‘WWE Crown Jewel 2022’ PPV Review
Welcome to this review of WWE Crown Jewel 2022, right here on Nerdly… The first we’ve reviewed since 2019 – one because of the pandemic and the second because I’m still not sure about the WWE accepting money from such a problematic country. Anyway, let’s see what happened during this year’s show.
Match #1: Brock Lesnar def. Bobby Lashley
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
A rivalry stretching nearly 20 years, Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley went one-on-one for only the second time in their storied careers. The last time the two behemoths faced off in a singles bout, The All Mighty claimed Lesnar’s WWE Championship. Lashley took it to Lesnar early, sending The Beast Incarnate into the ring steps before the bell, leaving Lesnar with a tweaked knee. Lashley doubled down on his hot start, Spearing Lesnar into the barricade and following with another Spear in the ring for a close two-count. The All Mighty’s advantage was not for long, as Lesnar fought through the pain of his injured leg and hit multiple German suplexes on Lashley. Lesnar then hit a tremendous F5 but could only garner a two-count. The action spilled out to the ring, where Lashley drove The Beast into the post, much to the chagrin of the Riyadh crowd. Lashley locked on the Hurt Lock, neutralizing Lesnar and dropping him to one knee before Lesnar powered out of it by using the turnbuckle as momentum to land on Lashley. The All Mighty continued to apply the Hurt Lock, but Lesnar had Lashley in a pinning combination, and the referee counted the fall to give Lesnar the win. After the match, a livid Lashley again slapped on the Hurt Lock, punishing The Beast Incarnate for surviving.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship – Damage CTRL def. Alexa Bliss & Asuka
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Only five days after defeating Damage CTRL to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, Alexa Bliss & Asuka put the gold on the line against the former titleholders. As Asuka was on the top rope, Kai and SKY took advantage, ambushing The Empress of Tomorrow, sending her crashing down to the mat, and leaving her clutching her knee in pain. Flying solo for some time, Bliss took the challenge well, dominating SKY and Kai. A Code Red by Bliss to SKY almost got the win, but SKY powered out. As Bliss was precariously placed on the top rope and about to be superplexed by Kai and SKY, Asuka regained her bearings, came to the aid of her partner and delivered a massive superplex. Asuka survived a brutal kick from Kai, and Bliss attempted the Twisted Bliss, but SKY provided a distraction that gave Kai enough time to put her knees up and drive them into the midsection of the airborne Bliss. As the mayhem was increasing, Nikki Cross appeared out of nowhere to hit a fisherman’s neckbreaker off the top rope, allowing Kai to pin Bliss and make Damage CTRL two-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: Steel Cage Match – Drew McIntyre def. Karrion Kross
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Once the Steel Cage doors were shut, the fight was on. Drew McIntyre used the unforgiving walls of the structure, slamming Karrion Kross’ face multiple times into the chain-link. As the match progressed, the action seesawed between the two competitors, McIntyre hitting a spinebuster before Kross locked in the Kross Jacket. Kross then hit a Doomsday Saito as Scarlett was barking at him from ringside to “take him down.” As McIntyre was gearing up for a Claymore, Scarlett scaled the cage, distracting The Scottish Warrior so Kross could slap on the Kross Jacket and nail the Kross Hammer. McIntyre looked to escape the cage after a glorious superplex, but Scarlett once again played spoiler, spraying McIntyre with pepper spray before he could exit. This enraged McIntyre, who trapped Kross in an ankle lock and blasted him with a Claymore out of nowhere to leave Kross laying. Scarlett then locked the cage door but made an error as McIntyre escaped by going over the Steel Cage, which gave him enough time to win before Kross could crawl through the door.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: Six-Man Tag Match – Judgment Day def. The O.C.
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The storied history of Finn Bálor and The O.C. came to a head when The Judgment Day and The O.C. clashed. In a pivotal moment, Bálor took out AJ Styles by throwing him into the ring steps, leaving Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson by themselves. The two set up for the Magic Killer on Dominik Mysterio, but Damian Priest saved his Judgment Day brother. Styles then came to and ignited a frenetic back-and-forth between himself and Bálor. Styles tried to lock on the Calf Crusher before Bálor countered into a Figure-Four. In a jaw-dropping moment, the six competitors landed electric chairs and a superplex at the same time. Styles was about to clobber Bálor with the Phenomenal Forearm, but Rhea Ripley dropped Styles from behind while the referee’s back was turned. Bálor took advantage with the Coup de Grace to claim a huge win for The Judgment Day.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #5: Braun Strowman def. Omos
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Omos was without MVP as Braun Strowman had dispatched him on Friday by planting him with three Running Powerslams. Taking it back old school, the match started off with a test of strength between the two behemoths. Omos won the battle, leading to The Nigerian Giant controlling the matchup. Omos continued to dominate, trash-talking as he manhandled The Monster Among Men. With one arm, Omos powerslammed Strowman. Strowman finally got the momentum, calling for the Strowman Express, but Omos derailed the attempt and left Strowman looking up at the lights. Omos looked to end the fight with a shoulder block into the turnbuckle, but Strowman moved out of the way and lifted Omos to drop him with a stunning Running Powerslam.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #6: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship – The Usos def. The Brawling Brutes
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Usos tried walking out, wanting no part of The Brawling Brutes, but Ridge Holland and Butch stopped them in their tracks. The crowd repeatedly chanted that they wanted Sami Zayn, causing Jey Uso much distress. Ridge Holland proved to be the powerhouse that he is, lifting both Usos and dropping them with ease. Holland honored his mentor Sheamus by giving Jey Nine Beats of the Bodhran. In a bout of payback, Butch and Holland slammed Jimmy’s hand the same way The Bloodline took out Sheamus a few weeks ago. The Usos nearly had the match won with a double top-rope splash on Butch, but Holland broke up the pinfall. Butch then snapped Jey’s hand, the same one that Jey may have broken on the European tour. In the closing moments, The Usos earned the win after hitting a huge 1D from the top rope on Butch.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #7: Raw Women’s Title Last Woman Standing Match – Bianca Belair def. Bayley
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Bianca Belair and Bayley took their vicious rivalry to the next level in this hellacious Last Woman Standing Match. The two brought out innovation from the get go, with Bayley hitting a leaping clothesline from the barricade onto Belair as The EST was seated on a chair. Belair regained the advantage by dropping Bayley onto the ring steps with an unforgiving spinebuster. Bayley then tried fleeing from the Raw Women’s Champion, who brandished a Kendo stick to stop her from leaving. Bayley quelled Belair’s momentum with a nasty Bayley-to-Belly on the stage. The road case made an appearance, becoming a huge factor in the match as The Role Model trapped Belair inside it. Belair powered out of the case, hitting Bayley in the face as she did so. Bayley continued her innovative ways, driving a golf cart to the stage, but Belair took control of the vehicle and used it to drive Bayley down the ramp! Belair had her best chance when she twice planted Bayley through a table, splintering the table into pieces the second time. Belair used innovation of her own, trapping Bayley in a ladder that was positioned between the bottom ropes. Bayley couldn’t get out of the steel prison and was unable to answer the 10-count, leaving Belair the LastEST woman standing.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #8: Undisputed WWE Universal Championship – Roman Reigns def. Logan Paul
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Logan Paul made a grand entrance, dropping down on a massive podium before heading to the ring. The two started off tensely, with Roman Reigns taking his time in his beatdown of the maverick. Paul fought back with a superb clothesline that left Reigns down for a close two-count. Reigns called out YouTube stars as he had a crossface locked on The Media Megastar before Paul rallied by delivering a gut-wrench suplex. Paul had been training with Shawn Michaels ahead of the match and emulated the two-time WWE Hall of Famer by tuning up the band. The Sweet Chin Music attempt was not so sweet, however, as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion turned it around by planting Paul with a uranage. Paul nearly shocked the world when he landed his one lucky punch followed by a Superman Punch, but Reigns was able to survive. In shades of his win over The Miz at SummerSlam, Paul once again flew through the air, smashing Reigns with a frog splash through a table. This led to The Usos coming out to check on Reigns before pummeling Paul’s entourage with superkicks. Logan’s brother Jake Paul came down to the ring, hitting both Usos with his powerful right hand. A huge frog splash from Logan Paul to Reigns couldn’t seal the deal, and Solo Sikoa hit the ringside area and started barking back and forth with Jake Paul. During the commotion outside the ring between The Bloodline and the Paul brothers, Reigns recovered and nailed Logan Paul with a Superman Punch followed by a thunderous Spear to continue his legendary reign.
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
No matter how you feel about events taking place in Saudi Arabia, you can’t deny that this was a great pay-per-view. And you can’t deny that Logan Paul seems to be born to wrestle – again no matter your feelings about the guy, he puts on one hell of a match each and every time he steps into a ring and kudos must also go to Roman Reigns, who can go toe-to-toe with ANYONE and make them look good in the process. The last three matches of this PPV are easily some of the best matches we’ve seen in a WWE pay-per-view this year, obviously making Reigns & Paul work harder to top what had come before – especially the women’s title match, which pushed the boundaries of what we’ve seen from the women of WWE in these Saudi matches tremendously.
