WWE Crown Jewel 2018: Preview and predictions

WWE Championship Match

AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe filling in for Daniel Bryan? Yeah, I’m good with that. For weeks and weeks, the speculation was running wild that Daniel Bryan did not want to go to Saudi Arabia, which is certainly his right. It was thought to be confirmed and then it wasn’t, and then on Tuesday, it really was finally confirmed that he was going to stay home. So what does WWE do?

Well, I’m certainly pleased that they didn’t go with the option I had heard about, which apparently was perhaps taping a match at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando … yes, a WWE Championship Match featuring AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan was going to be pre-taped at the WWE Performance Center and then shown during the WWE Crown Jewel broadcast on Friday. Wow.

Good thing they went with Plan B. Instead of dragging it out any further, creative just went ahead and had these two square off to begin Tuesday night’s episode of SmackDown Live. Yep, I was good with that as well. As expected, Styles and Bryan put on a great show in front of a hot, pro-AJ Atlanta crowd, and the champ retained by making DB tap out. Wonder if the tapout was a little bit of punishment.

Following the match, the replacement came into play as Samoa Joe rushed the ring and put a beating on both Styles and Bryan. Styles asked Paige for Joe at Crown Jewel, she agreed and here we are.

Prediction: We certainly know that AJ Styles and Samoa Joe can put on a great match and I expect that here. My guess is that the plan was to have AJ retain the title against Bryan, so my guess is that the result would be the same with Joe. Two new champs — obviously the Universal Champion is going to be new — would be a bold move in one night, but it does set up the possibility of Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe at Survivor Series if both could win.