WWE Crown Jewel 2024

For the last few years, WWE have been running Premium Live Events in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Controversies and politics aside, these events have often been subpar, random, and, quite frankly, unimportant in the grand scheme of things in the world of WWE. However, it still counts as a PLE, and the matchcard was still enticing, so I sat down to watch it, with hopes of an entertaining show.

The match that opened the evening was the intense six-man tag team match between the new and old Bloodline members. The hot tags were very well utilised by the 'babyface' team, and the live audience ate up everything both teams threw at them. It wasn't as chaotic as I expected, and there was one glaringly obvious botch, but the match was still very enjoyable. The post-match shenanigans were interesting - I don't think I liked how they were executed, but the story being told was essentially what was needed.

This was followed by a four team Women's Tag Team Championship Match, with a lot of talented women involved. The spots in this one were ambitious, but there were quite a few little botches throughout what was a very fast paced but rushed match. I was a little surprised by the ending, but I wasn't mad about it. I'll be interested to see where this division goes next.

The third match was the one I was most excited for coming into the night; Seth 'Freakin' Rollins and Bronson Reed. As expected, the match was pure chaos and high paced, spot-after-spot action. I really loved the match - it had so many exciting and crazy moments. The only thing I didn't like was who won. It felt like a great opportunity missed. I hope it doesn't impact the long-term momentum of the man who needed that win more.

The midpoint of the show was marked by the champion versus champion match, in which WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax took on Women's World Champion Liv Morgan for the Women's 'Crown Jewel' Championship. This was a solid back and forth match, but the title felt more like a gimmick than something important. The storylines for each of the women were more important anyway. For what it's worth, the right woman won.

The second half of proceedings saw Randy Orton take on Kevin Owens in what looked to be an intense one-on-one match. Well, it turned out not to be a match, but the whole segment was excellent. It was a crazy brawl and the live crowd loved it. I quite liked how absurd the whole angle was - it started crazy and never stopped. I wish it had gone on longer honestly.

Next up was the triple threat match for L.A. Knight's US Championship, with Andrade and Carmelo Hayes as the two challengers. This match was so much fun from start to finish. It wasn't very long, but the chemistry and creativity on display was top tier. All three men were elevated by this one, and I would've been happy with any of them winning it.

Finally, the show arrived at its main event; the men's champion versus champion match for the inaugural 'Crown Jewel' championship. What struck, and irked, me immediately was the blatant difference in presentation for the men's match, compared to the women's - both before and after. It was pretty poor form, in my opinion. It made the women's version seem even less important. The match itself was well worked, with both Cody Rhodes and GUNTHER being slick and safe workers that knew how to work the crowd effectively. I enjoyed it quite a lot, as did the crowd. The match ended with a classic wrestling finish, which both fit the match and protected both men.

Overall, the shows in Saudi Arabia do have a habit of feeling like glorified 'house' shows, but this one did at least provide some decent entertainment. The card was full of random but fun matches, most of which delivered. It was one of the better events in Saudi Arabia, but definitely felt like a 'B' show. That said, the wrestling was good, the crowd was decent enough, and the pageantry was certainly present. I am looking forward to more serious events in the future though.