The Hot Take Report: Crown Jewel 2019 Recap

WWE held its fourth event from Saudi Arabia in their 10 year contract agreement today when Crown Jewel took place.  Brock Lesnar looked to avenge his loss to Cain Velasquez inside of the Octagon in 2010 when he defended The WWE Championship against him.  Lesnar and Velasquez started the match with a feeling out process that looked similar to an MMA fight.  Lesnar backed his challenger into the corner before Velasquez countered with a knee to the gut that dropped Lesnar to the mat.  Velasquez mounted Lesnar and landed punches before the champion landed a kick to his knee which was in a brace.  This would allow Lesnar to put Velasquez into a Kimura Lock for the tapout.



Lesnar was not satisfied with his revenge and would not release the hold until Rey Mysterio hit him with a steel chair to break the submission.  Lesnar threw Mysterio over the top rope, took the chair and continued his attack on Velasquez using the chair that Mysterio brought into the ring.  Mysterio was relentless, got another chair and handed Lesnar some payback for his attacks on him and his son.  Mysterio landed chair shot after chair shot until Lesnar retreated with his advocate Paul Heyman.



Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler vs. The Lucha House Party's Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik started the tag team turmoil match to crown The Best Tag Team in the World.  Dorado and Metalik took control with a springboard stunner by Dorado to Ziggler and an assisted wheel barrel moonsault to Ziggler.  Roode and Ziggler got back into the match by isolating Dorado with the assistance of Roode using a tilt-a-whirl back breaker.  Dorado was eventually able to tag Metalik in, but it was not enough as he got caught by Ziggler and took a superkick after a springboard elbow attempt.  Roode hit the Glorious DDT for the pin and eliminated Lucha House Party. 



Zach Ryder and Curt Hawkins were out next and after Ziggler was tossed to the outside following a Rough Ryder, Hawkins and Ryder tried to isolate Roode with a slam and blockbuster neckbreaker.  Ziggler broke up the pin attempt, and hit Hawkins with a superkick.  Roode and Ziggler landed a spinebuster and a Zig Zag combination to pin Ryder and eliminate Hawkins and Ryder.  Heavy Machinery came out next and after Tucker and Ziggler showed off their amateur wrestling backgrounds, the larger opponents imposed their will as Roode's chops to 330 pound Otis had no affect on him.  Heavy Machinery would hit the compactor into a splash from Tucker to eliminate Roode and Ziggler.



Big E and Kofi Kingston of The New Day made their way to the ring, and Big E and Tucker had a battle of strength that ended with them landing a double clothesline on each other.  Kingston and Otis got the tags and Kingston tried to take Otis out by hitting a series of dropkicks to no avail.  Otis would drop an elbow on Kingston after a slam, but the former WWE Champion kicked out.  After Kofi hit Otis with a Trouble in Paradise, Big E and Kofi took out Tucker with The Midnight Hour for the pin.  The B Team was out next, but New Day made quick work of the former Raw Tag Team Champions when Big E hit The Big Ending on Curtis Axel.



The SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Revival made their way to the ring and although New Day was fired up to get retribution on their rivals, Kingston was isolated by Dawson and Wilder.  After being worked over by the tag champs, Kingston made the tag to Big E.  The former six time tag champs withstood the attack and eliminated The Revival with a small package rollup for the pin only to be attacked after they got the pin.  This made Big E and Kingston look like sitting ducks for Anderson and Gallows, but Kingston countered a Magic Killer attempt with a knee to Gallows' head and a stomp to Anderson.  Kingston tried to tag in Big E, but Gallows pulled him off the apron and he got hit by Anderson with a running kick to the head.  Anderson and Gallows hit The Magic Killer to eliminate The New Day.



The Viking Raiders were out next and unlike the previous time these teams were in a tag team turmoil match, this did not end in a double disqualification.  Anderson and Gallows gained the upper hand with a chop block to Erik's knee from Anderson.  Erik eventually tagged in Ivar who hit Anderson with a splash, took out Gallows with a clothesline and landed one on Anderson.  The Viking Raiders looked to remain undefeated, but another chop block to the knee of Erik and a Magic Killer earned a one, two three for The OC.



Cesaro vs. Mansoor started with Cesaro trying to intimidate the hometown wrestler by backing him into the corner and shoving him, but Mansoor did not back down and returned the favor.  Cesaro had Mansoor in a wristlock, but Mansoor was able to fight out and landed a series of armdrags in the match. Mansoor had the veteran flustered and looked like he was going for a suicide dive when Cesrao hit an uppercut that laid him out.  Cesaro took control with a belly to back suplex and worked Mansoor over until he fought back with a fury that included a jumping kneckbreaker over the top rope. Mansoor changed up his strategy when he hit a plancha instead of going for another suicide dive attempt.



Cesaro would not be detoured as he deadlifted Mansoor from the apron and hit a gutwrench suplex.  Cesaro could not put him away even after delivering a devastating pop up uppercut, and looked to put Mansoor away with a crossface submission, but Mansoor would not quit.  Cesaro tried to hit another gutwrench suplex from the top rope, but Mansoor countered with a sunset flip powerbomb and a moonsault for the pin and victory.



Braun Strowman took on the undefeated boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.  Strowman tried to show Fury that he did not belong in a wrestling ring and laded a big boot on Fury.  Strowman was going for his signature shoulder block outside, but Fury countered with a dropkick.  Strowman was unable to hit his signature powerslam to put Fury away, but he took the fight back outside the ring and knocked Fury down with a few shoulder tackles.  As Strowman tried to reenter the ring, he was knocked out by Fury who returned a punch from Strowman earlier in the match.  Strowman could not get back into the ring before the count of 10, and Fury won by count out.  Strowman did not take his loss in stride as he attacked Fury with a powerslam after Fury was announced as the winner.



AJ Styles defended The United States Championship against Humberto Carrillo.  Styles tried to put his challenger away early by starting with a running forearm to him.  Carrillo was able to fight back with a springboard into an armdrag.  Carrillo charged Styles only to be hit with a firemen's carry into a kneckbreakrer.  Carrillo would not go away easily as he used a handstand into an armdrag and hit a twisting plancha on Styles, but Styles fought on.  Carrillo charged Styles on the apron, only to be hit with a forearm and a springboard phenomenal forearm for Styles to get the pin and retain.



Lacey Evans vs. Natayla took place in the first ever women's match in Saudi Arabia.  Evans and Natalya came out to a welcoming crowd as they received this is awesome chants.  The match started with grappling and Natalya countered Evans' headlock into a head scissors.  After an early show of respect to each other, a fight broke out when Evans jumped over the top rope and hit Natalya with a dropkick.  Evans hit a twisting moonsault from the top rope after countering Natalya's sharpshooter attempt, but could not put her away.  Evans took time to admire her handy work, only to be knocked down from the top rope and hit with a basement dropkick and tapped out to the sharpshooter.



Roman Reigns, Ricochet, Rusev, Ali and Shorty G vs. Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Baron Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Lashley in a 10 man tag team match was up next.  Nakamura and Shorty G started the match with Shorty G hitting a series of belly to belly suplexes.  Ali and Corbin would tag in and Ali was able to avoid a chokeslam attempt, landed a kick and a facebuster to Corbin.  Lashley tagged in and Ali tagged in Rusev, but Lashley wanted no part of him, so he tagged out to McIntyre.  Rusev and McIntyre traded punches to a stalemate, but McIntyre and co. took over by isolating Ali following a shove from the top rope by Corbin to the barricade on the outside.



Ali eventually tagged in Ricochet who hit a springboard clothesline and got his team back into the match momentarily until Corbin hit a cheap shot from the outside and McIntyre drooped him with an Alabama slam.  The momentum shifted again when Ricochet tagged in Reigns.  Reigns was on fire landing punches and clotheslines, but his teammates were taken out one by one.  Ricochet got hit with a Claymore Kick that turned him inside out, Ali was hit with a chokeslam from Corbin and Shorty G was hit with a Kinshasa from Nakamura.  Rusev saved the day for Reigns by taking out everyone with kicks and slams, but spilled over the top rope when Lashley pulled it down on him as he charged him.



Reigns hit a diving plancha over the top rope, but jumped into an RKO from Orton as he was going for a Superman punch.  Orton tried to wrap up a victory for his team, but Ali countered an RKO attempt with a handstand and Orton was hit with a running shooting star press from Ricochet and spear by Reigns for the win.



Seth Rollins defended The Universal Championship against The Fiend Bray Wyatt in the main event.  Rollins looked to end things early as he hit a slingblade slamming Wyatt's head into the mat, but Wyatt got right back up.  The fight spilled to the outside and Wyatt tried to throw Rollins into the LED board, but was thrown into it by Rollins.  Rollins stacked two tables and went on the attack to Wyatt, but get got caught and was planted face first on the outside by Wyatt.  Wyatt charged Rollins and attempted a crossbody, but Rollins dodged and he went through the barricade.  Rollins used a steel chair, but it had no affect on Wyatt, so he used a sledgehammer to gain the upper hand.


Wyatt would not be stopped as he applied the Mandible Claw to Rollins and had him set up on the table for a splash, but Rollins moved out of the way and Wyatt went crashing through it.  Rollins went for a pin, but Wyatt kicked out at one.  Rollins hit a curb stomp, but Wyatt kept coming after him and sent Rollins through the stacked tables when Seth went to the top rope to try and hit a splash on him.  Wyatt exposed the concrete on the floor and went for a Sister Abigail, but Rollins hit a spin kick and curb stomped Wyatt on the exposed floor.  This looked like it was the end for Wyatt, but he kicked out at two to Rollins' dismay.


The fight was taken to the stage area after Wyatt hit a Sister Abigail on Rollins and he kicked out.  Wyatt tried to throw Rollins off the stage, but he counted with superkicks and curb stomps.  Rollins eventually knocked Wyatt off the stage and into an electrical area that exploded.  As Rollins was looking for Wyatt underneath the crates, Wyatt applied the Mandible Claw and hit a Sister Abigail for the pin and won The Universal Championship.

Alright everybody thanks for reading the Hot Take Report! 

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