Tag: wwe crown jewel

Karl Anderson says he’s ‘double-booked,’ won’t defend title at NJPW Battle Autumn

Posted on by Ian Carey

Karl Anderson will not be defending his NEVER Openweight Championship on November 5. 

NJPW had previously announced Anderson would face Hikuleo on the Battle Autumn tour stop. On WWE Raw this week, however, it was revealed that the Good Brothers will team with AJ Styles to take on Judgment Day at Crown Jewel on the same date. 

In a video posted to his social media on Wednesday, Anderson says NJPW didn’t run the November 5 date by his booking agent and tag partner, Doc Gallows, first. The Good Brothers confirmed that they won’t be on the NJPW show. 

“New Japan Pro Wrestling, few questions,” Gallows begins in the video. “Are we the OG Bullet Club? Yes. Are we the world-famous Good Brothers? Yes. Are we repping OC on WWE Monday Night Raw? Yes. And do all bookings still go through the Big LG when it comes to ‘Bright Lights,’ when it comes to the Good Brothers? Yes, they do.”  

“You guys announced ‘Bright Lights’, ‘The Machine Gun’ Karl Anderson for a match on November 5. Guess what? We’re a little double-booked because you didn’t run it through me. So, he ain’t coming. We’re not coming unless it’s on our time.” 

“New Japan Pro Wrestling, listen, I love what you’ve done for the Good Brothers through these years,” Anderson added. “But let me tell you something, I am the greatest NEVER Openweight Champion of all time. I only work when the lights are bright and November 5, we ain’t coming. We’ll come on our time. The Machine Gun will tell you when I’m coming to defend my championship.”

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley set for WWE Crown Jewel

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar and a six-man tag have been added to WWE Crown Jewel.

Lashley and Lesnar will meet on November 5 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia following events that have taken place over the last week. A six-man tag team match with The OC (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows) taking on The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Dominik Mysterio) has also been added.

Last week on Raw, Brock Lesnar appeared on WWE TV for the first time since SummerSlam, attacking Lashley. This week’s Raw had Lashley immediately calling out Lesnar. The two brawled, with Lashley gaining the upper hand after spearing Lesnar through a ringside barricade. The two were eventually pulled apart after Lashley put Lesnar through the announcer’s table.

Later on Monday’s show, Judgment Day issued a challenge to Styles and The OC after the latter made their return to WWE last week, sending Judgment Day packing after they attacked Styles. Styles and The OC accepted their challenge. 

It is notable that Crown Jewel will take place the same day as New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Battle Autumn event in Osaka, where Anderson is set to defend the NEVER Openweight title against Hikuleo.

Here is the updated lineup for Crown Jewel:

  • Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns defends against Logan Paul
  • The OC (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson) vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Pries, and Dominik Mysterio)
  • Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul planned for WWE Crown Jewel

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

Dave Meltzer reports that WWE is holding a press conference in Las Vegas this Saturday regarding the main event for its November 5 Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul is planned to headline the PPV.

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Logan Paul is hyping up a big announcement for tonight’s episode of SmackDown.

Ahead of appearing on SmackDown tonight, Paul sent out a tweet stating that there will be a “massive announcement” on the episode. Paul wrote: “MASSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT TONIGHT TUNE IN”

WWE looks to be building to a Roman Reigns vs. Paul match. If that does happen, November’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia appears to be a possible destination. Neither Reigns nor Paul are advertised for October’s Extreme Rules PPV.

Reigns is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

Paul’s appearance on tonight’s SmackDown was set up by an exchange that happened on Twitter after Reigns was on Paul’s Impaulsive podcast. After Reigns left the podcast, Paul said Reigns is the person in WWE who he wants to face.

“You put me against Roman Reigns right now, I think I would win,” Paul said. “Me vs. Roman Reigns one-on-one, that’s my match.”

Reigns responded to Paul’s comments by posting a tweet that told Paul Heyman to “handle” him.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque then invited Paul to appear on SmackDown tonight.

This will be Paul’s first appearance on WWE television since he defeated The Miz at SummerSlam. It was announced this June that Paul has signed a contract with WWE.

WOR: Becky and Charlotte, WWE Crown Jewel, G1 Climax finals

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Image via WWE.com

Dave Meltzer and I are back with Wrestling Observer Radio.

We talk about Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair having a confrontation backstage at SmackDown. We look at WWE’s Crown Jewel show from Thursday. 

We talk more about Dave’s lead story in the newsletter about last Friday’s head-to-head battle and what he learned. We wish Jim Ross well in dealing with his skin cancer treatment.

Lastly, we talk about the G1 final and Kota Ibushi’s injury, Kazuchika Okada coming to San Jose, and AEW Rampage.

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Edge vs. Rollins Hell in a Cell match set for WWE Crown Jewel

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Edge closed this week’s SmackDown by challenging Seth Rollins to a Hell in a Cell match for Crown Jewel.

At the end of tonight’s show, Rollins entered the ring and demanded Edge come out and accept his challenge, bringing up his family and children. Edge emerged from a car backstage and stormed to the ring, taking out Rollins with a spear. He grabbed a piece of chair and went to apply a crossface, but Rollins escaped before he could. Edge then challenged Seth to the Hell in a Cell match.

After the show ended, WWE confirmed that the match would take place at Crown Jewel on October 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Although Rollins defeated Edge at WWE’s SmackDown show at Madison Square Garden last month, he has continued to challenge Edge, refuting the label of being “Edge-lite”. On last week’s episode of SmackDown, Rollins entered Edge’s home in North Carolina while his wife Beth Phoenix and their children were out of the house, going through their items and eating their food.

This would be the third match in the Edge vs. Rollins feud. Edge won the first match at SummerSlam in August. Rollins won the second match the following month at Madison Square Garden, with Edge being stretchered out after Rollins pinned him following the curb stomp.

WWE announces rules for 2021 WWE Draft

Posted on by Bryan Rose

WWE has announced the rules for the 2021 WWE Draft that will begin tonight on SmackDown.

A video posted to WWE’s social media had Megan Morant explain the procedures for tonight’s SmackDown and Monday’s Raw, where the draft will take place. She said that in conversations with WWE officials from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, along with officials from the USA Network and Fox, half of the WWE roster tonight will be decided, with the other half being decided on Monday. Anyone not drafted on these shows will become a free agent and will be able to sign with the brand of their choosing.

The changes to the WWE roster will not take place until the October 22 edition of SmackDown, the day after WWE’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view event. 

Also scheduled for tonight’s SmackDown, which takes place at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, is Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair. Additionally, Edge will make his return, confronting Seth Rollins after Rollins sent him out on a stretcher last month following their match.

Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez opens WWE Crown Jewel main show

Posted on by Josh Nason

In the opening match of the WWE Crown Jewel main card Thursday in Saudi Arabia, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar submitted Cain Velasquez in just a few minutes to retain the title.

Worked like an MMA fight and resembling more of a sparring session, Velasquez threw a few kicks to Lesnar before the two got into the corner and grappled like you would see in an MMA cage. Action moved over to another corner where Velasquez hit a knee to Lesnar’s midsection that dropped him, following up with some ground and pound. However, Velasquez erred and got caught in a kimura, tapping quickly after briefly trying to escape.

Lesnar kept the hold on which prompted Rey Mysterio to enter the ring with a chair. Lesnar dispatched him to the outside of the ring and went back to work on Velasquez, hitting him with chair shots and eventually giving his rival an F5 on the chair. Mysterio re-entered and went to work on Lesnar with wild chair shots before the champion left the ring with Paul Heyman, seemingly setting something up for the future.

After a pair of matches for AAA this year, Velasquez was making his WWE debut and showed none of the lucha style or moves he displayed in those first two matches. He recently signed a multi-year deal with WWE, but it’s unknown if the wrestling rookie will head to NXT or remain on the main roster.

The match was built as a rematch of Lesnar and Velasquez’s 2010 UFC fight where Velasquez defeated Lesnar to win the UFC heavyweight title.

WOR: Crown Jewel thoughts, Power Struggle preview, more

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Image: WWE.com

It’s a Friday Night edition of Wrestling Observer Radio with Dave Meltzer and myself, guest co-host Garrett Gonzales.

Dave and I go over all of the latest news surrounding Friday’s WWE Crown Jewel results, ncluding Dave’s Observer story on Daniel Bryan and his decision to not go to Saudi Arabia, Shane McMahon winning the World Cup, what’s up with new Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, and the injuries coming out of the main event between DX and The Brothers of Destruction.

We also talk about how Lesnar, Daniel Cormier, Lesnar, and Jon Jones are all tied into the key shows of UFC’s final months of 2018 heading into 2019. We wrap up going over the latest information on the possibility of All In 2 and then preview both NJPW Power Struggle and UFC 230.

Timestamps:
Start – 18:37: Crown Jewel main event, Brock Lesnar
18:37 – 28:19: Shane McMahon wins World Cup
28:19 – 40:51: Daniel Bryan’s decision not to go
40:51 – 1:02:24: Rundown of Crown Jewel
1:02:24 – 1:10:18: All In 2 speculation
1:10:18 – 1:12:30: Power Struggle preview
1:12:30 – 1:18:20: Jones/Gustafsson presser, UFC 230 preview
1:18:20 – end: Jericho cruise

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Report: Daniel Bryan not traveling to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Another report states that Daniel Bryan won’t be traveling to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel.

PWInsider reported today that Bryan won’t be performing at Friday’s show in Riyadh. Barstool Sports’ Robbie Fox first reported that Bryan and John Cena were “refusing” to work Crown Jewel, and WWE confirmed last night that Bobby Lashley is replacing Cena in the World Cup tournament.

According to PWInsider, WWE was making production plans at one point for AJ Styles vs. Bryan to take place at the Performance Center and air on the Crown Jewel broadcast — but the idea was dropped in the middle of plans being made yesterday. They wrote that all signs point to Styles going to Saudi Arabia, though no final decision as to how WWE would handle the situation had been made as of last night.

Tonight’s SmackDown at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia is the go-home show for Crown Jewel. A segment where Styles will confront Bryan ahead of their advertised WWE Championship match at Crown Jewel is scheduled for tonights’ episode..

HBK officially coming out of retirement for Crown Jewel tag match

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Triple H and Shawn Michaels reunited as D-Generation X tonight and are set to face The Undertaker and Kane next month at Crown Jewel.

It started at this weekend’s Super Show-Down event when both Undertaker and Kane jumped Triple H and Shawn Michaels after Triple H defeated The Undertaker. Tonight on Raw, both Triple H and HBK came out looking for retribution. Michaels said that for the last eight years, he had been keeping a promise (his retirement) out of mutual respect between he and The Undertaker. But now he realizes that respect may have never existed.

Triple H then said he asked Michaels three words he never thought he would ask him again: are you ready? He then directed that question to Undertaker and Kane for Crown Jewel. Both men took off their shirts revealing new D-Generation X t-shirts as they posed for the crowd, their old music playing.

Crown Jewel will take place on November 2 at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.