After all the controversy, why the jewel of the WWE has been a bust | Bleacher's report

It might be best if WWE fans claim that Crown Jewel has been canceled.

The event unfolded as planned in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the undemanding fans who participated in the event were probably surprised – and not in the good sense of the word.

Where to even start? How about the top, with Hulk Hogan returning to WWE after being banned for several years. He had not joined the company since 2015 after making racist remarks, although this summer he was reinstated in the WWE Hall of Fame.

"Why not?" seemed to be the flavor of the day. With so much negative attention on the pay-per-view, why not get the long-awaited return of Hogan? Not that Hogan did a lot. He went out, did a quick promo and left, which was something for which he had to at least be thankful.

And as far as the World Cup tournament is concerned, well, the final only had two Cleveland boys in the ring and both were losers.

No, it's not a joke to shop around online. Dolph Ziggler and The Miz were in the final. The latter suffered an "injury", so SmackDown Live's curator, Shane McMahon, got inserted into the match and won. He won. Not really:

So for those who keep track, Shane McMahon now has the status of "Best in the World". A non-wrestler in jeans won the World Cup, marking the strange end of a tournament supposed to find the best wrestler in the WWE.

What matters most about this one is the number of directions he could have taken to tell a meaningful story. Maybe The Miz comes back and finds a way to help get Shane fired. Maybe Shane calls an unexpected name at the back. Heck, maybe Shane makes a quick decision and brings out Drew McIntyre. We all know that the split with Ziggler is imminent. We all know that he gets a universal boost.

Instead of nothing. WWE will try to use it to build the Survivor series. Of course, but it's something better reserved for Raw and SmackDown and completely useless – for starters, look at how much the hype of the Ronda Rousey-Becky Lynch match is already without shenanigans that ruin it for d & # 39; other talents.

And hiding behind "This is a house show" does not work either. This is not it. This was the focus of both weekly shows for weeks. This is a great money-making event abroad that is broadcast live on the WWE network.

Like the crash of Braun Strowman.

Perhaps the disappearance of Strowman at the hands of Brock Lesnar and the failure of his long awaited coronation as a universal champion was not the worst part of the event. But it was downright ridiculous in his execution.

In order to pull out all the strategy of keeping the dungeon that seems strong in case of loss, Strowman was hit in the back of the head with the belt by the gross general manager Baron Corbin. The match started, Strowman took three F5s, another kicked him out of the ring, he went in, kicked and took another F5 for the loss.

Ridiculous. This guy was hit by a car. He was thrown into a garbage compactor. He dropped the scenery himself. But this title at the back of the head was too much. He could not recover enough time to be offended by a Lesnar who obviously weighed 20 or 30 pounds less than his most recent appearance in a match that was supposed to record at best about 10 minutes.

Like Shane's stupid winner, it's not exciting. If Strowman is the best player while Roman Reigns is absent, he does not work as a pursuer. And with the way the WWE missed Reigns' triumph over Lesnar, not shooting at the right time, it does not seem to be any better.

And the fact that Lesnar needed the help of someone like Corbin in the first place does not really make him look great. A monster like Strowman chasing a beast like Lesnar just does not work.

And hey, a rematch between A.J. Styles and Lesnar, it's great! But go understand. WWE places the first title on a part-time talent, then makes its next game a match – wait for it – without a title. And maybe do not go into that one while waiting for another instant classic, as it will run even closer to Lesnar's next fight in the UFC, which will means that it will not do anything too risky. Expect some kind of outside interference so that Styles regains its victory. Yuck.

Do not think we have forgotten the main event.

Four part-time employees, aged 206 in total, entered the ring and threw away what could have been a fun nostalgia match without black rust and father's time.

It does not even need a flowery language or a great explanation. Kane's mask and wig fell down. Michaels hid his face against the ground. Triple H ripped his pec and could not play half of the match correctly (too bad for a match with Batista soon). Kane, surprisingly, seemed lost and was taking what could be the worst Pedigree ever to finish the match.

Congratulations to Triple H for enduring the match with an injury. And Michaels looked at best. It would probably make an interesting match against someone like Seth Rollins because they could carry him away now that he ruined the perfect retirement, but the mind can not help but return to the failed backflip on the floor outside the ring.

It was an appropriate end for a pay-per-view if there was one. Everyone involved in the main event had the heart and did what they could, which is wonderful, but that does not mean it should have happened.

In one way or another, WWE has managed to stage a miserable show with one of the best alignments that it has ever had, while battling the constraints of nostalgia. Give the show a big "no thanks" like John Cena and Daniel Bryan did it, This is not something that all alignment wrestlers can afford to do. But they look like geniuses to bend the lever they hold.

After all the drama around the show, the guy with a song that sings "here's the money comes" won the title of "best in the world" at an event that was almost canceled but that did not not done because it would hurt the end result. And because of this net result, part-time talent, a formerly outcast talent, and a long-time retired talent have all made appearances.

The WWE leaves the situation worse in Saudi Arabia in more ways than one. His upper belt is back on a part time. A key part-time talent ready to continue is on the board with an injury. A supposed World Cup has sacrificed the SmackDown lineup for a silly Survivor Series plot that will take a back seat to improving matches on an already stacked card. And the champion of this blue brand, Styles, has no serious competition.

Most people thought that the state would tear Crown Jewel in terms of quality. But Friday 's event did more harm than expected and fans will not forget it, as the WWE is trying to extricate itself from self – inflicted injuries.