For a company that once geared its entire product around controversial angles, WWE sure doesn’t seem to be able to handle them particularly well in 2018.
Rumors have been circulating for over a week that John Cena and Daniel Bryan wanted out of Crown Jewel, the glorified house show turned political hot potato. That means that for at least that long, WWE has been aware that two of its biggest stars may not be available for the Saudi showpiece this Friday.
And yet, despite being a global, multi-million dollar empire, WWE handles its problems the same way I do. By burying its head in the sand and hoping they go away.
So paralyzed was the company by the entire situation that it didn’t even formally announce that the event was going ahead until this past Thursday. Tickets didn’t go on sale until Saturday, six days before Crown Jewel is to be held. It should come as no surprise then that WWE waited until the last possible moment to settle their plans ahead of the pay-per-view, only providing some resolution on the respective go-home shows.
But the assumption would still be that WWE would find an innovative way of papering over its self-inflicted wounds. That it would be able to effectively explain the absences of Cena and Bryan, each of whom occupied prominent spots on the card.
Well, as it turns out, not really.
The #WWEWorldCup bracket: #WWECrownJewel #SDLive pic.twitter.com/7b8toLqnJC
— WWE (@WWE) October 31, 2018
Bobby Lashley simply took Cena’s place in the World Cup to determine the best mid-carder in the world, and Bryan’s shot at AJ Styles’ WWE Championship was moved up to last night’s SmackDown. Both of these moves smelled of desperation; two last minute changes designed to appease management, the wrestlers concerned and the host nation’s organizers. The show goes ahead, and Cena and Bryan aren’t asked to compromise their moral values.
Of course, all of this upheaval could have been avoided had WWE simply cancelled the show or moved it to a less objectionable venue. But Vince McMahon is as stubborn as he is motivated by profit. It’s what made him an unparalleled success in the industry, and it’s what makes me think that he never genuinely considered making any changes to Crown Jewel, even if it cost him the buy-in of two of his top stars.
Regardless of what could have been, at this point the decision has been made and nothing – not even the objections of fans or mainstream commentators – appears likely to change that. In all of the current frenzy though, it’s easy to overlook the possibility that the ramifications of this decision may be felt for years to come.
It’s possible that the public relations fallout from Crown Jewel could affect WWE going forward, leaving lasting damage to its corporate image and fanbase. Casual viewers may leave, sponsors could pull out and the company will continue to be bashed in the media. Remember that we’re still only in year ONE of a purported ten-year agreement!
So will anything change in the immediate future? Unlikely. Because in a deal involving WWE and Saudi Arabia, one party is run by a stubborn, autocratic quasi-dictator. And the other is Saudi Arabia.
And that only covers the first twenty minutes of last night’s SmackDown! So what else went down on the most recent edition of the blue brand’s show? Join our WrestleTalk writers as they take you through the highs and lows of last night’s broadcast, as well as venture a rating of the show overall.
Then share your thoughts on SmackDown and Crown Jewel with us, so that we can commiserate together.
What was your favorite SmackDown moment?
Nate Craver
Thank goodness for Daniel Bryan’s morals. It was a pretty simple choice as to what was the best of SmackDown. AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan delivered. AJ and Bryan had one of the better TV matches we’ve seen in a long time. The match never seemed to find that next gear we’d expect from a pay-per-view match, but the storytelling was top-notch.
You have to figure Bryan tapping clean was ‘punishment’ for bowing out of the Crown Jewel event. I hope when the dust settles from this event on Friday, we get to see more of Bryan and Styles in the ring.
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Jeffrey Bowie Jr.
Easily AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan. This match won’t come to mind when talking about match of the year candidates, but it was still a very good one. I’m looking forward to seeing what these two can do on a bigger stage because it was clear that both men were holding back.
The only other highlight for me was Becky Lynch’s promo. A very nice promo that set the tone for the build to Lynch/Rousey at Survivor Series. I am a bit worried about Rousey. She’s still weak on the promo side and Lynch will easily run circles around her on the mic. This could damage Rousey’s popularity if the company continues to try and push Lynch as a heel.
Brian Farrell
AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan. Fantastic match, it was a great length, and the two stars gave it their all. One of the better SmackDown matches in a while, and it felt meaningful. This was a good way to write off Daniel without making him look too weak. This match elevated both stars, and was very entertaining to watch.
Steven Lugo
Becky Lynch’s in-ring promo. “Ronda Rousey, you call yourself the baddest woman on the planet. But–what planet?”
I don’t think Lynch was lying. She really does feel like the hottest, if not the biggest, star in WWE right now. I love that she calls herself ‘the Man’.
Following her amazing match with Charlotte Flair on Sunday’s Evolution, Becky launched the first salvo at Ronda for their upcoming match at Survivor Series. It should be awesome. But I have to tell you, Becky versus Ronda doesn’t strike me as a Survivor Series match. Seems more like WrestleMania territory.
What was the worst part of last night’s episode?
Nate Craver
Can I pick two things? While the Trick-or-Street fight was pretty terrible, I’m going with the schilling of the Crown Jewel show. Did you know it was this Friday at noon? Did you know there was a World Cup tournament to determine the best in the world?
If not, Tom Phillips will tell you over and over and over again. Tom also repeated that Survivor Series is “the one night a year that SmackDown and Raw superstars compete head to head”. I guess the fact that Shane McMahon is going to fire one of the SmackDown entrants in the BITW Tournament if they lose to a Raw competitor doesn’t count because it’s at noon.
A rivalry will be renewed when #WWEChampion @AJStylesOrg defends his #WWEChampionship against @SamoaJoe at #WWECrownJewel! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/clT52YEFW2
— WWE (@WWE) October 31, 2018
Jeffrey Bowie Jr
Where do I begin? Shane’s an a**hole. Nakamura is still doing nothing. We got a worthless holiday gimmick match. I could care less about the World Cup tournament, and Samoa Joe being the new SmackDown #1 contender doesn’t excite me.
Joe needs to win Friday. The problem is, I just don’t see Styles dropping the title at Crown Jewel, which is very damaging for Joe. Just like Nakamura, I would no longer be able to see Joe as a main event threat.
The World Cup tournament is a shining example of the company at its worst. WWE creative continues to believe that competitors having multiple matches with one another equals a build or rivalry. This is far from the truth. What’s the stakes of the tournament? Why should I care that X and Y want to win this competition? Shane looks bad by threatening to fire the competitor who loses a meaningless tournament. This was a heel move that Stephanie McMahon or Baron Corbin would pull and yet, there was basically no reaction from the announcers over the d*** move Shane O’ Mac pulled.
As for Nakamura, I continue to be baffled at how forgettable his United States title reign is. WWE could’ve taken a risk and had a New Day member (Xavier Woods preferably) feud with Nakamura for the title a bit. Hell, where is SANitY? Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows aren’t doing anything either. It’s not necessary to break any of these teams up but each man on either team has proven to shine in singles competition. To think, Nakamura had a hot beginning in 2018 with being the Royal Rumble winner. Did you forget? I don’t blame you if you did.
Brian Farrell
Before the great match, there was a not-so-great promo from Styles and Brian. This was the same dull, repeated promo we have seen many times before, especially when two faces are involved. This promo was lackluster, and I felt like it lacked any real emotion.
Steven Lugo
Nakamura versus R-Truth. I remember the days of Shinsuke, a man with unmatched charisma, tearing the NXT houses down with the likes of Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, and Bobby Roode. He was the ‘King of Strong Style’.
But since then it’s almost like WWE have gone out of their way to take the steam out of him. Low-blowing opponents to the point of silliness? Drawing all the attention they can to his accent and broken English? What’s the point?
Nothing against R-Truth and Carmella (although it’s still weird to me that she becomes a babyface at the snap of your fingers) but this match just felt like filler. Or like a dance break, even.
How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: SmackDamn, Smacktastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, Ellsworthy and A Smack in the Face)
Nate Craver
I’m giving this one a Smack Bang in the Middle. The first thirty minutes of the show being AJ vs. Bryan definitely helped raised the bar. Nakamura and R-Truth had a match. Becky cut a good promo. The New Day and The Bar was bad. The main event didn’t make sense.
It’s so important to Shane McMahon that a SmackDown star wins. “Let’s see. I guess what I’ll do is book them in a match to do damage to each other three nights prior. Go beat each other up so you’ll be in bad shape come Friday. Hmm… what’s happening Friday again? That’s right, there’s a seven match tournament at the global event, Crown Jewel, to determine the best in the world. Whooohooo!”
Good news for me is without Bryan vs. AJ, I don’t really feel the need to watch.
Jeffrey Bowie Jr
Honestly, Ellsworthy. This is only due to the very good Styles / Bryan match and the Becky Lynch promo. This was the go-home show for Crown Jewel and nothing on this show convinced me to watch the glorified house show this Friday.
Styles/Joe will face off once again, the World Cup tournament continues to exist for “reasons”, New Day and Cesaro, Sheamus and Big Show was a joke disguised as the final build, and everything else felt like filler.
Brian Farrell
SmackTastic. Besides the first promo, I enjoyed everything on this week’s SmackDown. Trick-or-Street fight was fun, Becky was good as always, R-Truth vs Shinsuke wasn’t bad, the main event was solid and AJ and Bryan was amazing. A great show that quelled any doubts after last week’s not so impressive showing.
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Steven Lugo
Ellsworthy. It’s hard to love the go-home show for Crown Jewel, which, even though WWE has done everything they can to disguise this fact, is coming to you from Saudi Arabia.
I feel for the Saudi wrestling fans, but Crown Jewel isn’t exactly a ‘for the people, by the people’ event. It’s a now highly-uncomfortable government-sponsored show, where female wrestlers are banned and journalists who question the government live under threat of murder.
Throw in things like Big Show looking like he trudged through a pumpkin patch (okay, on second thought, the Trick-or-Street fight did make me laugh, but still) it just wasn’t my favorite night ever. And I usually love Halloween.
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