WWE will present the Crown Jewel event later today from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at King Saud University Stadium live on the WWE Network this afternoon.
Advertised for the show is Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman to determine a new WWE Universal Champion and Shawn Michaels returning to the ring for the first time since 2010 when he teams with Triple H against The Undertaker and Kane.
AJ Styles will also defend the WWE Championship against Samoa Joe, while an eight-man WWE World Cup Tournament will be taking place as well.
The event itself had been in question for weeks following the disappearance and death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. WWE announced last Thursday that they would be going forward with the show after facing a “very difficult decision.”
The company has received a tremendous amount of media backlash for continuing to remain associated with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia following the death of the journalist, who was blatantly murdered in Istanbul according to Turkish authorities.
Just announced this week was that newly reinstated Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan would be making an appearance and hosting the show later today. As of early Friday morning, WWE had yet to publicly confirm or advertise Hogan’s involvement with the show.
Here is the card for today’s show beginning at Noon Eastern/11:00 a.m. CT:
Match to crown a new WWE Universal Champion
Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman
WWE Championship
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Triple H and Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker and Kane
Eight-Man WWE World Cup Tournament
Brackets include:
* Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley (Winner faces Angle or Ziggler)
* Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler (Winner faces Rollins or Lashley)
* Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz (Winner faces Mysterio or Orton)
* Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton (Winner faces Hardy or Miz)
Smackdown Tag Team Championships
The Bar (c’s) vs. The New Day
Kickoff Show:
WWE United States Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Rusev
Wrestleview.com will have live coverage of WWE Crown Jewel later today beginning at Noon Eastern/11:00 a.m. CT along with live thoughts on Twitter via @wrestleview.
Join us live on YouTube following Crown Jewel for a new Wrestleview Live!