To the chagrin of many, WWE returned for its second trip to Saudi Arabia for the Crown Jewel event.
We ended up with a card that featured too many matches highlighted by unique booking in the last three matches of the show.
Here are match grades and a recap courtesy of SN's Steven Muehlhausen.
MORE: Full WWE Crown Jewel results, recap and more
WWE Crown Jewel Kickoff Show grades
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev
Muehlhausen: A last-second match added to the show for the United States championship. Building a program between the two would have helped keep Rusev's momentum as a babyface and allow Nakamura to grow more as a heel.
The match was OK, nothing too special. Rusev and Nakamura deserve better than to be wrestling for the U.S. title on the pre-show.
I did like the creative ending when Rusev had Nakamura in the Accolade and the former IWGP heavyweight champion broke out of the hold by "accidentally" head-butting Rusev in the lower region and then proceeded to hit the Kinshasa for the pinfall win to retain the U.S. title.
Grade: C
What's next: Nakamura heads to Survivor Series to face Intercontinental champion Seth Rollins in what should be an outstanding matchup.
WWE Crown Jewel main card grades
Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton
Muehlhausen: This was a first-round match in the World Cup between the former rivals. On a night where two guys are going to have three matches, expect the matchups in the first two rounds to be quick.
Mysterio and Orton broke out all the goodies in a short amount of time, much to the delight of the crowd. Orton went for the RKO and Mysterio reversed it into a pinning combination for the one-two-three to advance to the semifinals. After the match, Orton attacked Mysterio and hit an RKO. He then threw him outside the ring and sent him face first to the announce desk.
Nice match considering how short it was. The post-match angle gives some intrigue: Will Mysterio be able to wrestle in the semifinals, and if he does, in what kind of shape will he be?
Grade: C
Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz
Muehlhausen: Another first-round matchup in the World Cup. Miz is a great heel, but starting with a headlock was an eyesore. The crowd was really into it. Hardy is so flawless in the ring, but he needs to stop using the Whisper in the Wind, as he never connects with the move and grazes his opponent with a foot.
I was a fan of the finishing sequence as Miz tried for a pin with his foot on the ropes, but the referee saw it. Hardy tried for a cradle of his own, but Miz kicked out. Hardy tried for a Twist of Fate, but Miz reversed it into a Skull Crushing Finale for the pin to advance to the semifinals against Mysterio.
I'm shocked that Miz went over clean. He should have had to cheat to win in a tournament setting. It ultimately makes Hardy look weak.
Grade: C-minus
Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley
Muehlhausen: The first match on the "Raw" side of the World Cup. I've enjoyed seeing this side of Lashley. The utilization of power moves, a mean streak and the no-nonsense attitude are something he desperately needed to build upon. The addition of Lio Rush as his personal hype man has added something to the character.
Lashely dominated until he went for a spear into the corner turnbuckle and missed. Rollins hit the Curb Stomp for the pin to advance to the semifinals against the winner of the Kurt Angle-Dolph Ziggler bout.
Let's hope this is a sign of good things to come for Lashley.
Grade: C
Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler
Muehlhausen: Surprised to see not much fanfare about Angle making his return for the first singles match since he returned to WWE last year.
What we got was the best match of the tournament so far. There was some good technical wrestling and we had the opportunity to see the signature Angle spots: the three consecutive German suplexes, the Angle Slam and the Angle Lock. I don't understand why Angle had Ziggler in the Angle Lock for so long. It made it too obvious that Ziggler would win the match, and that's exactly what happened after he broke out of the hold and connected with the Zig-Zag.
As good as the match was, it was still very hard to watch. Angle is immobile and Ziggler did the best he could to carry the match. I don't get the point of having Angle come all the way to Saudi Arabia to have him lose in the first round. I've seen enough of Ziggler and Rollins matches in the last three months.
Grade: C-plus
The Bar vs. The New Day
Muehlhausen: Not the best match between the premier tag teams in WWE, but fun nonetheless. We saw the usual spots and a unique one when Big E had Sheamus in a powerbomb position and Kofi Kingston did a double foot stomp that drove the Irish superstar to the mat.
The end came when Big Show came on the apron to distract the referee, who avoided a Brogue Kick by Sheamus. Big Show hit Big E with the knockout punch and Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick for The Bar to retain the tag team titles.
I'm still trying to figure out why Big Show is with Sheamus and Cesaro. He doesn't add anything to the team in the slightest bit. Let's hope a new team emerges. You can only go with New Day and The Usos for so long without the division getting stale.
Grade: C
Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz
Muehlhausen: A good, interesting match that took a few minutes to get going saw Miz surprisingly advance to the finals.
You have to give Mysterio credit for being in such good shape at 43 and not missing a beat. While Miz will never be mistaken for Ric Flair, the way he moves and how executes his skill set is starting to grow on me.
Mysterio appeared to have the match in hand after the 619 and going to the top rope for the customary splash, but Miz brought the knees up and pinned Mysterio.
Not a great match, but it was good for what it was until the weak finish. Could have come up with something better.
Grade: C
Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler
Muehlhausen: Best match of the show at this point. Rollins and Ziggler have great chemistry inside the ring as they tell good stories.
I liked the use of McIntyre in having him not hit Rollins early on, even though Rollins tried his hardest to get him to do so in order to get his partner disqualified. Rollins did well in selling the neck and having that be the central focus coming off the match with Lashley. Ziggler used headlocks and DDTs while Rollins couldn't even do his patented buckle bomb to really hammer the neck. We saw a series of cool pinning combinations with Rollins and Ziggler reversing different cradles to near falls.
The end came when Rollins hit McIntrye outside the ring and proceeded to go to the top rope. Ziggler attempted to go up and Rollins pushed him off. Ziggler feigned an ankle injury to allow McIntrye to push Rollins off. Ziggler took advantage and gained the pinfall to advance to the finals.
Not their best match, but still a good match. Shocked to see two heels being paired up in the finals. Really expected to see Rollins vs. Mysterio.
Grade: B-
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
Muehlhausen: Regardless of how great Styles and Joe are inside the ring together, it was difficult to get up for a match already knowing the result since Daniel Bryan had been slotted in this position.
The crowd took a bit away from it halfway through as it was enamored with something going on in the stands. Nevertheless, Styles was the most over WWE Superstar on the show thus far.
Unfortunately, the finish was a foregone conclusion. Even when Joe locked in the Coquinta clutch, it didn't feel like he would get Styles to tap out. Styles reversed the hold into the calf crusher but Joe got to the ropes. Moments later, Styles landed the Phenomenal Forearm for the victory to retain the WWE championship.
I know it sounds like I'm bagging the match, but the match was good, the best on the show thus far.
Grade: B
What's next: The way the theme is going for Survivor Series — champion vs. champion matches — Styles will face the Universal champion there.
Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman
Muehlhausen: A pure squash and an unexpected one.
The match didn't even begin when acting general manager Baron Corbin hit Strowman with the belt to allow Lesnar to hit the F5, but "The Monster Among Men" kicked out. Lesnar hit two more F5's and one to the outside, but Strowman somehow survived.
It had the makings of Strowman winning his first Universal title when he landed a boot; however, Lesnar hit one more F5 for the three-count to become the first two-time Universal champion.
A lot of people aren't going to be happy with the decision, but it makes the most sense.
No one knows how long Roman Reigns is going to be out after he revealed almost two weeks ago that his leukemia has resurfaced. Lesnar is WWE's biggest attraction and the guy he puts over needs to be the one who's going to lead the company.
Grade: D
What's next: Lesnar will be facing WWE champion AJ Styles at Survivor Series. If it's anything like we saw when they squared off last year at the event, then it should be a classic.
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler
Muehlhausen: McIntyre was immediately sent to the back by the referee. Before the match even began, Miz appeared to hurt his ankle. The referee was going to have the ring announcer declare Ziggler the winner by forfeit, but Smackdown GM Shane McMahon inserted himself into the match.
McMahon hit a nice DDT and Ziggler sold the catapult like a million bucks. McMahon hit the coast-to-coast dropkick to win the World Cup.
McMahon mocked winning the whole thing. You can see that it was with the absurd celebration. As soon as Rollins and Mysterio lost, it became clear that something was up, and not in a good way. What a waste of time. This seemed like a cruel joke being played on everyone, and that's a shame. The concept had the potential to be fun, but in typical WWE fashion, the company made a mockery of it.
Grade: F
What's next: Have to imagine some sort of Survivor Series elimination match featuring McMahon and Corbin.
Shawn Michaels and Triple H vs. The Undertaker and Kane
Muehlhausen: There's nothing wrong in seeing a nostalgia match in a one-on-one setting. Seeing three men in their 50s (Michaels, Undertaker and Kane) and one who is 49 (Triple H), all of whom are well beyond their primes, is a tough watch. This was no different.
Triple H, Undertaker and Kane looked old and slow the entire match. Michaels definitely looked like a guy who hadn't wrestled in eight years. He had a few glimpses of the old "HBK," but he was methodical at best.
There were botched spots between Triple H and Kane and then Triple H and The Undertaker on the outside that wouldn't have happened ten years ago. In theory, the moonsault on the outside by Michaels onto Kane and Undertaker would have been good, but it went for naught as it grazed The Brothers of Destruction and hurt Michaels more than anybody as he landed on his head.
Kane and Undertaker went for Tombstone Piledrivers when Michaels gouged Kane's eyes and hit superkicks on Undertaker and Kane. Triple H hit one of the worst Pedigrees of all time on Kane for the win and, thankfully, ended the match.
The match went about 20 minutes too long. There's really no one reason for this match to go nearly 30 minutes when that time could have gone to any of the World Cup matches or the AJ Styles-Samoa Joe match.
Wrestling fans want to remember their favorites in a positive manner. Watching this made it difficult to feel that way. If it wasn't for Michaels carrying the load, this could have been a lot worse than it actually was
Grade: D-minus
What's next: Let's hope retirement for all four guys. Unfortunately, we are likely to see a final match between The Undertaker and Michaels and Triple H to move on and face Batista, based off their recent interaction on "Smackdown 1000."
