belair was scheduled to defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks, however, before the match began, it was announced that Banks could not appear for unknown reasons. Becky Lynch then made a surprise return in her first appearance since the Raw after Money in the Bank in May 2020. Lynch challenged Belair, who accepted, and Lynch defeated her in 26 seconds to win the title. At Extreme Rules, Lynch defended the title against Belair, however, Banks ambushed both Belair and Lynch causing the match to end in a no contest. A triple threat match between the three women for the SmackDown Women’s Championship was then scheduled for Crown Jewel.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time triple threat match between these three girls.

Crown Jewel PPV Record: All three of these girls wrestle at Crown Jewel for the first time tonight.

Match: Bianca looks impressive in the early going, even press slamming Sasha Banks with one arm. This is one of those triple threat matches where they pair off whilst one person recovers on the outside. All three girls get a run in control. Becky counters a KOD but Bianca hits a phenomenal suplex on Becky, kicking Sasha in the process. Sasha and Becky then each apply submission holds on Bianca at the same time but they both decide to break the holds. Sasha applies the Banks statement to Lynch but Belair breaks it up. Becky hits a man-handle slam on Sasha but Bianca breaks up the pinfall. The fight goes to the outside and then back into the ring where Becky locks the disarm-her on both opponents. Bianca breaks it up but Sasha takes out Belair with a backstabber. Bianca hits Becky with a KOD but Sasha stops her from making a pinfall. Sasha throws Bianca out of the ring but Becky rolls Sasha up, holding on to the bottom rope and gets the 3!

Result: Becky Lynch retains the Smackdown Women’s Championship by pinfall.

Review: This was a really good match. It felt like a big match and it was really high quality. Bianca in particular was impressive, it felt like she was leading the match for a long time. There were some good spots that were all seamless. Becky wins tonight though and she’s going off to Monday Night Raw as of the draft this week.

Rating: 8.5/10

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar – Universal Championship match

Background: After Roman Reigns retained the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, he was confronted by a returning Brock Lesnar in his first appearance since WrestleMania 36 in April 2020. On the September 10 episode of SmackDown, Lesnar again appeared to confront Reigns and claimed that his former advocate, Paul Heyman, who had been serving as Reigns’ special counsel since August 2020, knew Lesnar would be present at SummerSlam in an attempt to cause dissension between Reigns and Heyman. Lesnar then challenged Heyman to accept a match against Reigns for the Universal Championship. Later that night, an irate Reigns accepted the challenge. On September 16, WWE announced that the match would occur at Crown Jewel, though not necessarily for the Universal Championship, as before Crown Jewel, Reigns had a scheduled title defence against “The Demon” Finn Bálor at Extreme Rules. Reigns retained at that event, thus officially making his match against Lesnar at Crown Jewel for the Universal Championship.

Previous PPV matches: These two men have fought in PPV singles matches three times before, Brock won two of those matches and Reigns the other.

Crown Jewel PPV Record: Brock Lesnar is 2-0 at Crown Jewel, Roman Reigns is 1-0.

Match: It’s a hard-hitting start to the match with Brock getting his first German suplex in. Lesnar takes control from there until Reigns hits him with a superman punch and a huge suicide dive. Roman hits a spear but only for a near fall. Reigns hits two more superman punches and looks for a spear but Brock leapfrogs him and Reigns hits the middle turnbuckle. Brock hits a couple of German suplexes and an F5 before hooking the leg but Reigns kicks out at 2. Brock looks for another F5 but Reigns counters, locking on a guillotine but Brock powers out. Lesnar hits another F5 but takes out Charles Robinson in the process. Lesnar kicks the referee out of the ring but then turns around into a spear. Paul Heyman tosses the Universal Championship into the ring, Reigns grabs it but Brock takes it off him. The Usos then show up and superkick Lesnar before Reigns smashes him with the Universal Championship. Another referee shows up and counts the 3 for the champion.

Result: Roman Reigns retains the Universal Championship by pinfall.

Review: This was a really good main event. I like how it was booked, I liked the finish and it keeps this epic rivalry going. Plus it really had a big match feel. I honestly believe there is no bigger match in all of wrestling. Roman’s title reign continues but who can beat him for it?

Rating: 7.5/10