Happy Halloween everyone and what could be better than celebrating the Holiday with a little bit of wrestling. Crown Jewel is here and there are some interesting matchups, but a lot of odd ones as well. These Saudi Arabia PPVs have been largely disappointing and are not really interesting to fans in America. Each show that they do just feels weird and half-hearted, but hopefully this edition of Crown Jewel changes things. This show is honestly the most difficult to predict because a couple of the big matches are involving performers that have never been in a WWE ring. Also, this show doesn’t really have a clear main event. I’m interested to see what takes place, but I’m not really expecting an excellent showing overall. Here are my predictions.

*Match Card is likely not in exact order

*Predicted Winners are bolded

- 20-Man Battle Royal: Winner receives United States Championship Match

Winner: Andrade

Last Four: Andrade, Erick Rowan, Humberto Carrillo, Luke Harper

This match here is going to be in the kickoff show and there literally could be a few potential winners here. Humberto Carrillo, Buddy Murphy, and Cedric Alexander share +250 odds and are the favorites going into the contest. I think it could be someone like Andrade, because one has to think that the person who wins this match has a great shot to win the title later on. Andrade hasn’t really had a legitimate shot at any title on the main roster, so I think this will be his moment. Since I don’t know who will win this match, I’m not going to predict the match between Styles and the winner of this match, but I do think whoever wins the Battle Royal has a really decent shot to become the new United States Champion, because Styles has been champion for 108 days and I think it could be the right time for a new champ.

- Men’s Singles Match: WWE Championship

Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Cain Velasquez

It really is difficult to say what will kick off the main portion of the show, but I have a feeling this will be it. If it doesn’t start the show, it will probably end it. I really can’t see Lesnar losing the championship to someone who has never been in a WWE ring before. He has been in two AAA matches in his wrestling career, but that is it. Take away the past feud between these two in the UFC, there is literally nothing that puts Velasquez over Lesnar. Lesnar is a -230 favorite, but honestly, I think it should be higher. I’m not saying Velasquez doesn’t have a chance, but I would find it hard to believe that he wins the WWE title in his debut.

- Men’s Singles Match

Mansoor vs. Cesaro

I really can’t see this going any way but in favor of Mansoor. He is a homegrown Saudi Arabian talent and they are going to do everything they can to get him over in front of a home crowd. Cesaro is a great matchup for him and he can fully show what he is capable of in this match. If they give these two a proper time limit, I think this has potential to be one of the best matches on the card.

- Tag Team Turmoil Match

Winner: The New Day

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This is a 9-team Tag Team Turmoil matchup with the winner of the match being declared the best Tag Team in the world. Unless Shane McMahon has something else cooking here, I really can’t see this match going to anyone else other than The New Day. The best tag teams are in the contest, but The New Day is honestly the best of the best. This is just another weird booking, but I really think it could be an excellent match.

- Women’s Singles Match

Natalya vs. Lacey Evans

This is the most interesting match on the card, in my opinion. Not because of the actual match, but the circumstances of the match and the significance of it. This will be the first time women will wrestle in front of a crowd in Saudi Arabia and the fact that this match is happening is monumental. As far as a feud standpoint goes, Natalya has gotten the better of Lacey Evans on numerous occasions, so I think the tides will turn here.

- Men’s Singles Match

Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury

With the exception of Mansoor being favored over Cesaro, this match has the next highest odds. Braun Strowman is a huge favorite (-530) in this, but I don’t really think it is happening. It was rumored that Tyson Fury is receiving $15 million to be in this match and that is just a crazy payday. Fury is undefeated in boxing and at this point, losing a scripted match doesn’t make too much sense to me. Although it doesn’t really hurt Fury if he wins or loses, it could hurt Strowman moving forward if he takes a loss here. I don’t have a clue what happens here, but I’m going to enjoy it.

- 10-Man Tag Team Match

Team Hogan vs. Team Flair

Although Team Flair has a slight advantage in talent, in my opinion, I don’t think the “good guys” lose here. This match has absolutely no appeal other than the fact that Hogan and Flair could take bumps. Other than that, I have no interest in this contest. Roman Reigns, Rusev, Ricochet, Shorty G, and Ali will take on Randy Orton, King Corbin, Bobby Lashley, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew McIntyre, but this just seems like a potential rematch at Survivor Series. I hope that isn’t the case, but on the other hand, I hope this match can be interesting.

- Men’s Falls Count Anywhere Match: Universal Championship

Seth Rollins (C) vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt

I just recently thought about this match and changed my mind about what I think goes on here. Wyatt getting the win here isn’t a popular choice, but I think it could happen. If you think about it, it doesn’t make much sense for a SmackDown superstar to win a RAW championship, but this is a special scenario. Although future advertised matches aren’t exactly concrete, it could be a great indicator of what to expect in a PPV event. On the upcoming November 4th edition of RAW, there is an advertised match between Rollins and Wyatt in a Steel Cage for the Universal title. Now I could be overthinking this, but I think Wyatt has a real shot to win the title at Crown Jewel and lose the title on RAW with Rollins escaping the cage. Wyatt winning gets the fans back on their side after the Hell in a Cell fiasco and having him lose by Rollins taking the coward’s way out by escaping the steel cage, puts things on a smoother path moving forward and neither superstar gets their reputation ruined. Although the advertised Steel Cage match could simply mean someone will interfere in this match and Wyatt will get another shot under “fair” circumstance to attempt to get a clean result, but I really like my scenario better. Rollins is currently a -180 favorite to retain, but I guess we’ll see what happens.

Yacs

Crown Jewel Predictions