7 Early DISASTERS From WWE In Saudi Arabia
6. The Match Cannot Be Stopped (Crown Jewel, 2019)
When you have to bill a match as not being stopped for any reason, it’s either due to a detailed booking strategy to reach that point, or it’s a knee-jerk reaction to fan backlash to assure them that you won’t pull a bait-and-switch again. Unfortunately for WWE, the Falls Count Anywhere Universal Championship match at Crown Jewel 2019 was the latter.
At Hell in a Cell earlier in the month, Seth Rollins defended his title against The Fiend in a universally-panned Cell match that saw the champion use a toolbox and then a sledgehammer to batter his opponent, which led to the referee calling for the bell and ending a match that wasn’t supposed to end without a clear winner. The crowd, critics and fans in general derided that finish, prompting the stipulation for Crown Jewel.
During their rematch – which was bathed in a red light that made it difficult to follow the “action” – Rollins repeatedly stomped The Fiend and kicked him into electrical equipment, kicking off an explosion that blinded Seth. However, The Fiend rose from the dead to squash Rollins and capture the Universal Championship and end this dull, plodding match. Even the performative Saudi fans couldn’t muster the kind of reaction that WWE had hoped to receive.