WWE's 2023 international pay-per-view tour wrapped up Saturday, and the return to Saudi Arabia was a wild night that saw several surprises.
Eight matches took place at Mohammed Abdu Arena, the most for a pay-per-view since the nine matches at SummerSlam in August. Five titles were on the line, highlighted by the return of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns going up against rising star LA Knight.
Not all champions were able to retain, as one title changed hands, elevating the rise of a young WWE star. The non-title matches were also big ones as well, as John Cena and Solo Sikoa squared off, while Cody Rhodes continued his feud with The Judgment Day and Damian Priest.
Here is a recap of the action from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
One of the most highly anticipated matches at the end of the calendar year delivered.
LA Knight gave a new feel to a Reigns title defense, invoking the trash talking element that got the crowd even more hyped for this true main event. LA Knight tried to take advantage of being the crowd favorite, but Reigns didn't let it last long by asserting himself in control. It was amusing to watch Reigns respond to the "Yeah" chants for LA Knight by wagging his finger every time.
It was a consistent theme throughout the match. LA Knight landed a neckbreaker and was looking to close in on a win, but Reigns landed his Superman punch, which LA Knight kicked out of. LA Knight turned the tide and was in position to take advantage, but distractions from Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso gave Reigns time to recover. A superman punch and spear were landed, but LA Knight miraculously kicked out.
After getting out of a submission, LA Knight executed a BFT on the champion, but Uso came in time to put the Reign's leg on the rope on the pin. The challenger then went berserk outside of the ring on Uso and Reigns, taking Uso out on the announcer's table but Reigns spearing him through the barricade. Reigns landed another spear in the ring, got the pin and kept the title.
It was hard to imagine Reigns losing the title to LA Knight, but it wasn't a spectacular finish thanks to another moment of interference.
There is no love lost between these two, and Priest attack Rhodes before the match even started indicated this was going to be a good one.
Blow after blow was delivered to each other, including Priest taking Rhodes down on the announcer's table. The Judgment Day and JD McDonagh attempted to help Priest get the upperhand, even with Dominik Mysterio coming out with a chair. But tag partner "Main Event" Jey Uso came to the rescue, delivering a super kick to each member of The Judgment Day to even the score and get them out of getting in the way.
Rhodes then delivered vintage move after vintage move, including two Cody cutters, but Priest kicked out. It wouldn't last long, as Rhodes would land three straight Cross Rhodes to secure the win.
This match was high energy from the start, and was a big bolt in the crowd ahead of the main event of the night. Rhodes getting another big win was necessary in building him back into the title picture, but it won't end the feud against the faction.
She is finally here.
When it looked like Bianca Belair was ready to take the WWE Women's Championship back, Kairi Sane made her return to WWE by attacking Belair to help out longtime friend Iyo Sky.
Sane helped get Sky the win, and afterward continued to attack Belair, all while Bayley wasn't sure what to do. Sane then landed her signature elbow drop from the top rope, as Sky and Sane embraced, giving the women's division a very scary sight, and questions in Damage CTRL.
These two delivered a classic at Backlash six months ago, and while this one wasn't as solid, it did have a shocking ending.
The contrasting styles between the two is what have made their matches so good, and they were both in their element in the rematch. Belair's knee injury was still there after it bothered her when she lost the title at SummerSlam, as Sky went after it as often as she could, only for Belair's power to turn the tide each time.
Damage CTRL leader Bayley came out to distract Belair, which seemed to even confuse Sky. But the champion took momentum with a moonsault out of the ring. Belair went for a pin after executing a Beth Phoenix-esque move, but Bayley interfered to prevent the pin. Belair went after Bayley, but Kairi Sane made her big return by attacking Belair. Sky took advantage, landing a moonsault to pin Belair and retain.
The social media star is growing as a WWE star.
Despite all the trash talk in recent weeks, including the heated weigh-in, it felt like there was a mutual respect between the young star and WWE Hall of Famer. After trading shots, Paul was the one to get a major control on the match in a way not seen much in his young career, doing it with power instead of finesse. Paul even showed off by doing some lifts of Mysterio in the air.
Eventually, Mysterio was able to counter, giving a vintage high-flying and acrobatic performance before Paul got back into control with a flying clothesline. His finishing punch didn't land, and Mysterio tried a rare submission that Paul was able to get out of.
It then went back-and-forth with the two landing impressive moves, and Paul was given brass knuckles by a friend to deliver a knockout blow, but Santos Escobar came to the aid to prevent any mischief from happening. Mysterio landed a 619, but Paul found the brass knuckles just before, and when Mysterio went to finish it off, Paul landed the blow. It was all he needed, as Paul the pin and won his first title in WWE.
Paul gave Mysterio credit after the win, but Mysterio was not pleased, likely continuing this feud after Saturday. "The Maverick" has been impressive in every WWE match he's been in, and it makes sense for him to finally have some gold, but we'll need to see him get a clean finish.
The Miz got a chance to host his popular segment with one of the biggest Saudi actors in Ibrahim Al Hajjaj.
But just as The Miz was set to ask his first question, Grayson Waller came out and decided to host an episode of "The Grayson Waller Effect" instead. Al Hajjaj said he wanted to speak with The Miz instead of Waller, prompting Waller to go after the movie star. The Miz wouldn't let it slide, letting Al Hajjaj land a kick on Waller before the WWE veteran hit a skull-crushing finale.
Just for good measure, Al Hajjaj did his own people's elbow on Waller in a fun segment for the crowd.
Is this the end for Cena?
Sikoa controlled a majority of the match with his strong stature and hard-hitting moves, looking to the land the Samoan spike early and often. Yet each time Sikoa went for it, Cena countered with trying to pull of a finisher of his own. Cena couldn't land an attitude adjustment, and was able to lock in an STF, but Sikoa got out.
The momentum didn't last long, as Sikoa got back in control. He went for a third Samoan spike attempt, but Cena once again got out with some of his signature moves. He landed a five-knuckle shuffle, and went for the win once more, but Sikoa got out and was able to get back on the offensive with a Samoan drop.
After five misses, Sikoa was finally able to land a Samoan spike, and landed three more for extra measure after making it an emphasis ahead of the match. Sikoa picked up Cena, went all-in on spike after spike in a ruthless attack. In total, 15 spikes were landed before Sikoa pinned Cena for the win.
Sikoa had a great coming out match that should give him more credibility as a singles competitor, and should be a good omen for The Bloodline in maintaining control of WWE. Meanwhile, Cena doesn't get to end his singles winless streak, in what could possibly be his last match in the company.
The crowd made sure to appreciate the WWE great, giving him a standing ovation as he left the ring and walked back into the locker room.
The Judgment Day continues to hold the gold.
Jax was the easy target for this match, and even with an early display of power, all competitors were keen on taking her out early and frequently in the match. A quick star in the match was Baszler, who had Rodriguez, Ripley and Jax all in submission moves at the same time in something rarely seen in any WWE match, and then pulling off a powerbomb on four of the stars.
Each star eventually got their moment to shine, and Ripley pulled off a riptide on Baszler to put it away, but Stark interfered. While the two were locked up on the ropes, Rodriguez tried to sneak a pin on Baszler to steal the title. Ripley saw, and pulled off a riptide on Stark while landing on Rodriguez and Baszler. The champion then pinned Baszler to retain and maintain her dominance in the women's division.
"Mami's always on top. I told y'all," Ripley told the camera.
Mami is making it known she's always on top.
While each contender in the Women's World Championship match made their usual entrance, Rhea Ripley made a grand entrance into Mohammed Abdu Arena with several men coming out and making way for the champion, getting an emphatic pyro moment as she puts her title on the line against four other women.
Señor Money in the Bank had a chance, but Sami Zayn isn't going to let it happen.
Damian Priest came out after Rollins defend his title, determined to cash in his Money in the Bank contract against an injured Rollins. But just as Priest was handing a referee the briefcase, a masked man attacked The Judgment Day member. It was Zayn, who has made it his mission to not let the faction run WWE.
The crowd was glad to see Zayn once more, and he ran off with the briefcase while Priest chased him, keeping Rollins safe once again.
The main card started off with a bang, and another major match from Rollins.
This match was one of those rare moments where the crowd was rooting for both stars, but it was all McIntyre early in the match, showcasing his power and dominant stature over the champion. Once Rollins was able to get on offense, he did some damage to McIntyre's left shoulder, but back-to-back moonsaults and a falcon arrow weren't enough to defend the title in the early stages.
But just as Rollins tried to target McIntyre's shoulder, the contender returned the favor by focusing on Rollins' back, which has been well documented as not being 100% in recent months. It looked like McIntyre was about to land a claymore kick to put it away, but Rollins countered a landed a curb stomp. It still wasn't enough as McIntyre kicked out at the last moment. After a failed corkscrew moonsault, McIntyre landed the claymore, but Rollins barely kicked out in the wild sequence of events.
McIntyre tried to claymore again, but Rollins countered with a pedigree and landed another curb stomp, which was enough to secure the win and successfully defend the title once again.
The crowd was amped to see Sami Zayn compete in Saudi Arabia once again, and the Canada-native got the crowd going for the big match card.
Zayn and McDonagh traded blows in the early parts of the match, with an early highlight being Zayn launching McDonagh towards the ropes and his neck appearing to bounce off the bottom rope. He didn't appear injured, a good sign for what could've been a dangerous move.
McDonagh countered Zayn jumping off the tope rope with an impressive dropkick, but couldn't get the pin. The Judgment Day hopeful had other chances to secure the win but Zayn kicked out each time. Zayn returned the favor with a counter to McDonagh jumping off the top rope. That's when he put the match away, landing a helluva kick and finishing it off with a blue thunder bomb to get the win, much to applause of the crowd.
Props to McDonagh, who had a massive bruise on his side and didn't miss a beat.
The stage at Mohammed Abdu Arena has a massive screen where stars will enter from, but just above the ring is a massive jewel stealing the spotlight.
Crown Jewel is Saturday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m. ET. The kickoff show will begin at 12 p.m. ET.
The event can be streamed on Peacock, but you must have their premium or premium-plus subscription to watch. Internationally, it will be available on WWE Network.
Matches not in order of schedule
The Tribal Chief is ready.
Roman Reigns will be competing in his first televised match since he won the Tribal Combat match at SummerSlam in August. Despite the near-three month layoff, the champion is ready to defend his title once again.
"No more talking. Time to do what I do best," he said.
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