‘WWE Crown Jewel 2023’ PPV Review
Welcome to this review of WWE Crown Jewel 2022, right here on Nerdly… The controversy over this event seems to die down with each and every event passing and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Anyway, let’s see what happened during this year’s show, which opened off with Sami Zayn defeating JD McDonagh in a kickoff match!
Match #1: WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Seth “Freakin” Rollins def. Drew McIntyre
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The WWE World Heavyweight Title remains with Seth “Freakin” Rollins but not before an absolute war with Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior looked poise to destroy and dethrone Rollins, and after a plethora of Pedigrees, stomps, and Claymores, the champion dug deep and put his most dangerous challenger down for the count by ducking a Claymore and connecting with another Pedigree and a second ring-rattling stomp. After the bout, Damian Priest sprinted to ringside and attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. Before he could do so, however, Sami Zayn emerged from the crowd to send Priest face-first into the ring post before snatching the briefcase and escaping through the WWE Universe.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Women’s World Title Fatal 5-Way Match – Rhea Ripley def. Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Raquel Rodriguez and Zoey Stark
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Eradicator lived up to her name as Rhea Ripley retained the Women’s World Title in a thrilling Fatal 5-Way Match. The match was pure chaos, as all five Superstars delivered crushing blows or locked in joint-wrenching submissions. In the final moments, Ripley landed a devastating Riptide on Zoey Stark from the turnbuckles, slamming her on top of Raquel Rodriguez and Shayna Baszler before pinning Baszler.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Solo Sikoa def. John Cena
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
John Cena may be known as The Greatest of All Time, but it was Solo Sikoa’s night. The Enforcer of The Bloodline dominated the early action, and just when it seemed that Cena was primed for one of his signature comebacks, Sikoa unleashed an unbelievable assault of 11 Samoan Spikes that put the legend down for good. After finally regaining his bearings following the match, Cena received thunderous cheers from the adoring WWE Universe as he exited.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: United States Championship – Logan Paul def. Rey Mysterio
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The United States Championship now belongs to The Social Media Megastar as Logan Paul captured his first gold in WWE. Paul has long proved that he belongs in a WWE ring, and he paid homage to legends like The Ultimate Warrior and Bruno Sammartino before he was handed brass knuckles by a member of his entourage. Santos Escobar emerged from the crowd to chase away Paul’s ally, but Paul found the brass knuckles and used them to clock an airborne Mysterio for the championship-clinching pinfall.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: WWE Women’s Championship – IYO SKY def. Bianca Belair
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The WWE Women’s Championship remains with IYO SKY after she defeated Bianca Belair in a hotly contested matchup, but a new wrinkle has been added to Damage CTRL’s dynamic thanks to the returning Kairi Sane. Belair looked poise to win back the title, but The Pirate Princess shocked the WWE Universe by appearing and hitting the challenger with a spinning back elbow and a leaping knee strike from the ringside barrier. Belair narrowly avoided being counted out, but she was hit with SKY’s gravity-defying moonsault and pinned immediately after reentering the ring. After the bout, SKY and Sane put the boots to Belair, and Sane landed her breathtaking Insane Elbow all while a confused Bayley watched from ringside.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: Cody Rhodes def. Damian Priest
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The American Nightmare got some much-needed retribution against The Judgment Day after he delivered a decisive victory over Señor Money in the Bank Damian Priest. In classic Judgment Day fashion, Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh, and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio all attempted to interfere, but “Main Event” Jey Uso appeared and tattooed all three with devastating superkicks before chasing them from ringside with a steel chair. Left alone with Priest, Rhodes delivered three ring-shaking Cross Rhodes to earn the victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: Undisputed WWE Universal Championship – Roman Reigns def. LA Knight
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Roman Reigns is still the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion but not before a fight from LA Knight. The back-and-forth action was interrupted by Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso, but the accompanying Spear wasn’t enough to put away The Megastar. Knight may have had the title won after spiking The Head of the Table with a thunderous BFT, but Uso placed his cousin’s foot on the bottom rope just before the three-count. And after Knight brawled with Uso and sent him crashing through the announce table with a back suplex, Reigns Speared Knight through the ringside barricade and landed another Spear in the ring to retain his championship.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
I was going to give Crown Jewel three out of five stars but when one of the two best matches on the card features someone who is essentially NOT a wrestler and said person wins a title, it makes your entire roster, IMHO, look far too weak. I get it, Logan Paul brings eyes to the product and he’s obviously trained REALLY well but to put a title on him? That I’m not sure about.
