Crown Jewel 2022 is the WWE’s return to pay-per-view, and it’s happening tonight at Mool Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The show starts at 12:00 ET and can be viewed on Peacock.
There has been a lot of drama leading up to this, so I expect a good performance. If you haven’t paid attention to Raw or Smackdown over the past month, we’ll get you caught up with how these Crown Jewel matchups came to be below.
WWE Crown Jewel 2022 stories
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Logan Paul
This marquee championship showdown came about in September after Reigns went on Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast and the two started trading insults on social media afterwards. Later that week, an official match for Crown Jewel was announced, and both fighters appeared at a press conference in Las Vegas to promote the bout.
There have been several face-to-face encounters and promo exchanges between the two over the past month on Friday Night Smackdown. The storyline leading up to Paul’s knockout of Jey Uso a few weeks ago was centred on the notion that all the underdog needed was a single lucky blow to pull off the upset. The champ, in turn, has blown off any concern over losing to the social media star, insisting that his two-year reign of supremacy will continue.
A bout between Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley
The night after Extreme Rules last month, Lesnar made a surprise comeback and assaulted Lashley, who was scheduled to defend his United States Championship against Seth Rollins. This led to an incredible huddle fight. Injuries prevented Lashley from defending his title, and he lost to the “Beast.” This put his plan of vengeance into action.
Each has been trying to assert dominance over the other in the weeks leading up to Crown Jewel, resulting in several on-air brawls that have been hard to watch. They initially met at the Royal Rumble in January, so this will be their second pay-per-view bout of the year.
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley
Since SummerSlam, Belair and Bayley have been at odds; Belair has teamed up with Alexa Bliss and Asuka to take on Bayley’s Damage Control group, consisting of Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai. Last month at Extreme Rules, the two squared off in a ladder match, with the champion retaining her championship.
Bayley didn’t let the defeat deter her, though; a few weeks later, on Monday Night Raw, with the assistance of Nikki Cross, she scored a pinfall victory against Belair. The winner of this championship bout will be determined by who can knock their opponent out for a count of ten.
Taking on Karrion Kross: Drew McIntyre (steel cage match)
Since making his Friday Night Smackdown debut a few months ago, Kross has repeatedly assaulted McIntyre. At Extreme Rules, Kross and McIntyre competed in a strap match, which Kross won with the help of a scarlet mac to the face.
McIntyre attacked the newcomer in the parking lot, preventing him from competing in the No. 1 contender’s match for the Intercontinental Championship the following week. This steel cage bout was then arranged as the climax to this conflict.
A variety of other matches
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai lost the title against Alexa Bliss and Asuka on the most recent edition of Raw. As for a rematch, they’ll surely rush back in.
Over the past few weeks, the Usos and the rest of the Bloodline have been targeting the Brawling Brutes, and their latest strike has taken Sheamus out of commission. Following the death of Butch Holland, his son Ridge has sworn to take the WWE Tag Team Championship away from the Usos at Crown Jewel in order to get revenge.
With Braun Strowman’s recent resurgence in WWE, the “Monster Among Men” has been challenged by Omos. Each has sought to outdo the other in recent weeks, and now they will finally face off.
Now that Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley are both back in action, Judgement Day has stepped up a gear in recent weeks. After A.J. Styles’ recent comeback, the O.C. has been reformed with the return of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to resume the struggle against the group. A six-man tag bout between these two squads is set to go down in Saudi Arabia.
