12:04pm – These Saudi Arabian event sets are insane.
12:08pm – Short and to the point for Hogan. That’s pretty much the best way to digest Hulk Hogan nowadays so well done. And did WWE get a massive discount on pyro for tonight?
12:10pm – There are many things that you can be critical of WWE for this show but one thing they must be applauded for is the appointment of Renee Young for tonight’s show. They didn’t have to fight to get her approved for the show but they did and now a female is announcing for the WWE in the Middle East for the first time.
12:13pm – I love that Rey Mysterio has returned with a somewhat classic Mysterio look with his gear. He is in incredible shape for this stage of his career.
12:22pm – Woah! A rollup win in the first match?! Already this show is proving to be different with Hogan, pyro and now a super quick finish for the first match. I’ll admit, my interest in piqued more so than when the show began.
12:25pm – Gotta love the traditional tournament booking of beating down a sympathetic babyface before he has to compete again.
12:28pm – I wish I knew exactly how big that TitanTron is. It is abnormally massive.
12:36pm – I will say this about the atmosphere of this show, considering the circumstances surrounding the state of Saudi Arabia and the controversy surrounding the decision to continue this show, you see nothing but smiles from the fans in the audience. And the demographic consists of a lot more families than were seen at The Greatest Royal Rumble and honestly, they had nothing to do with any of the political issues in the country. It’s nice to see them get something positive when the recent months have been so dark.
12:39pm – Not surprising to see The Miz pick up the win when Mysterio is up next in the brackets. Solid enough match though I think Miz and Mysterio will gel a little better.
12:50pm – Look at the strength of Rollins! He had Lashley up for a buckle bomb for a good 25 seconds.
12:51pm – STOMP OUTTA NOWHERE! Thank the wrestling gods that Rollins is allowed to use the Stomp again. It’s the perfect finisher for him and I love that they’re starting to establish it as sudden such as the RKO or Sweet Chin Music.
12:53pm – I wish they had hyped this match between Kurt Angle and Dolph Ziggler more. On paper, these two are some of the best in-ring performers of the last 20 years. Let’s just hope they click and deliver something special.
12:56pm – Good call having Drew McIntyre in Ziggler’s corner despite him not having a match on the show. McIntyre’s 2019 is set to be one of the biggest for any superstar in recent history. And I can’t wait.
1:04pm – Really surprised at how quickly these first round matches have gone. That said, Round 2 features Seth Rollins versus Dolph Ziggler so hopefully that trend breaks soon.
1:10pm – So my daughter is home sick from school today (worked out well for me and this middle of afternoon PPV) and she just POPPED for the New Day’s magic carpet! I should clarify… this photo was taken at WWE Fan Axxess for WrestleMania 33:
1:26pm – And now’s she’s heartbroken that the super-turner Big Show cost the “unicorn wrestlers” the belts.
1:31pm – When it was revealed that Rollins and Mysterio were in this tournament, I fully believed that we’d see the dream match between the two. Now its even closer to reality.
1:40pm – I completely forgot how much chemistry Rey and Miz have. And with how much Miz as improved while Mysterio was gone, that match clicked on every level. That said, Miz is in the finals!? Why not pull the trigger on Rollins/Mysterio? Both men would have benefited from that contest and honestly don’t believe either man would have suffered if they lost.
2:01pm – Another solid match between Rollins and Ziggler but a World Cup final between two heels, Dolph and Miz? Who’s the crowd supposed to cheer for? What is going on?
2:05pm – I caught the SmackDown Live WWE Championship from Tuesday yesterday afternoon between Styles and Bryan and WOW. I’m glad WWE found a solution where we were still treated to that match, while now also getting another chapter to the awesome Styles/Samoa Joe rivalry. I’m excited for this match and would not be surprised if Joe returned to the States with his first WWE Championship.
2:10pm – Aw I missed AJ’s entrance pyro.
2:19pm – One of my favorite moves in Styles’ arsenal is his moonsault/reverse DDT but many opponents aren’t built to take the move very well. So it’s been nice to see both Joe and Bryan able to take it as fluidly as its meant to be.
2:24pm – Damn, that was quick and clean. Unlike Super Show-Down and Greatest Royal Rumble, tonight’s matches have been shorter and almost as straight forward as a pro-wrestling match can be. Honestly, this is all jumping out to me simply because it is so unusual in for WWE in 2018.
2:35pm – What the hell is going on in this show? WWE better hope Undertaker and Kane and Triple H & Shawn Michaels can deliver a legendary performance because as of right now, WWE Crown Jewel is the worst show of the year.
2:37pm – Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t care who wins or loses. I care about quality matches and entertainment. Crown Jewel has just been a bad show.
2:43pm – “To determine who is the ‘best in the world’!” – Greg Hamilton. Cleveland, Hamilton. The best in Cleveland…
2:44pm – WWE Cleveland Cup
2:47pm – Miz jumps out of the ring after Ziggler and collapses. He absolutely can’t put any weight on it but instead of announcing Ziggler as the winner by forfeit, Shane McMahon says he’s taking his place.
2:52pm – What originally looked like a legit injury now appears to be a work since Shane and Ziggler are working quickly without prep. I wonder if Miz may have been hurt in a previous match and this was the best they could do.
2:53pm – A minute later and Shane hits the Coast-to-Coast to pin Ziggler clean… to become the best in the world? Even the announcers are confused. Now he’s celebrating like he won the entire tournament. Was this a Shane McMahon heel turn? What the hell is going on with this show? Absolutely nothing has made sense.
3:07pm – Here we go… the epic return of one of, if not THE GREATEST performer in the history of professional wrestling, Shawn Michaels. Granted with how this show has gone I wouldn’t be surprised if he never tagged in to the match.
3:15pm – SHAWN MICHAELS TAGS IN! FINALLY SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENED ON THIS SHOW!
3:24pm – KIP UP! Shawn doesn’t look like he’s missed 8 years at all. That said, all 4 men are playing it extremely safe which is understandable. I just hope this is just a feeling out process similar to his other return from retirement at the 2002 SummerSlam and this isn’t the only time we see HBK back in the ring. I’d love to see him work with guys who are on the top of their game as that’s when Michaels tends to put on his best performances.
3:29pm – Even Triple H and Undertaker are having communication problems. This feels like a bad nightmare all around.
3:37pm – I would have been nice if someone actually caught Michaels as he moonsaulted from the top rope to the floor. Jeez.
3:44pm – Well… that was what it was. A money grab show that wouldn’t have even been a VHS release 20 years ago. As a fan of HBK, it hurts that this is the event one of the greatest of all-time returned to the ring. Absolutely forgettable except for how bad it was.
