10 Venues Better Suited To Be Host For Future WWE Crown Jewels And Super Showdowns
Take me down to the [insert new city], where diplomatic relations aren't quite so [REDACTED].
On Thursday, October 21, WWE presented Crown Jewel, their sixth pay-per-view from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since entering an extended contract that began with The Greatest Royal Rumble in May 2018. While this year's edition vastly outperformed its predecessors and previous match cards have looked promising, it appears that a permanent dark cloud of karmic retribution still hangs over them.
Without discussing the myriad controversies surrounding the host nation, they're reliably the worst shows of the year. In just three years, Super Showdown and Crown Jewel have played host to:
-Shawn Michaels ending an eight year retirement for a depressing finale
-Pointless gauntlet matches
-Brock Lesnar winning a cage match by losing and destroying the credibility of two future stars...and Cain Velazquez
-Tyson Fury
-Goldberg nearly ending Undertaker's career before vaporizing Bray Wyatt's credibility the next year
-Shane McMahon: Best Wrestler In The World
To the roster's immense credit, this particular event over-delivered in spite of the circumstances surrounding the show. In fact on paper, most would likely put Crown Jewel in the discussion for show of the year were it not for the venue hosting.
With the full understanding that Vince McMahon is likely not backing out of this contract until it has been fulfilled (if then) and that Crown Jewel, Super Showdown and any other Saudi shows WWE plans on running aren't moving to another city until at least 2028, there's no harm in examining and entertaining some less polarizing venues to head to when and if the contract expires.
10. Hampden Park-Glasgow, Scotland
Capacity: 51,866
During his initial run with WWE, Drew McIntyre utilized a theme song that many fans would love to see placed back in rotation entitled "Broken Dreams". Nowhere would that song have been more appropriate than in the build to and aftermath of WrestleMania 36. Fans rightfully lamented as Drew's crowning achievement and two subsequent WWE Championship reigns playing out behind closed doors to an audience of zero people. Thankfully, there is a golden opportunity to remedy this now.
18 months removed from The Performance Center, WWE is finally back on the road and The Scottish Warrior has seemingly punched his ticket to SmackDown to chase The Tribal Chief. While the two will undoubtedly cross paths in the months, and perhaps even weeks to come, the long-term goal remains uncertain. If in fact the plan is ultimately for McIntyre to dethrone Universal Champion Roman Reigns, one couldn't ask for a more perfect stage to deliver Drew's moment in the sun to a public forum than a Super Showdown in front of a boisterous, die-hard Glaswegian crowd whose record attendance at Hampden Park once nearly TRIPLED their official capacity.