By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Crown Jewel Perth Hits
John Cena vs. AJ Styles: It turns out that the guy who was criticized for having Five Moves of Doom can pull off a lot of moves. It would be hokey to watch most wrestlers take turns hitting the finishers of other stars, but it sure was fun to watch Cena and Styles do it. Cena has been terrific since he dropped the heel act. With just four dates remaining, here’s hoping that Cena can keep it up and close out his career on a high note. Meanwhile, let’s hope that the creative forces have big plans to send off Styles the right way when he hangs up the boots next year.
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes for the men’s Crown Jewel Championship: The only negative about the Cena vs. Styles match is that they kicked out after taking so many finishing moves that the live crowd seemed numb to 95 percent of the near falls in this match. I like the story that was told with Rollins. The masses couldn’t care less about the gaudy Crown Jewel Championship belts, so they made this about Seth’s obsession with finally beating Cody. It made the outcome feel predictable, but they at least tried to give viewers the hook for the alternative finish, in that Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman would talk out on Rollins if he lost (little did Seth know…). Unfortunately, it looked like Rollins injured his shoulder while performing the coast-to-coast headbutt. Hindsight is 20/20, but the risk of performing that move felt greater than the reward just in terms of how much it added to the match.
Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed in an Australian Street Fight: The brawl was solid, but the finish made this match. I’m not sure how much Reed will get out of beating Reigns with help from Bron Breakker, but it beats the alternative of Reigns getting a win that wouldn’t have done anything for him and would have been damaging to Reed. I’m sure Reigns will eventually win the feud, but even the tainted win over Reigns gave Reed a credibility boost.
Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs. “The Kabuki Warriors” Asuka and Kairi Sane: I would have preferred to see Asuka and Sane cheat to win because they are early in their heel run, though it was not surprising to see Ripley and Sky go over in Rhea’s home country. Hopefully, the heels will get their win back soon to give them a boost and to extend what’s been a strong feud thus far.
WWE Crown Jewel Perth Misses
Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs. WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton for the women’s Crown Jewel Championship: A minor Miss for a brief and forgettable match. This ten-minute match could have used a few more minutes, as the ending felt abrupt and even a little flat. If nothing else, the right person went over, as it would have been foolish to do anything that would risk slowing Vaquer’s momentum.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
All the holier-than-thou self-righteous hypocrites here and elsewhere enjoyed the show in a country that does these things…
Male guardianship system: While some aspects have been reformed, elements of male guardianship persist in law and practice. Women still require a male guardian’s permission for marriage, divorce, and to leave certain institutions like prisons or domestic-abuse shelters. A court can also appoint a mother as a guardian only through a formal process, even if she has primary custody of her child.
Entrenched discrimination in law: Critics, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, argue that the 2022 Personal Status Law codified many traditional and discriminatory rules related to marriage, divorce, and child custody. For instance, a wife can be legally denied financial support for “disobeying” her husband.
Repression of women’s rights activists: The government has targeted and jailed women’s rights activists who campaigned for reforms. Some have been released but remain under travel bans or have received extremely long prison sentences for online posts supporting women’s rights.
Unequal legal standing: Under the current system, women’s testimony may carry less weight in court than a man’s, and men and women do not have equal rights to inheritance.
Enforcement gap: There is a significant gap between reforms on paper and their actual implementation, with male guardians and societal customs still controlling much of a woman’s life.
Domestic violence and abuse: Women fleeing abusive families can be arrested and returned to their male relatives, and the government has not passed comprehensive domestic violence legislation. The controversial government app Absher has been used by men to track and monitor women under their care.
First off, Angry Mike, the show was in Australia. Second, you don’t care about any of this. You are a tribal fanboy who has shown your true colors many times over when it comes to being racist and sexist. So spare us all your pearl-clutching fake outrage bullshit.
lol wtf was this? I’m Australian. Someone forgot to ‘dO tHeIr oWn rEsEarCh’
As for the show… it was fine. I think the smaller venue actually worked much better than Optus stadium for the sound. The asuka chants were…. Interesting to say the least haha.
I’m Australian too, and this nonsense from MJoseph was just that – nonsense.
(I suspect he thinks that was in Saudi Arabia as per all previous Crown Jewel events – watch the product before commenting next time hmm?)
Honestly, I have always loved this site but the pearl clutching and the tribalism for the sake of tribalism and everyone trying to take jabs at the other side and tie everything to politics is getting tiresome. This is nothing aimed at you, Jason. But this has become all too normal every time I read a story or recap on this and other wrestling sites. People need to chill out. Feel however you want to feel politically. There are good people and bad people on both sides. Just don’t be a dick. I come to this site for wrestling news, reviews, and analysis. Not to see petty arguments of people complaining about what country hosts a show, ICE ads on tv, people trashing one company or another blindly, etc. Can we just enjoy wrestling for what it is and the business that it is?
Sadly, it’s not just pro wrestling websites. Pro Football Talk, my favorite football website, got rid of their comment section a while back because it was more trouble than it was worth. I roll my eyes at tribal fans on both sides because they are disingenuous. I think it’s worth calling them out on their tribal BS at times rather than let them spew their nonsense.
When it comes to politics, I’m not going to avoid covering stories such as Hangman Page complaining about ICE ads or Linda McMahon being appointed to a cabinet position. I appreciate what you are saying and the general message of your post, so I don’t mean for this come off as rude in any way, but I suggest avoiding those stories or at least the comment section for those particular stories. I’ll try to make sure that the headlines indicate when a story is political. When it comes to the staff, I’m not going to stop them from expressing themselves if it’s important to them and within reason.
I really want this to section to be a fun place to talk about wrestling and a place where the staff and I can get some honest feedback. I don’t mind political disagreements if they are thoughtful and not insulting. If it’s going to be a cesspool of negativity, then I’ll eventually throw in the towel and follow PFT’s lead. I wish system I use for this and all social media required users to use their real name. Most people would treat each other better, and at least we’d know who the assholes are. Anyway, I know you wrote that it wasn’t aimed at me, but I still wanted to explain where I’m coming from on a few of the things you brought up. Thanks for reading.
Oh no, Jason. That wasn’t aimed at you. Of course you should cover those stories. My issue is with the fans who prowl sites like this waiting for stories like that so they can pounce with their nonsense. Again, love the site. I was more bitching about dans who feel the need to just make everything about their politics. You shouldn’t be bashed for posting a story about a wrestler complaining about ICE ads or someone like Linda McMahon being appointed to the cabinet. Again, It’s the fans looking to pounce for no other reason than to make an issue out of it.
And I just realized you said it wasn’t aimed at you and the first thing I said in the reply was that it wasn’t aimed at you. Glad you understand what I’m saying.
Yo MJ. Consider switching to decaf
Yeah, na , yeah, g’day mate! Having relatives down under, none of your shit flies. Plus us brits put you down there for the same reason we left Powells America. We can’t be doing with bs like this.
Mate. If it wasn’t for the stupid heat and the stupid animals and the stupid animals, and I was promised that Harold and Lou from neighbours would be the bosses, I’d get my uk ass down to Ramsay street or even summer bay you flaming mongrel!
Because no judge would ever enforce that bullshit.no Sheila would take that mate!
Dude, this was like 60 years ago. Get over yourself you wannabe bushwhacker