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Welcome to PWInsider.com’s coverage of WWE’s Crown Jewel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Your host is Joe Tessitore and he is joined by Big E and Peter Rosenberg.
They run through the card for today’s show.
We go to Cathy Kelley with Sami Zayn.
She asks about winning the title in Riyadh. He says there is nothing like the first time. He says it was exhilerating. He was happy that it happened in Riyadh because people were not completely behind him in the US. The second time, he proved it wasn’t a fluke. A title win doesn’t happen by accident. He says he feels like a made man twice for beating Cody Rhodes and CM Punk for the title.
Cathy asks about what he learned from Roman.
Sami says it was transformative. Roman would say it did nothing for him, but it worked for everyone. You have to take lessons from it. There were ups and downs. Sami says he wouldn’t be champion if he wssn’t in the Bloodline. Being a smart man to understand what he needed to do meant something.
Cathy talks about Roman’s comments about the titles.
Sami says Roman has a tendency to minimize what anyone else is doing. Roman can say the man makes the championship. Sami says bulls(***. This is the title that Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan held. He will not let Roman, the fans, or anyone minimize what this title means.
Cathy asks what does he need to do to win.
Sami says he only knows one style. He says he thinks he can beat Roman.
We take a look at the tag title match.
We take a look at the Women’s Crown Jewel Match.
We see the announcement by Rey Mysterio of the Team USA versus Team Mexico Survivor Series Match.
Joe mentions that Rey will be part of Team Mexico.
We take a look at the Last Man Standing Match.
Cody says, no pun intended, it is because of legacy. Randy is looking for number fifteen and Cody says he is looking for number four. Some might think it is superficial to say it is about the title, but that is not the case if you are familiar with this. He says he heard Randy say everything about his family. Randy thinks that Cody is hesitant. He says he does not think that Randy is telling the truth. There is something good inside Randy. He says he would love to get on the other side of this and that they can put this behind them. They might never be friends again. This is about the last man standing. Cody says he is at a disadvantage because he has never been in one of these matches.
We return to the tag title match.
Corey Graves talked to Chelsea Green.
Corey asks Chelsea to talk about winning the title. She says it was thirteen years in the making. She says she has been through so many ups and downs over her career. It went in slow motion when she climbed that ladder. Knowing what this moment felt for all of them, she cannot put it into words.
Corey asks about her friends and family and how it has helped her. Chelsea says she used to wrestle in front of twenty people and most were her family and they treated it like Wrestlemania. She talks about her support system.
Corey asks about Liv’s comments. Chelsea says she feels the way that Liv feels about her. She feels like the underdog. What happens if Liv beats the underdog? Nothing. What does it mean if Chelsea beats the greatest champion?
Corey asks about differences between her and Liv. Chelsea says she is in the position that Liv used to be. She does not mind that Liv underestimates her.
Corey asks if she expected to be in this moment. Chelsea says she wanted this for so long. She says he tries to be grateful for what she has achieved and to enjoy the poment. She needs to prove that she belongs.
The panel talks about the Men’s Crown Jewel Match.
CM Punk joins the panel.
Joe asks about his match with Kevin. Punk says he got beaten by a human ham sandwich who had his hand wrapped in a chain. Punk says he isn’t going to complain but he wants a rematch.
Big E asks if it helps him that his opponent usually despises him. Punk says it is irregular to agree with a minority that thinks that his opponents despise him. There is a lot of ex-girlfriend vibes. There is a lot of ego and jealousy.
Peter asks if he has more respect for one champion over the other. Punk says no because they both take short cuts. He hasn’t gotten his rematches. He won’t chase people who run from him. He is not waiting for Roman to come to work. He has taken some side quests. He did NXT and AAA. He wants to stay sharp. He says he isn’t running from challenges like Roman or Sami.
Jackie Redmond talked to Randy Orton.
She asks if he is surprised by Cody’s behavior. Randy says he has tried to do this for years. We are looking at the most dangerous version of Cody. He kicked Baron Corbin in the head and he has not been seen. He will not fall victim to Cody on Saturday. Randy says he is the last man standing of his OVW class. He is the last man standing from Evolution. He has been in a Last Man Standing match before while Cody has never been in one before.
She asks if Cody can go to the dark places that Randy can. Randy says Cody respects him too much to kick his head off his shoulders. Randy is the older brother. He will do the same thing he did at Wrestlemania and go on to being a fifteen time champion.
She asks what will it take to keep Cody down. Randy says he has to kick Cody harder. Maybe he didn’t want to go to that dark place at Wrestlemania and he held back. He will give Cody 100 percent of his foot in Cody’s face. Randy says he is done playing games.
Your announcers are Michael Cole and Corey Graves.
Match Number One: Last Man Standing Match: Randy Orton versus Cody Rhodes
Cody and Randy exchange punches. Randy with kicks but Cody sends Randy into the turnbuckles and he punches Randy. Randy with a kick and forearm followed by kicks in the corner. Randy chokes Cody in the corner and then he goes for a shoulder in the corner but Cody moves and Randy goes into the ring post. The referee makes his first count of the match and Randy falls to the floor to stop the count. Cody with a suicide dive that sends Randy into the ringside barrier. Cody with punches and Randy avoids being sent into the ring steps. Randy sends Cody into the steps. Randy with a back drop driver onto the announce table. Randy with a second one.
Matches Announced for Crown Jewel:
Men’s Crown Jewel Championship Match: Roman Reigns versus Sami Zayn
Women’s Crown Jewel Championship Match: Liv Morgan versus Chelsea Green
World Tag Team Championship Match: The Vision versus Penta and Je’Von Evans
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