Surrounded by plenty of controversy, WWE’s Crown Jewel event is set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at King Saud University Stadium.
In response to the negative backlash the company received in going to Saudi Arabia after the alleged murder of a journalist in a gruesome fashion, the WWE released a statement saying, “WWE has operated in the Middle East for nearly 20 years and has developed a sizable and dedicated fan base,” read WWE’s statement. “Considering the heinous crime committed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Company faced a very difficult decision as it relates to its event scheduled for November 2 in Riyadh. Similar to other U.S.-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event. Full year 2018 guidance is predicated on the staging of the Riyadh event as scheduled.”
Two notable competitors, John Cena and Daniel Bryan, pulled themselves from the event. They were both scheduled to compete, according to Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports.
Now, Styles will take on Samoa Joe (again) and Cena’s spot in the tournament was filled by Bobby Lashley.
The event is comprised of four matches, though one is a tournament featuring multiple matchups.
Here we will look at each of the matchups and the odds and determine a winner using odds from BetDSI.
D-Generation X (-150) vs. The Brothers of Destruction (+120)
Mired in controversy and what not, we haven’t even discussed the return of Shawn Michaels, who is returning to action after a lengthy absence and will be partnering with Triple H.
Right now, DX is slated to go over on the Brother of Destruction, but Triple H got one up on The Undertaker recently at Super Showdown.
It’s hard to imagine The Undertaker taking another “L” at this point, but it’s also just as hard to imagine Michaels taking an “L”, too.
However, Undertaker can be protected by Kane getting pinned. I can’t see DX losing in Michaels’ return.
Michaels will pin Kane, and perhaps this leads to a Kane and Taker feud progressing.
Braun Strowman (-240) vs. Brock Lesnar (+200) – Vacant Universal Championship Match
With Roman Reigns’ leukemia coming out of remission, he was forced to relinquish the title and seek treatment.
The original match was a triple-threat match for the title involving Reigns, Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar. Now, the two will face off once again for a vacant Universal Championship.
We’re all firmly aware of Lesnar and his expiring contract, so the betting odds are on the money here and we should finally see Strowman in a championship run.
However, a storyline of Lesnar winning, cutting a promo ditching WWE and making the title vacant once again would actually be entertaining.
But, it doesn’t make sense for the WWE to continue to bury Strowman but letting Lesnar, with an expiring contract, win.
Strowman will win.
Daniel Bryan vs. Samoa Joe – WWE Championship
On such short notice, Bryan is withdrawing from the event and now Joe will take his place. There are no betting odds currently available, but there’s no way Joe wins the title unless WWE wanted to do so just to throw it Bryan’s face (which is something they could definitely and absolutely do).
However, I think it’s time to end this feud and let Styles get the upper hand once and for all. If I were setting the odds for this match, Styles would be a huge favorite.
WWE World Cup Tournament
Rey Mysterio +220
Seth Rollins +300
The Miz +350
Randy Orton +750
Bobby Lashley +1000
Kurt Angle +1000
Dolph Ziggler +1500
Jeff Hardy +1500
Right now, the current brackets are set up as follows:
For the Raw side, its Rollins vs. Lashley and Angle vs. Ziggler. For Smackdown we have Hardy vs. Miz and Mysterio vs. Orton.
Ultimately the final match should end up as Lashley vs. Mysterio, but the WWE likes to let guys who clearly wouldn’t beat Lashley up go over on him, so instead we’ll probably get Rollins and Mysterio with Ambrose getting involved, leading to Mysterio going over, especially since he’s back and fresh.
Mysterio winning makes a ton of sense here and facing Rollins would help continue on he and Ambrose’s feud. Poor Angle — it would be great to see him win it with all of his American glory and medals in Saudi Arabia.
