WWE Crown Jewel 2018: Live stream, start time, match card

A look at the full match card, start time and live stream information for the inaugural edition of WWE Crown Jewel.

Despite plenty of controversy surrounding this event, WWE Crown Jewel will go on as planned this Friday at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There had been plenty of speculation that WWE would pull out of this event following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but it was decided last week that things would move forward as scheduled. This is the second event in Saudi Arabia this year as part of a 10-year agreement with the Saudi General Sports Authority. The Greatest Royal Rumble was held in Jeddah back in April.

It’s not yet known what the final card will end up being, mainly due to the inclusion of the WWE World Cup, an eight-man King of the Ring-style tournament in which all the matches will take place during the show. We’ll get to more of that in a few minutes. Three titles will also be decided at Crown Jewel with the WWE Universal Championship, WWE Championship and the SmackDown Tag Team titles on the line.

One of the biggest storylines at WWE Crown Jewel is undoubtedly the in-ring return of Shawn Michaels, who reunites with Triple H to take on The Undertaker and Kane. While these individuals have obviously faced off in singles matches countless times over the years, this is the first time that DX will officially square off with The Brothers of Destruction.

With the event taking place in Saudi Arabia, the obvious time difference must be noted here. Riyadh is seven hours ahead of the Eastern time zone and 10 ahead of those out west, so be sure to plan accordingly.

Here’s everything you need to know about WWE Crown Jewel.

Event info

Event: WWE Crown Jewel
Date: Friday, Nov. 2
Venue: King Saud University Stadium — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Start time: Noon Eastern/9:00 a.m. Pacific (kickoff show one hour prior)
Live stream: WWE Network

Here’s a look at the match card for WWE Crown Jewel.

WWE Crown Jewel match card

SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar vs. The New Day

It’s The Bar vs. The New Day yet again but now The Big Show is involved. Why not? Seriously though, these teams have put on some fantastic matches in the past and likely will again, even if the ending will get a little screwy.

WWE World Cup

The first-round matchups were released on Monday with a RAW side and a SmackDown side and are as follows:

• Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley (replacing John Cena)
• Dolph Ziggler vs. Kurt Angle
• The Miz vs. Jeff Hardy
• Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio

This tournament has some potential if it’s done correctly. Dean Ambrose is sure to show up to get involved with Seth Rollins, who likely makes it to the finals to face Rey Mysterio.

Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker & Kane

Nostalgia City, b**ch. For the first time in eight and a half years, Shawn Michaels will compete in a WWE ring alongside Triple H to take on The Undertaker and Kane. So much history with these four guys. I wonder why Katie Vick hasn’t come up in the promos yet.

WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

With Daniel Bryan refusing to travel to Saudi Arabia, he got his shot at AJ Styles’ WWE Championship at SmackDown Live on Tuesday and was forced to tap out of what was a great encounter. Following the match, Samoa Joe hit the ring and attacked both men and was handed a title opportunity by Styles himself. We know the history here. Should be solid, and what a backup plan to have in your pocket.

Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar for the vacant WWE Universal Championship

This was obviously supposed to be a Triple Threat also featuring Roman Reigns, which would have been amazing, but due to his shocking announcement last week, this is now a one-on-one battle between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman. This is going to be very physical. WWE wouldn’t put the title back on Brock, would they? Look for Drew McIntyre to get involved somewhere in here.

There’s also a rumored match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship between champion Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali coming but at the time of this writing, that has not been confirmed.

Which match are you most looking forward to at WWE Crown Jewel? Will you even be watching the event? Please feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below.