A lot has happened in the buildup to this event and we should get a pretty solid show overall. If you haven’t paid attention the Raw or Smackdown over the past month, we’ll get you caught up with how these Crown Jewel matches came to be below.
Crown Jewel 2022 storylines
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship - Roman Reigns (c) vs. Logan Paul
This marquee title showdown came about in September when Reigns went on Paul’s ‘Impaulsive’ podcast and the two started trading jabs on social media afterwards. A match for Crown Jewel was made official later that week and the two participated in a press conference in Las Vegas to promote the clash.
Over the past month, the two have cut promos on Friday Night Smackdown and have even come face-to-face a few times. The emphasis has been on the underdog Paul landing just one lucky punch to pull the upset, demonstrating that when laying out Jey Uso a few weeks ago. The champ, in turn, has waved off any concern over losing to the social media star, emphasizing that his two-year reign of dominance will continue.
Raw Women’s Championship - Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley (Last Woman Standing match)
Belair and Bayley have been feuding since SummerSlam, with Belair partnering with Alexa Bliss and Asuka to battle Bayley’s Damage CTRL faction of Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai. The two clashed in a ladder match at Extreme Rules last month, a match where the champ retained her title.
That setback didn’t deter Bayley as with the help of Nikki Cross, she picked up a pinfall victory over Belair on Monday Night Raw a few weeks ago. That set up this title showdown where whoever can put their opponent down for a 10-count will be declared the victor.
Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley
This epic hoss fight came about the night after Extreme Rules last month when Lesnar made a surprise return and attacked Lashley, who was set to defend his United States Championship against Seth Rollins that evening. An injured Lashley ending up losing the title, setting in motion for him to exact revenge on the “Beast”.
In recent weeks, the two have gotten into pull-apart brawls on the show as each have tried to establish dominance heading into Crown Jewel. This will be the second time they’ve fought on ppv this year, the first coming at the Royal Rumble in January.
Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross (Steel cage match)
Kross has targeted McIntyre with numerous attacks since debuting on Friday Night Smackdown a few months ago. They met in a strap match at Extreme Rules and with the help of Scarlett macing McIntyre in the face, Kross picked up the victory.
The newcomer was scheduled to participate in a No. 1 contender’s match for the Intercontinental Championship the following week before McIntyre attacked him in the parking lot and rendered him unable to compete. From there, this steel cage match was set up as the blowoff for this feud.
Other matches
- Alexa Bliss and Asuka captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship from Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai during this past episode of Raw. They’ll run in back in a rematch.
- The Usos along with the rest of the Bloodline have targeted the Brawling Brutes in recent weeks, putting Sheamus on the shelf with a brutal attack. Butch and Ridge Holland have vowed to avenge their leader and will try to dethrone the Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Crown Jewel.
- Braun Strowman has been on a rampage since returning to WWE in recent weeks and Omos has stepped up to challenge the “Monster Among Men”. The two have tried to one-up each other in recent weeks and we’ll see these two titans finally clash.
- The Judgement Day has hit another gear in recent weeks with the addition of Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley returning to action. A.J. Styles recently returned to continue the fight against the faction and brought back Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to reform the O.C. These two teams will collide in a six-man tag team match in Saudi Arabia.
WWE Crown Jewel 2022: Roman Reigns Winning And 5 Smart Booking Decisions
WWE Crown Jewel 2022 represents one of the most pivotal stops on the road to WrestleMania 39, and with blockbuster matches like Roman Reigns vs. Logal Paul and Bianca Belair vs. Bayley, WWE’s second-to-last pay-per-view of the year could have long-term ramifications on its short and long-term futures.
With WWE reportedly revamping its PPV schedule next year, its marquee live events are going to mean more than they have at any point in recent memory. That will start at this weekend’s showdown in Saudi Arabia, where an undisputed Universal Championship match between Paul, the worldwide social media sensation, and Reigns, arguably the hottest act in all of pro wrestling, will set the tone for a new-look slate of premier events.
Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley is quite the booker’s conundrum. With Lesnar recently returning after a lengthy layoff, Lashley being one of WWE’s best-booked stars and both behemoths currently performing as babyfaces, one could argue that neither man should be losing this match.
That’s why a controversial non-finish—that builds to a rubber match—is a likely option here, but if we’re picking the lesser of two evils? That would be Lashley winning. He’s the full-timer of the two, and his 2022 Royal Rumble victory over Lesnar was a tainted one that didn’t exactly make him look strong. Lashley has been such an important part of Raw over the past two years, and in many ways, he’s filled the void created by frequent absences from Lesnar.
Lesnar’s next WWE appearance had been scheduled for January’s Day 1 pay-per-view, which has since been cancelled, and that means that he’s likely going to be off TV long enough that a loss to Lashley will long be forgotten by the time he’s back, probably right around Royal Rumble time.
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