WWE Crown Jewel is going down today (Thurs., Oct. 21, 2021) from Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia starting at 11:00am ET, live on Peacock (in the U.S.) and WWE Network (everywhere else).
CagesideSeats.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, match-by-match coverage of Crown Jewel below, beginning with the first match of the evening and right on through to the main event.
Kick your off your shoes, relax, and enjoy all the action with your favorite pro wrestling website. And remember to keep refreshing!
WWE CROWN JEWEL QUICK RESULTS
- Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar
- Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks
- Big E def. Drew McIntyre
- Xavier Woods def. Finn Bálor
- Goldberg def. Bobby Lashley
- Zelina Vega def. Doudrop
- RK-Bro def. AJ Styles & Omos
- Mansoor def. Mustafa Ali
- Edge def. Seth Rollins
- The Usos def. Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin
WWE CROWN JEWEL LIVE BLOG & MATCH COVERAGE
Hey folks.
(blows dust off her WWE-in-Saudi-Arabia copy)
Been a minute, huh? No lyrics today. As is my standard practice with these shows, I’m going to use my platform here to express my unhappiness with WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. More specifically, owing to my nature as a queer polyamorous trans woman, Saudi Arabia is, uh... not very friendly to people like me, and so seeing WWE act as a propaganda arm for this regime really sucks sometimes.
It’s only though happenstance, through the accidental details of my birth, to a family that supports me, in a country that (despite increasing amounts of transphobia in the media) is basically supportive of my right to exist, that I’ve been able to be the woman that I am, to find love with my gorgeous wife Josie and my beautiful girlfriends Erana and Anya, and it breaks my heart to think of my brothers, sisters, and nonbinary siblings who weren’t so lucky.
But as always, I refuse to sit back and leave my colleagues here at Cageside Seats, who have played such a huge part in making me feel comfortable to be out and proud as the woman I am (and who have no problem with calling WWE’s Saudi deal out for exactly what it is), high and dry, so I’m liveblogging the show.
On with the show!
Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin) vs. the Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)
This being a pre-show match with no stakes and it not even being noon for me yet, I’m taking it easy on this one, Cagesiders.
Jey and Cedric to start, the Hurt Business pull ahead and start up a heat segment. Eventually we get a hot tag, Jimmy cleans house, some quick-thinking double-teams almost keep the Hurt Business down! The match breaks down, Jimmy fights out of a powerbomb attempt, tag, superkicks for everybody!
Up top...
The Usos win by pinfall with a diving splash from Jey Uso on Cedric Alexander.
The show opens with a video package about how Crown Jewel is a special event with history behind it and such.
Edge vs. Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell Match)
Edge right in with punches, whip across, boot up and Rollins fires punches back in turn. Rated-R Superstar with a big boot, Seth rolls to the apron, slingshot back in with a knee! Edge rolls to the floor and brawls with him a bit before throwing Rollins back inside and getting a chair out from under the ring!
A second chair, Edge hits the Impaler... NOPE! Stomping out the crossbar of the chair, looking for the crossface but Seth blocks with an elbow! Trying to gouge Edge’s eye out with the bar but the Rated-R Superstar blocks! Sling Blade from Rollins for two, baseball slide follows!
Seth follows him to the floor and throws him into the wall of the cell! Back inside, waffling Edge with a chair! Setting his head on the chair, Rollins grabs the other one, Edge cuts him off, crossface attempt, Seth crawling... HE GETS THE CROSSBAR AND JAMS IT INTO EDGE’S EYE!
Headed up top, frog splash... NOPE! Rollins goes to the floor and gets a table out, setting it up at ringside. Back in, clawing at the injured eye, Edge fights out of a powerbomb lift but Seth hits the Killswitch... STILL NO! Seth goes up top... EDGE KNOCKS HIM OFF AND THROUGH THE TABLE!
Back inside, cover for two! Edge gets the bottom of the steel steps and slides it into the ring, drawing Rollins up... EDGE-O-MATIC ON THE STEEL STEPS! Edge goes up top wtih a chair in hand... DIVING ELBOW DROP WITH THE CHAIR ONTO THE STEEL! Edge runs into a superkick, Seth follows it with a Pedigree... SO CLOSE!
Blackout countered into a buckle bomb! Edge off the ropes... ROLLINS KICKS OUT OF THE SPEAR! Edge goes under the ring for plunder and pulls a ladder out! He goes back inside and spikes Seth in the face with the ladder! Leaning the ladder in the corner, whip reversed and Edge crashes into it!
Rollins with a table, setting it up, punching away at the Ultimate Opportunist’s neck, setting him on the table, setting the ladder up next to it and going up top. Edge climbs to meet him, jockeying for position atop the ladder... SETH ROLLINS SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB OFF THE LADDER AND THROUGH THE TABLE BUT EDGE FINDS THE WILL TO KICK OUT!
Seth goes to the floor, desperate to find some additional bit of plunder that will win him the match and he throws a bag of tools in! Back inside, superkicks cut Edge down, Rollins grabs a length of chain, wrapping it around his boot! Lining him up, chain-assisted superkick!
Blackout attempt... EDGE RAMS A CHAIR INTO SETH’S GENTLEMAN’S AREA! Edge with a basement superkick, another one, peeling the chain off of Rollins’ foot and the Rated-R Superstar uses the chain to put a rear chinlock on him! Segue to a wrench-assisted crossface but Edge lets go of it!
Edge sets up a chair...
Edge wins by pinfall with Blackout onto a chair.
Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali
Mansoor working the arm early, such that Ali has to roll to the floor for a breather! Back inside, Mansoor with waistlock takedowns, chops in the corner, whip reversed, up and over, Mustafa cuts him off on the apron and trips him! Slamming Mansoor into the barricade, back inside for an Oklahoma Roll that gets two.
Camel Clutch applied, float over the suplex, Ali hits a tornado DDT... NOPE! Kicks in the corner, jawing at Mansoor, calling him a worthless loser, he fires up, enzuigiri, Manhattan Drop into a spinning spinebuster! Mansoor rolling, putting boots to Ali in the corner, lariat, up top for the diving moonsault but his neck is hurting and he’s slow to capitalize.
Cover... ALI REVERSES TO THE KOJI CLUTCH! Draping Mansoor over the bottom rope, Mustafa up top... NOBODY HOME ON THE 450 SPLASH! Mansoor slingshots back in...
Mansoor wins by pinfall with the slingshot neckbreaker.
Post-match, a man in a karate gi and traditional Arab headdress enters the ring to confront Mustafa Ali.
He reveals his face and we’re informed that he’s Tareg Hamedi, a Karate silver medalist! He lays Ali out with a kick!
We get a video package for breast cancer awareness.
Titus O’Neil and Natalya are in the ring with a bunch of local survivors with pink title belts.
AJ Styles & Omos vs. RK-Bro (Matt Riddle & Randy Orton) (c) (WWE Raw Tag Team Championship)
I’m up getting my lunch during entrances and my beautiful wife takes over briefly—
Matt Riddle enters the ring on a literal camel, in a scene oddly remniscient of Conan the Destroyer. Randy walks alongside Riddle’s LITERAL CAMEL with a grouchy look on his face, as if he’s starting to bust into a Harrison Ford cosplay and grumble “No Camels!” at him. Which, come to think of it, is an Indiana Jones quirk that never got explained. What is the deal with Indy and camels? Maybe they addressed it on the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, anybody remember that show.
Anyway, then there’s wrestling, here’s Claire.
Tag champs working Styles over early, eventually he gets away and tags out to Omos. Riddle charges in and gets knocked down, tag to Orton! Omos bowls him over, too, drawing him up by one ear for a scoop lift, marching him to the corner for Snake Eyes! Trapezius claw, tags made and AJ and Matt get back into it!
Styles Rush countered with a knee, tag to Randy! Front kick, pass Styles into Omos to clear the apron, snap scoop powerslam! Omos with a goozle, Riddle grabs his leg and Orton snaps his neck over the top rope! AJ from the apron, springboard... RKO OUTTA NOWHERE!
Tag made, Riddle off the top...
RK-Bro win by pinfall with the corkscrew moonsault from Matt Riddle on AJ Styles to retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship.
Becky Lynch is interviewed backstage.
She berates Kevin Patrick for asking about momentum and says momentum only means it hurts more when you hit the brick wall, and she’s the brick wall. She knows how a triple threat works, and she’s going to retain her title.
Doudrop vs. Zelina Vega (Queen’s Crown Finals)
Doudrop shoves Vega down, Zelina fires back with a forearm, ducks a lariat, leg kicks follow. Doudrop catches a kick and drops her with a headbutt! Off the ropes, Vega to the apron, jawbreaker over the ropes, headed up top, diving crossbody caught!
Reverse to a sunset flip, blocked, Doudrop scoops her back up and shoves her down! Another axehandle, scoop and a slam, elbow drop, going up top but Vega trips her up, tornado DDT... NOPE! Dragon sleeper applied, Doudrop backs her into the corner and slips out of a Yoshi Tonic!
Big lariat follows, Vega pulling herself up in the corner, nobody home on the cannonball! Codebreaker, corner knees, Zelina trying to drag Doudrop into the middle of the ring but she can’t budge her and the cover comes up empty! Doudrop with a nearfall off a swinging side slam!
Catapult slam into an elbow drop, still just a two count! Vega gets on her...
Zelina Vega wins by pinfall with a Yoshi Tonic, winning the Queen’s Crown.
Commentary briefly turns into a propaganda machine for the Saudi government.
Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg (No Holds Barred Falls Count Anywhere Match)
Lashley wraps a chain around his hands before the bell and Goldberg rushes him with punches! Chain-assisted punches cut Bill off, Bob goes and gets a chair from ringside, targeting his injured knee, leaning a table in the corner and chop blocking Goldberg as he begins to rise!
Wrapping the chair around his knee, stomping it, up on the second... PILLMANIZED! He sets Bill up against the table and charges... NOBODY HOME! Goldberg manages to post up long enough to hit the spear, he limps his way around Bob and draws him up... JACKHAMMER!
Bill takes the gloves off and throws Lashley to the floor, stalking after him... SPEAR THROUGH THE BARRICADE! Smashing Bob’s face into the announce table, Goldberg reminds us that this is to the death and sets Lashley on the steps, trying to smash him with the other have, but he rolls away!
Crawling up the aisle, both men have kendo sticks and we get a swordfight! Bill breaks his over his knee and waits for Lashley to stand... SPEAR OFF THE STAGE! IT’S OVER!
Goldberg wins by pinfall with a spear off the stage.
Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods (King of the Ring Finals)
Circling, go-behind, reversed to a wristlock, hammerlock, Balor reverses to a side headlock. Block the shootoff, headlock takeover, snapmare, Xavier into a hammerlock! Russian legsweep for two, off the ropes, Finn with the dropkick for two! Chops in the corner, cutthroat choke, Woods gets away and tees up kicks into a senton, drop toehold puts him on the second, dropkick to the back!
Enzuigiri from the apron, tornado DDT blocked, double leg into the double stomp! Xavier firing back with chops, whips reversed, inverted headlock elbow drop... NOPE! Finn runs into a superkick... STILL NO! Forearms and chops, whip reversed, front kick, rolling elbow for the Pele kick and both men are down and out!
Overhead elbows from Balor, reversed to a small package, only two! Boot up on the charge, jockeying for position in the turnbuckles... WOODS WITH A SUPERPLEX FOR TWO! Xavier off the top... LIMIT BREAKER COUNTERED WITH THE KNEES UP! Sling Blade, shotgun dropkick, Finn goes up top... NOBODY HOME ON COUP DE GRACE!
La Casita gets Xavier a two count, enzuigiri follows, solebutt, front suplex gutbuster! Woods goes up top...
Xavier Woods wins by pinfall with Limit Breaker to become your new King of the Ring.
Big E (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE Championship)
Going face-to-face, E jawing at him, they back off, collar and elbow, stalemate. Back to the lockup, side headlock, shot off, shoulder block and Big gets in his face and tells him to hit the ropes! Off the ropes, shoulder block, arm wringer, headlock, shot off, up and over, and McIntyre runs him over!
Hip toss, kneeling armbar, grinding E down but he gets to his feet for body blows. Off the ropes, spinebuster into a jackknife pin... NOPE! Belly-to-belly suplexes, a little back and forth, the big splash connects, only two! Drew with a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall of his own!
McIntyre off the top, nobody home, sidestep the charge, Big catches him with the Rock Bottom in the corner... NO GOOD! Future Shock... STILL NO! Claymore attempt, countered into a powerbomb and E has the Stretch Muffler in! After a struggle, Drew reverses, gets kicked out of it, Big hosses him up for the Big Ending... NOT ENOUGH!
Up top, jockeying for position, McIntyre with a diving bulldog for a nearfall! Duck under the Claymore, off the ropes, Claymore hits this time... BUT BIG E STILL KICKS OUT! Drew scoops him up, E slips out, off the ropes, tilt-a-whirl...
Big E wins by pinfall with the Big Ending to retain the WWE Championship.
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks (WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship)
Circling, Banks kicks Lynch out of the way, side headlock on Belair, drop down, shoulder block, off the ropes, leapfrog, Bianca catches a crossbody and rams Becky into the corner when she jumps on board! Fallaways slam to Sasha, knees up, forearm sets up a military press, one-handed into the press drop!
Lynch picks her leg and throws Belair into the barricade, back inside, Banks takes her down into a pin for two! Victory roll for two, crucifix pin for two, knuckle lock, step-up lucha arm drag, Matrix evasion on the pin! Off the ropes, tilt-a-whirl, shoving Becky into Belair, catch the kick, short Meteora.
Bulldog takes Bianca out and sets Becky up for the crossface, Belair returns right away and breaks it up! Smashing the Boss turnbuckle-to-turnbuckle, ducking under, monkey flip into a powerbomb into a headscissors takeover into the corner! Knees from Sasha, Bianca underneath her, Argentine backbreaker rack, Lynch takes both of them out with a missile dropkick and all three women are down and out!
Becky with covers, blockbuster on Belair, leg drop, elbow drop, nobody home on the turning leg drop! Lynch picks her leg, back heel trip, off the ropes, bulldog... NOPE! Kicks cut Sasha off in the ropes, Becky follows with a guillotine leg drop, only two! Exploder suplex on Bianca, one for Banks as well, covering both women for a nearfall!
Punching away, diving leg drop caught by both opponents... DOUBLE POWERBOMB INTO THE TURNBUCKLES! Folding press from the Boss, crucifix follows, no dice! Jockeying for position over a backslide, arm drag gets a shoulder block! Drawing her up, whip reversed, up and over, Bianca with a dropkick and she’s rolling!
Kip-up, delayed vertical, Sasha floats over, Three Amigos! Headed up top, nobody home, she lands on her feet, Meteora to Lynch, headscissors puts Belair into the turnbuckle but Bianca pounces her before she can follow up! Jockeying for position, victory roll for a sunset flip, big knee from the champ.
Whip reversed, up and over, kick Bianca down but she lands a thrust spinebuster... STILL NO! Becky boots up, Belair gets her in the backbreaker rack, clears Sasha, Lynch lands on her feet off the KOD but eats a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster! Big splash, knees are up! Becky double legs her, jackknife pin, bridge out of it, Sasha comes over and pulls them both up!
Sunset flip blocked, Bianca with a delayed vertical suplex! Handspring moonsault, nobody home, both other women have the same idea, Bank Statement / Dis-Arm-Her combination! Banks throws Becky into the turnbuckles and puts boots to her, Lynch with uppercuts to fight back, springboard kick in the corner, headed up top, nobody home!
Bank Statement applied, Lynch crawling, Bianca breaks it up with the handspring moonsault... NOT HAPPENING! Banks slips out of the corner, high knee, tijeras, mat slam, pulling Belair up by her braid, she lays some kicks in! Bianca trips her with her braid, bridging pin but Becky breaks it up!
Lynch rises to her feet, charging forearms on both opponents, corner-to-corner, underhooks, Sasha blocks but Becky plants her with the Manhandle Slam... SO CLOSE! All three women down and out, Bianca and Becky slugging it out forearm for forearm, Belair gets her up for the Glam Slam but Lynch rolls out of it and gets her in the ropes for uppercuts and forearms!
Hanging on to Bianca’s braid but Sasha breaks it up, knee in the corner, off the ropes... SLIDE-THROUGH SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB BLOCKED! Brawling on the floor, tornado DDT blocked, lungblower blocked and Becky flies with a lariat that takes both women out! Dragging Bianca back inside, drawing her up, butterfly suplex into a cross armbar!
Belair keeps her hands clasped, Lynch rolls through, Dis-Arm-Her attempt, Banks comes in, Becky traps them both, double Dis-Arm-Her! Bianca posts up and deadlifts both women but Sasha slips out and lays her out with a lungblower! Lynch with a rolling solebutt, a crescent kick, clutching her, Manhandle Slam reversed, Belair gets her up, KOD!
Banks pulls Bianca out to the floor, back inside, Becky catches her...
Becky Lynch wins by pinfall with a small package and handful of ropes on Sasha Banks to retain the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (c) (WWE Universal Championship)
Circling, collar and elbow, Reigns gets him right in the corner and we get a clean break. Front kick, hammerfists, beating Roman down in the corner but he’s able to fight off a German suplex. Right hands, back elbows, Reigns with the big slicing right! Double leg into the corner, shoulder thrusts, Brock ducks a forearm and nearly gets the German this time!
Duck under another one, German suplex connects! Waistlock, Roman hanging on in the corner, Lesnar shifts gears, shoulder thrusts, putting boots to him in the corner! Reigns takes him to the floor and brawls with him and gets a breather against the barricade. Brock gets under him, fireman’s carry, throwing the Tribal Chief back into the ring.
Superman Punch knocks Brock to the floor, Reigns off the ropes... TOPE SUICIDA! Back inside, spear connects... SO CLOSE! Calling for it, Superman Punch staggers the Beast, another one, Lesnar having trouble getting back to his feet, the Big Dog howls but Lesnar leaps the spear and Roman goes face-first into the turnbuckles!
Both men down and out, Brock with a German suplex, another one, and again! Fireman’s carry... F-5 CAN’T KEEP THE BIG DOG DOWN! Dragging Roman up again, F-5 reversed into the guillotine choke! Lesnar hosses him up to try and fight out but Reigns keeps the choke locked in!
A spinebuster breaks the hold, up for another F-5... BUT ROMAN CRASHES INTO REFEREE CHARLES ROBINSON AND NO ONE IS THERE TO COUNT THE PIN! An angry and confused Brock tries to lift Robinson up but just ends up dropping him to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Lesnar turns around right into the spear but we still have no referee!
Paul Heyman throws the title belt into the ring but it’s not clear to whom! A tug of war breaks out, Brock gets the belt but the Usos slide in the ring and lay him out with a superkick party! Reigns lays Lesnar out with the title, referee Chad Patton slides in the ring...
Roman Reigns wins by pinfall with a lateral press to retain the WWE Universal Championship.
The Bloodline stands tall on the stage while a pink-faced Lesnar catches his breath in the ring.
That’s the show, folks.