Saudi Olympian recreates controversial knockout at WWE Crown Jewel

The match between Mustafa Ali and Mansoor at Crown Jewel went about as you’d expect. Just like every other time the Saudi-born Mansoor has competed in one of the events WWE holds in Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 21 in Riyadh, he picked up the win.

It was after the match that things got interesting. Ali continued to play the heel in defeat, attacking his opponent after the bell. It was a moment scripted for a big star to appear and save Mansoor. Some thought it would be a good spot for another staple of WWE’s Saudi shows, The Undertaker. After all, he was just in town introducing Pitbull last night (yes, you read that right).

A tall figure did appear, with a ghutra covering his face. He slowly made his way to the ring before revealing himself. It wasn’t Taker - it was Saudi Olympic Silver Medalist Tareq Hamedi!

Folks who followed the 2020 Tokyo Games, or combat sports in general, will remember Hamedi for why he took Silver in the +75 kg kumite final. The kick he used for a walkoff knockout got him disqualified. The kumite category of competitive karate says that damage is supposed to be inflicted in a ‘controlled’ manner, so rendering someone unconscious or unable to continue violates the rules. Thus, even though Iran’s Sajad Ganjzadeh was out cold, he won the Gold.

Hamedi is still beloved in his home country, of course. And the crowd at Crown Jewel made that known when he put Ali down just like he did Ganjzadeh.

As that announcer for the rival company says, you’ve got to give the people what you want.

Get complete Crown Jewel results and coverage of every match on the card right here.