The first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia signifies a major cultural shift in terms of the way women are viewed in society in the Middle East. This societal leap matters way more than the result of the match. It also makes perfect sense as to who was featured in the match. Natalya is a well-respected veteran who has helped the women’s division in WWE make massive strides, and Lacey Evans is a former Marine.
WWE probably didn’t have The Fiend win the Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell because they wanted a major title change to take place in Saudi Arabia (likely due to the insane amount of money WWE receives from the Saudi government – it’s a courtesy to have big, interesting things happen at this event).
Tyson Fury looked good in his match with Braun Strowman. That’s to be expected since he has openly stated his desire to get involved in the sports entertainment industry. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Cain Velasquez. He looked almost uncomfortable to a degree in his match with Brock Lesnar.
So, Humberto Carrillo’s great start to his WWE career continued at Crown Jewel with a United States Championship opportunity. At this stage in his career, it’s not that important if he wins; but just to get the opportunity is significant.
AJ Styles will begin to be featured in a more prominent role on Monday Night Raw because he is now the only champion on Monday nights (which suits his gimmick by the way).
Speaking of The OC, Gallows and Anderson are beginning to solidify themselves as a dominant tag team on Raw, as they should be. WWE booked the tag team match perfectly in terms of the final two teams, The Viking Raiders and The OC. It didn’t matter who won between those two teams so much because either one would have been hurt by the loss (The Viking Raiders will surely be booked to gain back their momentum relatively quickly).
Congratulations to the hometown boy Mansoor on beating Cesaro. WWE may have a real gem in this superstar; he is young, at just 24 years old. The company might be wise to explore his potential.
The primary purpose of the 5-on-5 tag team match was to give the Saudi Arabia crown some nostalgia to cheer for because the kingdom of Saudi Arabia always makes it clear that they want some stars from the past to be in a featured role at the events. Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair certainly satisfied in that department.