9 Match Star Ratings For WWE Crown Jewel 2019

2. Team Hogan Vs. Team Flair

Roman Reigns Hulk Hogan
WWE.com

Ricochet somehow conspired to wear lamer gear than Shorty G. He is, at this rate, mere days away from wearing the mythical cape.

That is a minor, meaningless and completely subjective complaint over a match format at which WWE excels: an all-action multi-man spot-fest within which certain individual storylines were advanced. The big showdown between Bobby 'Big C*ck' Lashley and Sex-Crackers Rusev was built towards well, amid a non-stop series of sequences structured and agented with a keen grasp of pacing.

Shorty G is so good that he motivated Shinsuke Nakamura into becoming something resembling the King of Strong Style; Ricochet and Ali bumped all over the place - at the right time - to put over the frenetic, unpredictable drama of the finish; that finish was mapped out to near-perfection.

That finish was quietly inspired, too; really, Roman Reigns could have pinned anybody to secure the expected, feel-good babyface win, but WWE deliberately chose Randy Orton to eat the Spear.

Reigns needed a scalp to go some way towards recovering his old, superstar aura, and Orton, teflon, was the perfect choice.

Star Rating: ★★★¾

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!