source: WWE
The historic Greatest Royal Rumble special event emanates from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the first time!
source: WWE
John Cena vs. Triple H
Winner: John Cena
Highlights:
Cena and Triple H engage in a test of strength and Triple H kicks Cena
Triple H goes for the pedigree, but Cena counters and picks him up for an AA, but H escapes
Triple H taunts Cena with the “suck it” gesture and hits him with his five knuckle shuffle
Cena jumps off the top rope and Triple H catches him in a powerbomb
Triple H gives Cena a spinebuster
Cena delivers a five knuckle shuffle and anAttitude Adjustment to Triple H
Tiple H counters another AA with a pedigree
John Cena gives Triple H another AA, slingshots him into the corner, and then gives him one more AA, getting the pin
After the match, Cena thanks the fans and Saudi Arabia for having him
Opinion:
This match was a great way to open the show—the crowd was super loud and pumped up for two stars as big as Cena and Triple H.
source: WWE
Cedric Alexander vs. Kalisto
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Winner: Cedric Alexander
Highlights:
Kalisto launches himself over the top rope and bounces off the second rope and flips onto Alexander
Alexander dives over the top rope and onto Kalisto
Cedric nails Kalisto in the face with a dropkick
Kalisto hits Alexander with a swinging DDT
Alexander gives Kalisto a michinoku driver
Kalisto counters a Lumbar Check by whipping Alexander into the corner
Alexander dodges a Salida Del Sol and hits the Lumbar Check for the victory
Opinion:
While I’m glad that the cruiserweights made the main show, I do wish that Cedric Alexander was facing Buddy Murphy or Drew Gulak. It’s possible that WWE wanted to showcase their high-flyers in Saudi Arabia, and if that is the case, it worked.
While Kalisto lacks in charisma, he has proven himself in the ring. He may not be the best for a storyline, but in this match, the story doesn’t seem to matter. Both men looked really good in this match.
source: WWE
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs. The Bar
Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Winners: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Highlights:
Cesaro slams Matt’s head into the ropes when the ref isn’t looking
Sheamus and Cesaro double team Bray Wyatt
Hardy gives Cesaro a Twist of Fate
Sheamus goes for the Brogue Kick but Wyatt counters with the Sister Abigail
Hardy and Wyatt deliver an elevated Twist of Fate to Sheamus
Hardy gets the three count for the win
Opinion:
The outcome of this match seemed a little obvious (Sheamus and Cesaro wouldn’t move back to Raw after going to Smackdown). The Raw Tag Team Championships are exactly what both Bray and Matt need right now, and I hope this means that the titles have opened the door for more of the Woken Universe to be exposed.
source: WWE
Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal
United States Championship Match
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Highlights:
Hardy walks on top of the barricade and jumps on Mahal
Sunil Singh grabs Hardy’s leg, distracting him and allowing Mahal to get an advantage
Mahal goes for a gut buster and Hardy counters with two leg drops
Singh distracts Hardy again, allowing Jinder to set up for the Khallas
Hardy counters the Khallas and hits a Twist of Fate
Jeff Hardy hits the Swanton Bomb and gets the pin
Opinion:
Another obvious outcome, as Hardy wasn’t going to lose so soon and bring another title to Raw (if they already have the IC title). Pushing through several distractions from Jinder’s lackey made Hardy look strong and made the crowd hate Jinder even more.
source: WWE
Bludgeon Brothers vs. the Usos
Smackdown Live Tag Team Championship Match
Winners: Bludgeon Brothers
Highlights:
Bludgeon Brothers tag in and out, double teaming Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso jumps over the top rope and onto Harper before running across the ring and doing the same to Rowan
Jimmy and Jey climb to opposite turnbuckles and go to attack Rowan but are pulled off
Harper floors Jey outside the ring
Bludgeon Brothers double team Jimmy Uso and get the pin
Opinion:
This was a pretty good match. I think it was best for Harper and Rowan to retain in order for them to look more dominant. Jimmy and Jey are awesome in the ring too. Even though they deserve the titles too, I hope this is the end of their feud before it starts to get boring.
source: WWE
Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Winner: Seth Rollins
Highlights:
Rollins gives Balor and Miz suicide dives
Balor dives over the top rope onto the Miz and Rollins only to be taken out by Joe with a ladder
Joe nails Rollins in the face with a ladder
Seth and Finn climb the ladder and fight, but Miz and Joe push the ladder over
Miz tries to align with Joe but Joe slams him onto a ladder
Joe superplexes Rollins and Balor
Balor delivers a Coup De Grace to Miz laying on a ladder
Finn climbs up the ladder but Rollins jumps onto it from the top rope and beats him to the top, grabbing the Intercontinental Championship
Opinion:
I don’t think I have ever seen the title stolen at the last second like that before. This match had four of the best superstars in it, and adding the ladders made it even better. I hope Finn continues to go after the title after it was pretty much taken out of his hands.
source: WWE
Saudi prospects from the WWE trouts confront the Daivaris
Mike Rome introduces four WWE Saudi Arabian prospects, and two of them talk about how having WWE in their home nation and getting an opportunity to be a superstar has been a dream come true for them.
They are interrupted by 205 Live’s Ariya Daivari and his returning brother Shawn, who promote Iran and waving its flag. The four ”trainees” are criticized for their heritage, and one by one, they step up and knock down the Daivari brothers, kicking and pushing them as they show off what they’ve learned so far.
Opinion:
I thought this was a great spot for the Saudi Arabian fans. Each of the four men looked believable with their speaking opportunities and brief in-ring action. They looked like they could hang in NXT, and the fans were happy, too.
source: WWE
AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Championship Match
Winner: N/A (double countout)
Highlights:
Shinsuke knees AJ in the face as his head hangs off the apron
AJ delivers a knee to the back of Shinsuke’s neck and drops him
Nakamura repeatedly gives AJ knees to the jaw and chest
Styles locks in the calf crusher for a minute before Nakamura grabs the bottom rope
Shinsuke props AJ up on the top turnbuckle and knees him in the midsection
Nakamura dodges a Phenomenal Forearm and AJ almost takes out the referee
Shinsuke hits AJ with a low blow
AJ and Shinsuke battle outside the ring and force a double countout
Styles hits Nakamura with a chair
Opinion:
I think while slightly disappointing, a non-finish is the way to go with this match. This rivalry won’t be finished anytime soon, and with a long storyline, it’s important for it to advance slowly and methodically, and it’s not necessary to make a big advancement at the GRR. The match was great, and AJ and Shinsuke never disappoint.
source: WWE
Undertaker vs. Rusev
Casket Match
Winner: Undertaker
Highlights:
Rusev exits the ring when the bell rings, but Undertaker follows after him
Taker walks across the top rope and drops a fist onto Rusev’s neck
Rusev falls on top of the casket and freaks out, rolling off it
Undertaker drives Rusev into the barricade
Taker drops a leg onto Rusev’s throat as he hangs off the apron
Aiden English doesn’t allow Undertaker to close the lid of the casket, but runs away when Taker follows him up the ramp
Rusev catches Taker in the face with a spinning heel kick
Undertaker chokeslams both Rusev and Aiden English
Taker delivers a tombstone piledriver and puts both Rusev and English in the casket and shuts it
Opinion:
Another attraction match, but both Rusev and English made Undertaker look good. Undertaker certainly helped Rusev Day, even though they suffered a defeat. This match was pretty entertaining.
source: WWE
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Highlights:
Brock gives Roman four German suplexes and an F-5
Reigns delivers two superman punches, but Brock counters a spear
Lesnar tries to escape, but Roman catches him
Paul Heyman gives Lesnar a chair, but when he tries to use it he is hit by a spear
Roman spears Brock through the cage, and both man land on the floor outside
Lesnar is ruled the winner since his back hits the ground first, but Reigns feet touch the floor first
Opinion:
Boy, did this ending make me angry. I was confused as to why Brock wins because his back touches the ground, because the rule has always been both feet touching the floor. I really thought that Lesnar was finally going away, so I was mad to learn that the part-timer would keep the Universal Championship at home for the next several months.
source: WWE
Greatest Royal Rumble Match
Winner: Braun Strowman
Highlights:
Mike Kanellis enters the ring and is immediately eliminated by Mark Henry
Surprise entrants: Mark Henry, Hiroki Sumi, Hornswoggle, Tucker Knight, Roderick Strong, Dan Matha, Babatunde, Rey Mysterio
Hornswaggle goes for a tadpole splash, but gets hit by a superkick from Dolph Ziggler
Primo Colon botches a springboard
Kofi escaped elimination by hanging onto Xavier Woods’ back as he hung odd the ring apron
Daniel Bryan and Kurt Angle briefly face off in the center of the ring
Tyler Breeze is almost eliminated by gets caught by Fandango outside the ring, who puts Breeze back in just for him to be eliminated
Titud O’Neil sprints down to the ring and trips, sliding under the ring apron
Several camera angles replay Titus’ fall, and everyone laughs at him
Shane McMahon takes out Kevin Owens and McMahon and Bryan come face to face before double teaming Owens
Braun Strowman shoves Shane off the top rope and through the announce table
Big Cass eliminates Daniel Bryan, who set a record for longest appearance in a Royal Rumble match
Braun eliminates Cass to win the match
Opinion:
While there were probably way too many superstars in this match, it made for a great attraction and a fun thing to watch on a Friday morning. There were a lot of great spots, which cancelled out the “who?” appearances from unknown sumo wrestlers and NXT talent that hasn’t even debuted on NXT yet.
Having Strowman win was a good way to go, and he somehow made that ugly green title look good. Bryan looked amazing for setting a questionable record (personally, I don’t think this should count because this match was significantly longer than normal rumble matches). Titus O’Neil made everyone’s night with his epic slip and slide, and I’m sure it’ll be talked about for weeks, if not months.
Overall, the show was pretty good. It clearly was meant to be a special attraction event, which made it okay to not really advance many storylines or have any title changes.