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After weeks of controversy over the event, last-minute card changes and big announcements, Crown Jewel finally took place Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Lost, for some, amid all of the talk about whether the WWE's second major event in Saudi Arabia should be happening or not are moments that would otherwise garner a lot of attention in their own right. Hulk Hogan returned to WWE airwaves for the first time since 2015 (after being reinstated to the WWE Hall of Fame in July), when he was suspended for racially-charged comments. Additionally, after eight years, Shawn Michaels returned to in-ring action. This file was updated in real time. (c) indicates defending champion.
D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) def. Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) I don't think anyone came into the main event of Crown Jewel expecting four WWE legends with a combined age of 206 to put on a five-star classic, but there were a lot of bumps in the road along the way before DX ultimately emerged victorious over The Undertaker and Kane. In Shawn Michaels' return to the ring after an eight-year hiatus, we got all of the nostalgic moments you might've expected -- superkicks, a kip-up, a flying elbow, and even a moonsault from the top rope to the outside. But between what seemed like a legitimate injury to Triple H and the slow, plodding pace that followed because of the unexpected uncertainty in the match -- not to mention Kane's mask falling off during a crucial stretch -- it's safe to say that most of this match will hit the cutting room floor when the highlight reel comes together. All of that said, it's clear these four future WWE Hall of Famers gave it their all despite the difficulties in this match. Michaels' bloodied face at the end, after he and Triple H combined to finally pin Kane and end the match, tells a pretty accurate story about how beat up all four of these guys were. The move toward nostalgia on shows like this is what it is, but when it comes to these four guys, it's probably best that this is the last chapter in their long, storied rivalries.
WWE World Cup finals: Shane McMahon def. Dolph Ziggler
Universal Championship match: Brock Lesnar def. Braun Strowman After Roman Reigns forfeited the title due to his real-life battle with leukemia, WWE had to pivot quite suddenly in regard to the Universal Championship match. With the match turned into a one-on-one between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman, it would've made all the sense in the world for Strowman to finally achieve his crowning moment. Instead, Lesnar walked out of Saudi Arabia once again holding the Universal Championship title -- putting Monday Night Raw back into a holding pattern without a top champion who appears on the show on a weekly basis. After Baron Corbin nailed Strowman from behind with the Universal Championship belt just before the bell rang, Brock Lesnar hit three consecutive F-5s -- and, as only Roman Reigns had done before him, Strowman kicked out each time. How did Lesnar react? He hit a fourth F-5 that sent Strowman over the top rope and to the floor. Strowman barely answered the 10-count on the outside of the ring, and Lesnar responded by taking off his MMA gloves. As Strowman went up for a fifth F-5, Strowman kicked his way out of it and appeared to find a brief window of relief. It didn't last, as Lensar eventually hit that fifth F-5 and pinned Strowman to become the first-ever two-time Universal champion. Before Lesnar's music stopped playing, WWE quickly advertised a champion-against-champion match for Survivor Series -- a rematch of Lesnar's best in-ring showing of his second run with WWE. Beyond that match in a couple of weeks, however, there's no real telling when Lesnar will next appear on WWE TV.
WWE Championship match: AJ Styles (c) def. Samoa Joe
WWE World Cup semifinals: Dolph Ziggler def. Seth Rollins
WWE World Cup semifinals: Miz def. Mysterio
SmackDown tag team championship match: The Bar (c) def. The New Day
WWE World Cup first round match Dolph Ziggler def. Kurt Angle
WWE World Cup first round match Seth Rollins def. Bobby Lashley
WWE World Cup first round match The Miz def. Jeff Hardy
WWE World Cup first round match Rey Mysterio def. Randy Orton
Kickoff show United States championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) def. Rusev
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