WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia is set for Halloween.
WWE’s Arabic website announced today that Crown Jewel 2019 will take place at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 31. Tickets will go on sale on Monday (September 30) at 6 p.m. local time.
Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, The New Day, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, and NXT’s Mansoor are advertised for Crown Jewel, along with Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair making special appearances.
With SmackDown moving to Friday nights on FOX, SmackDown will take place the day after Crown Jewel.
WWE’s first Crown Jewel event was held in Riyadh last November, with WWE going ahead with the show despite the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Crown Jewel 2019 will be the fourth event in WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority.
The ending of Super ShowDown brought a scary end to what was an embarrassing night for WWE.
Goldberg vs. The Undertaker reinforced the amount of risk that exists when you put two 50-year-old wrestlers against each other. The match was laid out exactly as it should have been and was on its way to being good, but things fell apart when Goldberg got knocked out.
Goldberg (who already had a mark on his forehead going into the match) got busted open when he went for a spear into the corner and rammed his head into the post less than three minutes in. From there, things only got worse.
The Undertaker hit a Tombstone piledriver where Goldberg landed directly on his head. Goldberg went for a Jackhammer, but he couldn’t hit the move properly and dropped Undertaker with a brainbuster. It appeared that they were going for a Tombstone reversal spot at the finish, but both of them fell down. Undertaker then just hit a chokeslam and pinned Goldberg.
WWE’s hope that the first women’s match in Saudi Arabia would happen Friday appears to be lost.
Those in Saudi Arabia noted to us that Natalya vs. Alexa Bliss, a match they hoped to be a late addition on today’s WWE Super ShowDown event, was not approved by the Saudi Arabian government.
The two women flew to Saudi Arabia this week with the crew.
At one point, the government had indicated to WWE they could have their first women’s match on this show, but then wavered on it.
As far as public relations goes, this situation can go two ways. On one hand, if they are able to get approval to have a women’s match on the November show in Saudi Arabia, they can at least bring out the women in front of the crowd today to promote it. On the other, if the women don’t appear today, it is what it is but won’t help WWE’s cause going forward for that next show.
The third show in WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority takes place today as Jeddah hosts Super ShowDown.
The Undertaker and Goldberg are set to face off in their first singles match against each other ever. And a rivalry will be renewed as Triple H takes on Randy Orton.
Seth Rollins will defend the Universal Championship against Baron Corbin, though Brock Lesnar has said he’ll cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase today. The WWE Championship will also be on the line in Saudi Arabia, with Kofi Kingston defending against Dolph Ziggler.
Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon, Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley, “The Demon” Finn Balor defending the Intercontinental title against Andrade, and The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) vs. Lars Sullivan are set for the main card.
The pre-show begins at 1 p.m. Eastern time and will feature The Usos vs. The Revival. The main card will then begin at 2 p.m. Eastern.
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Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Renee Young are doing commentary for tonight’s show. They noted that those at ringside tonight are going to have to endure what feels like 100 degree weather.
The Usos defeated The Revival
The Usos controlled early, sending both of the Revival to the floor. Revival blind tagged and took out Jimmy. Jey made the hot tag and took out Dawson. They mentioned on commentary that both teams are gunning for Raw tag team champions Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, who have not been on television in weeks.
Jey had a inside cradle on Dawson but Dash distracted the referee. Jey took out Dash but Dawson took advantage with a spinebuster. Both teams tagged in as the Usos started to go on the offense, hitting superkicks. Dawson was laid out with a double superkick then was pinned. That was anticlimactic. Pretty basic, but the crowd was into it.
Seth Rollins defeated Baron Corbin to retain the WWE Universal title
This was alright. Exactly the type of title match you’d see at a house show.
Seth Rollins gained control early with a dropkick, but Corbin shoves Rollins as he climbs to the top rope and immediately focuses on Rollins’ ribs, which are injured in storyline due to Lesnar’s assault on Monday.
Rollins comes back with an enziguri and hits a slingblade, then hits a pair of suicide dives on both sides of the ring. Corbin went for a chokeslam but Rollins floated over and went for a pinfall, getting two. Corbin cut him off with an elbow then landed a release rotation side slam for a nearfall.
Corbin hit the deep six, then screamed at the referee when he only got a two count. Rollins hit an elbow that sent Corbin out of the ring. He grabbed a chair, which the referee told him to get rid of. Corbin got into it with the referee again, which led Rollins to roll up a distracted Corbin for the win.
After the match, Corbin hit the End of Days on Rollins, which was the cue for Brock Lesnar to come out with a steel chair. Rollins low blowed Lesnar, however, and grabbed the steel chair, striking Lesnar. Lesnar grabbed the briefcase as he was being assaulted, which led to Rollins stomping Lesnar into the briefcase. Lesnar never cashed in, so Rollins left with the title.
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to retain the Intercontinental title
Technically this was a step above the other matches, pretty good. The crowd here weren’t into this like they were into the first match and that hurt it a bit.
Things were pretty even early. Andrade went for the hammerlock DDT, but Balor escaped and hit a dropkick. Andrade was sent out of the ring, but he ended up tripping Balor on the apron, giving him his opening.
Balor came back alive with a dropkick as he clotheslined Andrade to the floor and hit a giant tope con hilo. They went back and forth. Andrade went for a reverse tornado DDT but Balor escaped, took out Andrade and hit 1916. Andrade countered with a springboard knee and knees to the corner.
Andrade went for the double moonsault but Balor got the knees up Andrade went for the second moonsault. They went to the apron where Andrade went for a sunset flip bomb on Balor, but instead Balor took control, sending him back to the ring and hitting a foot stomp.
Andrade cut off Balor and hit the hammerlock DDT, but Balor kicked out. He hit the running dropkick and started to go for the coup de grace but instead Andrade met him on the top rope. Balor instead hit a DDT off the top rope then hit the coup de grace for the win.
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
This was such a weird match. It was short, so it wasn’t bad, but just silly in a lot of ways. I can never buy Shane McMahon being a competitive wrestler, but yet here he was getting heat on Roman Reigns in an actual wrestling match. Despite having McIntyre in his corner and establishing him as backup, he really didn’t get involved until the end.
Shane, already sweating bullets, attacked Reigns at the bell. He immediately gained control, but Shane cut him off and posted him, sending Reigns to the floor. Shane worked over Reigns putting him down with a long chinlock. Shane getting control for this long feels so weak psychologically.
Roman made a comeback, hitting short-arm clotheslines in the corner then took down Shane with a kick. Roman went for the Superman punch but Shane clipped Roman’s knee then went for a triangle submission. He escaped the hold as Shane exited the ring. McIntyre jumped Roman as he entered the ring, but Reigns posted him then laid him out with the Superman punch.
Back in the ring, Shane hit a spear of his own for a nearfall. But Reigns started to make a comeback, going for a spear Shane countered by kicking Reigns, but Reigns immediately took him down with a punch. McIntyre entered the ring, however, and laid out Roman with the claymore kick, allowing Shane to pin him.
Lars Sullivan defeated Lucha House Party by DQ
This was real bad, to the point of just sheer incoherence. I don’t know what the goal was of this match, but this is the best example of WWE taking something pretty easy (a squash match) and overthinking it to a ridiculous degree.
Dorado got some brief offense on Sullivan, but he quickly pushed him to the floor, took him back to the ring and hit a giant shoulder block. He sent both Dorado and Kalisto to the floor. Metallik tried for some offense, but it was to no avail. Same thing for Kallisto, who was quickly swatted down after an attempt for some top rope offense.
Sullivan took down Kallisto with a one-armed powerbomb and went to the top rope, but Dorado and Metallik pushed him down to the mat and beat him up for the DQ. Yes, this match ended in a disqualification.
All three Lucha House party members beat up on Lars after the match, to the point that it actually looked like they laid him out. They tried to leave, but Sullivan stalked them. Metallik attacked him, but he ended up laying all three out on the floor. Dorado went for a crossbody off the ring, but instead was slammed on the apron. And that was it.
Randy Orton defeated Triple H
This was a painfully boring, plodding match that went about 25 minutes. To their credit, once finishers were starting to get dished out the crowd got into this more than anything on the show so far. But the bulk of this match felt like it lasted forever, in a bad way. Exactly the kind of match neither man needs at this point in their career, but it got the job done by the end at least.
Triple H came out on a motorcycle. Michael Cole noted that it had to be a Wrestlemania caliber event if Triple H came out with an entrance like that. Nice try.
They start off slow. They exchange holds until Orton cheap shots Triple H and goes on offense. Triple H posts him and starts working on Orton’s shoulder. Orton came back in a big way by giving Triple H a big side slam on the announcer’s table.
Orton stomps on Hunter back in the ring. Orton had a headlock on for what felt like ages. Triple H finally cut him off and tried for the pedigree but Orton slingshotted him into the corner. Triple H still managed to take down Orton with a clothesline.
Triple H went for the pedigree again but Orton dropped him on the apron, then hit a dropkick. Orton hit him with punches in the corner then went for the RKO but Triple H escaped and struck Orton, sending him down. Triple H cross chopped Orton but Orton promptly replied with a powerslam.
Triple H hit a spinebuster, then the two traded nearfalls. Triple H put Orton in a crossface. Orton struggled until finally reaching the rope. Triple H went for the pedigree but Orton countered with the RKO but Triple H kicked out. Orton went to the corner and went for the punt. Triple H caught him and pedigreed him instead, but only hit two.
Back on the outside, Triple H hit a side slam on the table, but it didn’t break. He did this three more times, but the table still didn’t break. Oops. Triple H threw Orton back the ring and paused for a bit before re-entering. Orton then hit the RKO and pinned Triple H, just like that.
They did a recap of the YouTube video where Jinder Mahal won the WWE 24/7 just before everyone got on the airplane. R-Truth then won the title while the flight was going on and Jinder was sleeping. He then ran to the airplane bathroom where he barricaded himself.
Baron Corbin came up to Byron Saxton, mad. He said the referee cost him the biggest match of his career. He said heads will roll.
Braun Strowman defeated Bobby Lashley
This was better than I thought it would be. It wasn’t super great, but they did work hard and ended up having a pretty good big guy match.
Lashley came out and posted on a platform. When Strowman came out, he grabbed the platform and threw it off the stage, smashing it.
They actually did some agile stuff at the start, with leapfrogs and everything. Lashley grabbed him and hit a powerslam but Strowman kicked out. Lashley took him down with a headlock, but Strowman powered out and splashed Lashley to the corner, sending him to the floor. Strowman ran around the ring, shoulder blocking Lashley to the floor not once but twice.
Lashley got control, taking him outside of the ring and hitting a big suplex on the stage. He went to the top rope, but Strowman threw him off the top rope then eventually hit the powerslam for the win.
Kofi Kingston defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE title
This was okay, but pretty flat. Just something missing that didn’t get me into the match. The crowd were into Kofi Kingston, but I don’t think they were into the actual match.
Dolph was in control early, stomping and elbowing Kingston. Kingston finally whipped Dolph into the corner hard, giving him some breathing room. Ziggler went for the zig zag, but Kofi cut him off in order to start building momentum.
Dolph came back with a DDT and posted Kofi. He went for a famouser, but Kofi blocked it as they exchanged nearfalls. Kofi hit the SOS, then took out Dolph with a trust fall off the top rope to the floor below. Dolph shoved Kofi into the barricade, then shoved him into the nearby steps.
Kofi immediately fought back, sending Dolph back into the ring but Ziggler blocked a trouble in paradise attempt. Ziggler countered with a roll-up, but Kingston kicked out. Kingston shoved Ziggler into the ropes where Woods smacked Ziggler with a kick, then Kingston followed with the trouble in paradise for the win.
Byron Saxton asked Ziggler backstage if his break was too long. Ziggler said he thought Kofi was a hero, a fighting champion, but actually he was nothing but a coward. Saxton said some say he deserved it. Ziggler said he outperformed everyone. Ziggler called out Xavier Woods’ interference and demanded another match, this time one on one in a steel cage.
Mansoor won the 50 man battle royal
This was, for the most part, dreadfully boring. There were parts of this match where literally nothing was going on. At least by the time they whittled it down to six people business picked up.
Most of the participants came out like geeks. A few, like Cesaro, Samoa Joe and the Miz got entrances. Elias came out last, running down some of the participants in the match. The match featured a lot of guys who aren’t on TV or even worse, 205 Live.
People were being thrown out pretty quickly, I think Robert Roode was the first one. Authors of Pain, who are now back, faced off against the Viking Raiders and Heavy Machinery. AOP threw out Tucker while the Viking Raiders sent out AOP. Titus, meanwhile, came out from under the ring after hiding. Why didn’t he wait until there were no more people left? He then threw out both Viking Raiders, which tells you their future.
More eliminations followed. Shelton Benjamin threw out Titus O“Neil. Samoa Joe eliminated Hawkins and Ryder. There was literally nothing going on the point that the announce team was talking about how hot it still was. Otit hit the caterpillar but was immediately eliminated by Rowan after. He took out Xavier Woods with the iron claw and sloppily threw him out to Otis. This brought in a lot of eliminations, including the Revival throwing out the Usos.
It boiled down to Ricochet, Samoa Joe, Cesaro, Ali, Elias and Mansoor, the NXT star who is from Saudi Arabia. Ali and Ricochet worked to eliminate Joe. Cesaro eliminated them both from behind, then Elias threw out Cesaro, leaving Elias and Mansoor. The latter superkicked Elias and went to throw him out, but Elias countered and threw him out of the ring. Mansoor countered by backdropping Elias out of the ring and to the floor for the win.
Saxton interviewed Mansoor, mentioning he was born in Riyadh. Mansoor said he doesn’t have the words to describe how important it is to him or to us. He said he was a WWE prospect last year. He was just a rookie with a dream to represent his country all across the world. He said he won the biggest WWE battle royal in history and his dream came true. He then finished his promo by speaking in Arabic.
The Undertaker defeated Goldberg
This was sad more than anything. The layout of the match was designed for it to be as simple as possible, but it was clear, especially in the closing moments of the match, that both men can’t even do this type of match anymore, and I don’t know if that is because of Undertaker or Goldberg because both looked bad.
Both men got long entrances. Goldberg busted himself open hitting his head on the door before exiting for his entrance, which brought back the pyro. Undertaker got an elaborate entrance with druids, pyro, smoke, the whole nine yards.
Goldberg did the cut throat gesture, then hit two spears but the Undertaker kicked out. The Undertaker sat up. Undertaker ducked a clothesline and tried for a chokeslam but Goldberg countered and transitioned into a kneebar. Goldberg whipped Undertaker into the ropes but Undertaker missed a spear attempt, sending Golberg into the post hard. Goldberg was bleeding heavily, his head busted wide open.
Undertaker hit old school then went for the chokeslam and after Goldberg paused, got it. He went for the tombstone but Goldberg kicked out. A double clothesline spot followed. Undertaker hit snake eyes, but Goldberg followed with another spear. He hit the sloppiest looking jackhammer you’ll ever see for a nearfall. This was falling apart badly. Goldberg seemed like he was going for a tombstone piledriver and Undertaker was going to reverse, but both fell down. Then Undertaker pinned him with a chokeslam.
The show finished off with a Undertaker pyro celebration.
This was a ridiculously boring show that felt like it lasted ages. I think it will earn votes as one of the worst shows of the year, just because it was so boring in execution and none of the matches, save for Lashley/Strowman (and think about that) would be considered good.
When they said, in their own WWE speak, that this would be “the equivalent to or exceed Wrestlemania”, maybe they meant some of the worst ones of all time, like WrestleMania 2 or IX, because this doesn’t come close to touching this year’s or any recent WrestleMania. There are no highlights here. Move on. Live your life.
Lars Sullivan’s main roster in-ring debut is set for Saudi Arabia.
On tonight’s SmackDown, WWE announced that Sullivan will face The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) in a three-on-one handicap match at Super ShowDown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7. The event is taking place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and will air live on the WWE Network starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Sullivan has been feuding with the Lucha House Party and has had segments where he’s brawled with and attacked them, but this will be his first official match on the main roster.
WWE put out a statement earlier this month announcing that Sullivan would be fined $100,000 for racist, homophobic, and other offensive posts he had made on Bodybuilding.com’s forum in his past. It was also noted that Sullivan would be required to complete sensitivity training. In his own statement, Sullivan apologized for the posts and said they don’t reflect who he is today.
Here’s the updated card for Super ShowDown:
Goldberg vs. The Undertaker
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
Universal Champion Seth Rollins defending against Baron Corbin
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Dolph Ziggler
Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley
Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor (as his Demon character) defending against Andrade
Lars Sullivan vs. The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) in a three-on-one handicap match
Baron Corbin is now the number one contender to the Universal Championship.
Corbin defeated The Miz, Bobby Lashley, and Braun Strowman in a number one contender’s fatal four-way match on tonight’s Raw and will challenge for Seth Rollins’ Universal title at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
Corbin pinned The Miz to win the fatal four-way, which was announced as an elimination match. Lashley and Strowman brawled through the crowd and to the back and never returned.
Lashley vs. Strowman had already been confirmed for Super ShowDown before tonight.
The number one contender’s match was originally announced as Miz vs. Lashley vs. Strowman vs. AJ Styles, but it was revealed that Corbin was replacing Styles due to Styles being injured. Corbin also attacked Styles during a backstage segment tonight.
Brock Lesnar still has his Money in the Bank briefcase coming out of tonight’s Raw. He’s advertised for Super ShowDown but doesn’t have a match announced yet.
Super ShowDown is the third show in WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority. It’s taking place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Friday, June 7 and will air live on the WWE Network.
Here’s the updated card for the event:
Goldberg vs. The Undertaker
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
Universal Champion Seth Rollins defending against Baron Corbin
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Dolph Ziggler
Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley
Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor (as his Demon character) defending against Andrade
Four WWE wrestlers are not expected to travel to Saudi Arabia next month.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful first reported that Kevin Owens told WWE that he did not want to go back and perform in the country. Dave Meltzer has since confirmed this.
John Pollock of Post Wrestling additionally reported that Sami Zayn and Aleister Black would not be appearing on the show. Zayn, who is of Syrian descent, also didn’t appear at the Greatest Royal Rumble last year due to tensions between Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Dave Meltzer reported this morning on Wrestling Observer Radio that Daniel Bryan would also not be appearing at Super Showdown. Bryan didn’t go to last year’s Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, though did appear at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
WWE’s decision to continue running events in Saudi Arabia has garnered much controversy in the wake of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder last year inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey. Despite outside pressure, WWE has continued to promote events taking place in Saudi Arabia but hasn’t mentioned the country’s name in advertising.
Their next show in Jeddah, Super Showdown, will take place at the King Abdullah International Stadium on June 7.
After it was set up on last night’s SmackDown, Kofi Kingston defending his WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler has officially been announced for Super ShowDown.
WWE uploaded a post-SmackDown video where Kingston accepted Ziggler’s challenge for Saudi Arabia. Ziggler made a surprise return to WWE television last night and attacked Kingston, who was put on a stretcher at the end of the angle. When he got to the stage, Kingston got up and insisted on walking to the back on his own.
Ziggler cut a promo later in the show where he explained his actions. Ziggler talked about the opportunities Kingston has taken advantage of and said that it should have been him.
WWE is hyping that Brock Lesnar will appear on next Monday’s Raw and announce which champion he’s going to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on. If that match happens at Super ShowDown, it appears that it will be Universal Champion Seth Rollins defending against Lesnar.
Super ShowDown is part of WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority. It’s taking place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Friday, June 7 and will air live on the WWE Network starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Here’s the updated card for Super ShowDown:
Goldberg vs. The Undertaker
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Dolph Ziggler
Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley
Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor (as his Demon character) defending against Andrade
The card for WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia is now up to six announced matches.
It was announced on tonight’s Raw that Roman Reigns will face Shane McMahon at Super ShowDown in Jeddah on Friday, June 7. The event is taking place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and will air live on the WWE Network starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Shane interrupted Reigns during an in-ring segment on tonight’s Raw. Reigns issued a challenge to Shane for tonight, but Shane instead accepted it for Saudi Arabia. Shane also brought out Drew McIntyre, with them now aligned together and McIntyre serving as protection for Shane.
WWE has begun hyping Super ShowDown by saying it will be as good or better than WrestleMania. The show is part of WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority.
Here’s the updated card for Super ShowDown:
Goldberg vs. The Undertaker
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley
Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor (as his Demon character) defending against Andrade
The Intercontinental Championship will be on the line at WWE’s next show in Saudi Arabia.
WWE has announced that Finn Balor will defend his Intercontinental title against Andrade at Super ShowDown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7. Balor will use his “Demon” character for the match.
Balor dressed as The Demon when he won the Intercontinental title from Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 35 last month.
Balor and Andrade will both be entrants in Sunday’s men’s Money in the Bank ladder match. They’ve been involved in a feud against each other since the Superstar Shake-up. Balor and the Intercontinental title moved to SmackDown in the Shake-up, while Andrade and Zelina Vega initially went to Raw before going back to SmackDown.
Super ShowDown is taking place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah and will air live on the WWE Network starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time on June 7. It’s the third show in WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority.
Here’s the updated card for Super ShowDown (Roman Reigns, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, Universal Champion Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, and Brock Lesnar are also advertised):
Goldberg vs. The Undertaker
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley
Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor defending against Andrade
Another match has been added to the lineup for WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia.
WWE announced today that Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley is set for Super ShowDown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7. Super ShowDown is taking place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and will air live on the WWE Network, with the broadcast starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Strowman was originally announced as one of the participants for tomorrow’s men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, but Sami Zayn is replacing him after defeating Strowman in a falls count anywhere match on this past Monday’s episode of Raw. The story of the falls count anywhere match was that Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre got involved and helped Zayn win.
Strowman vs. Lashley is the fourth match that’s been announced for Super ShowDown. Goldberg vs. The Undertaker, Triple H vs. Randy Orton, and a 50-man battle royal are set for the show. Roman Reigns, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, Universal Champion Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, and Brock Lesnar are also advertised.
Super ShowDown is the third event in WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority.
WWE has announced three matches and revealed the name for their next show in Saudi Arabia.
It was announced today that Goldberg and The Undertaker will face off for the first time ever at WWE’s show in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7. The show is taking place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and is named WWE Super ShowDown, which was the same name the company used for their event in Melbourne, Australia last October.
This will be the first time Goldberg has wrestled since WrestleMania 33 in April 2017.
Triple H vs. Randy Orton is also official for Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia, and there will be a 50-man battle royal at the event.
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium hosted a 50-man match at last year’s Greatest Royal Rumble, though that had a Royal Rumble format.
Super ShowDown will be the third event in WWE’s controversial 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority. It will air live on the WWE Network.
Roman Reigns, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, Braun Strowman, Universal Champion Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, and Brock Lesnar are also advertised for Super ShowDown.
We’re looking for your thoughts on both today and tomorrow’s Dontaku shows from New Japan so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match from each show to [email protected].
We’re looking for reports today from the Impact tapings in Philadelphia tonight, the Progress show in London and NXT show in West Palm Beach to [email protected].
NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING AT 8 P.M. EASTERN TONIGHT ON AXS TV
Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano for IWGP tag titles
Hirooki Goto vs. Jay White
CMLL FROM ARENA MEXICO TONIGHT ON THE CMLL FACEBOOK PAGE LIVE AND ON YOUTUBE AFTER THE SHOW AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN
Kazuchika Okada vs. Sanada for IWGP heavyweight title
On Saturday we’re looking for reports on the Impact tapings in Philadelphia, Progress show in London and NXT in Fort Pierce, FL to [email protected].
UFC ON ESPN+ ON SATURDAY FROM OTTAWA, ONTARIO
Mitch Gagnon (136) vs. Cole Smith (136)
Juan Adams (266) vs. Arjan Bhullar Singh (244)
Kyle Nelson (146) vs. Matt Sayles (145.75)
Kyle Prepolec (170.25) vs. Nordine Taleb (170.5)
Vince Morales (136) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (135)
Macy Chiasson (136) vs. Sarah Moras (136)
Marc-Andre Barriault (185) vs. Andrew Sanchez (184.5)
Walt Harris (258) vs. Sergey Spivak (254.5)
Merab Dvalishvili (136) vs. Brad Katona (135.5)
Shane Burgos (146) vs. Cub Swanson (145.75)
Derek Brunson (185.75) vs. Elias Theodorou (184.5)
Al Iaquinta (155) vs. Donald Cerrone (155.5)
MLW TV ON BEINSPORT AT 9 P.M.ON SATURDAY ON BEIN SPORTS
L.A. Park vs. Pentagon Jr.
Hart Foundation vs. Dynasty in a tables match
Rey Hours vs. Ace Austin
El Hijo de L.A. Park vs. Gringo Loco
Rey Hours vs. Ace Austin
The Progress Strong Style tournament concludes on Sunday in London. WWE also has a Raw brand house show featuring A.J. Styles on Sunday in Evansville, IN.
IMPACT CODE RED AT 8 P.M EASTERN SUNDAY FROM THE NYC ARENA IN QUEENS, NY ON IMPACT+
Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs. Eddie & Alisha Edwards
Michael Elgin vs. Willie Mack
LAX vs. Dave & Jake Crist vs. Smoothe Blackmon & Chris Seaton
Rich Swann vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel vs. Smiley vs. Evander James vs. Mantequilla
Tommy Dreamer vs. Sami Callihan
Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs. Ethan Page & Josh Alexander
Tessa Blanchard & Violotte vs. Scarlett Bordeaux & Sonya Strong
Moose vs. Ken Broadway
Raw will be Monday in Cincinnati.
Smackdown and 205 Live are being taped on Tuesday in Louisville.
The WWE European tour opens on Wednesday in Belfast, Ireland.
A brother vs. brother match will be one of the key pieces of All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing card.
After weeks of teases, Dustin Rhodes was confirmed as his brother Cody’s opponent for Double or Nothing at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 25. Dustin issued a statement about his status with WWE after the announcement was made, revealing that he had requested his release from WWE and was granted it. Dustin also posted a video where he said goodbye to his Goldust character.
One of the biggest news issues of the year, a double issue, leads off with a basic state of the industry right now. Read about how WWE business fell in the first quarter, what is and isn’t the long-term prognostication, usage of fake stats in business that history shows are meaningless to growth, WWE injuries, WWE getting behind new talent, changes in October, and more.
Read a lot more on Brock Lesnar staying with WWE and not returning to WWE, such as how the ESPN deal has changed things for top stars in UFC, when Lesnar can command so much money, what has happened over the last year with Lesnar, UFC and WWE and more.
Read the update on Money in the Bank and Double or Nothing and the ticket demand for both.
Look at the front runner for 2021 WrestleMania, notes on 2020 WrestleMania plans including what match is off the books, Dean Ambrose becomes Jon Moxley and what that means, update on situation with Luke Harper, The Revival, Gallows & Anderson and others.
Read rundowns on the UFC and Bellator shows this past week, with business notes, how much the fighters got paid and match-by-match rundowns of both events.
Read more on the Japanese legacy of The Destroyer, listing all of his championship matches in Japan, as well as his biggest wins and his infrequent losses in All Japan in the 70s and 80s.
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
For this weekend, WWE is only running the Raw crew on Sunday and Monday and the Smackdown crew is only doing television. Originally this weekend was blocked off because today was originally the Saudi Arabia date. But their government moved it back five weeks and WWE had no arenas booked for that reason. After Monday’s Raw, the crew will fly to Belfast and start the European tour. The Smackdown crew flies to Europe after television for the tour.
It’s been confirmed that on the 6/1 Takeover that the main event will be Johnny Gargano defending the NXT title against Adam Cole. Matt Riddle will have a singles match with Roderick Strong.
The Viceland documentary this coming Wednesday is on Gino Hernandez. The Dark Side of the Ring six week series will debut on Crave SVOD in Canada on 5/17 and on regular television on 8/3. It will debut on 6/5 in the U.K., 8/22 in France, 6/3 in Australia, 7/10 in New Zealand and 7/4 in the Netherlands.
The annual Beat the Streets amateur wrestling show will be on Monday at the Hulu Theater in New York. There are both men women’s bouts on the 13 match show. The top bouts are:
David Taylor vs. Drew Foster at 189 pounds
J’den Cox vs. Patrick Bruicki at 202 pounds
Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia of India at 143 pounds
Kyle Snyder vs. Nisban Randhawa of Canada at 213 pounds
Jordan Burroughs vs. Ben Askren at 162 pounds
New Japan teased a newcomer in a video today, with the idea he’ll be a future opponent of Juice Robinson for the U.S. title. The guy had a Union Jack on his outfit if that’s supposed to be a part of it.
Brian Cage won’t be working at tonight’s Impact tapings in Philadelphia and doubtful tomorrow due to his back injury suffered on Sunday.
AAA tickets for Madison Square Garden are now on sale in a pre-sale for the 9/15 show. Names announced are Aero Star, Averno, Blue Demon Jr., Daga, Dinastia, Drago, Fenix, Golden Magic, El Hijo del Tirantes, El Hijo del Vikingo, Konnan, Hiedra, La Parkita, Lady Maravilla, Lady Shani, Mamba, Maximo, Myzteziz Jr., Nino Hamburguesa, Pagano, Pentagon Jr., Pierro, Puma King, and Pimpinela Escaralata, Tessa Blanchard, Taya, and Villano III Jr.
WWE
Paige will be appearing on the talk show “The Real” on Monday. (thanks to Jeff Beecher)
As noted would happen in last week’s Observer, it was officially announced that WWE has pulled Kurt Angle from his booked appearance at WrestleCade from 11/29 to 12/1.
Notes on David Otunga’s custody battle with Jennifer Hudson.
Dixie Carter was in Stamford being taped for future network or DVD documentaries.
UFC
A suspension for Amanda Ribas for Ostarine was thrown out by USADA because the concentration was so low that they felt it was accidental ingestion.
MISCELLANEOUS
Millie McKenzie vs. Avary is booked for Melbourne City Wrestling on 5/12. Avary vs. Mercedes Martinez is looked for the IndyGirz Australia championship for NHPW on 5/24 in Western Australia. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Beyond Wrestling from Wednesday night in Worcester, MA before 200 fans: LAX b Trent Baretta & Chuck Taylor, Thomas Santell b Mantis, Solo Darling won four-way over Penelope Ford, Ashley Vox and Veda Scott, Bear Bronson & Bear Beefcake b Randy Summer & Brandon Watts, Kris tatlander b Whisper, Chris Dickinson & Joey Janela b Alex Reynolds & John Silver.
Thunder Rosa showed up at Today’s Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling show to challenge new champion Shoko Nakajima. The match will take place on Monday night in Sapporo. Yuki Sakazaki and Aja Kong, who will both be with AEW, were on the show. The original Tiger Mask was there for the debut of Mirai Maiumi. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
I Believe in Wrestling runs tonight in Orlando, FL at the Team Vision Dojo.
Impact announced an expanded alliance with the NFL Alumni Association. The alliance will include Impact wrestlers appearing in NFL Alumni events, Impact will have drive fund raising initiatives for charities supported by the NFL Alumni Association and host those charities at Impact live events.
Stardom from today in Tokyo: Natsu Sumire b Rina, Hanan b Ruaka, Kagetsu & Hazuki & Natsuko Tora & Andras Miyagi b Hana Kimura & Jungle Kyona & Konami & Rebel Kel, Toni Storm b Tam Nakano, Starlight Kid & Arisa Hoshiki & Saki Kashima & Saya Iida b Bea Priestley & Momo Watanabe & AZM & Leo Onozaki in an elimination match, Mayu Iwatani, dressed up as Starlight Kid, won the costume Battle Royal. Pro Wrestling Eve owners Emily and Dann Read were at the show. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and Tomi Yamada)
Smash Wrestling on 5/26 in London at the Music Hall has Blade vs Speedball Mike Bailey, and Brent Banks vs. John Greed. Ultimo Dragon makes his debut for the group on 6/1 in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Centre.
UWC on 5/18 in Wrightstown, NJ at Kelly’s Banquet Hall. Kids under five are free.
Ed in San Antonio presents PODER~! at the FSW arena on Friday 5/24 – Showtime is at noon – Main event: Bryan Alvarez vs. Logan Stunt
Empire dinner on Friday 5/24 at 8:30 p.m. at Texas de Brazil – Price is $82 – All you can eat meat and salad, sodas, tea, and coffee, plus dessert included
Empire suite party on Friday 5/24 for those who were not able to get the Q&A package – Price is $25
As expected, the show will be held on Friday, June 7. it will take place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah and will air live on the WWE Network.
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium also hosted the Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018, while Crown Jewel took place in Riyadh in November.
The first eight wrestlers have been advertised for next month’s show, with Goldberg the most notable name among them. It’s also advertised that the event will feature Roman Reigns, The Undertaker, Kofi Kingston, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, and Brock Lesnar.
Goldberg was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. His most recent match was against Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 in April 2017.
The name of June’s event has yet to be announced.
This will be the third show in WWE’s 10-year agreement with the Saudi General Sports Authority. WWE has received significant criticism for their relationship with the country. Women haven’t been allowed to wrestle in Saudi Arabia, and WWE went on with Crown Jewel as scheduled despite the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
When asked to confirm the date of the May show, WWE responded that they “haven’t announced” it.
WWE’s 10-year agreement with the Saudi General Sports Authority began with last April’s Greatest Royal Rumble and continued with Crown Jewel in November. Women weren’t allowed to wrestle at either show (though Renee Young was part of the commentary team for Crown Jewel), and WWE went on with Crown Jewel as scheduled despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reported involvement in the planning of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
WWE didn’t mention Saudi Arabia by name on the Crown Jewel broadcast.
