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WWE Crown Jewel is only a few hours away, and the show is set to be one of WWE's most memorable events. This event will be WWE's most controversial show in recent memory because of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi which caused several people to petition the WWE to cancel the event or at least change the venue. To distract the fans from the negative publicity, the WWE has arranged a number of star-studded matches with the WWE World Cup being one of the most important.
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The tournament has some of the biggest names in the WWE from legends such as Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio to present day stars such as Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler. Despite the tournament being billed as a world cup, several fans including Rusev have a major issue with the fact that all of the stars participating in the tournament are from the US.
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In spite of the criticism, the WWE World Cup promises to be an exciting affair, and in this article, we take a look at who has the most to gain from winning the tournament.
#8. Bobby Lashley
Of everyone in the tournament Bobby Lashley probably has the least to gain from winning the tournament. Before John Cena was pulled from WWE Crown Jewel, Bobby Lashley wasn't even on the match card which indicates that he has a low likelihood of winning the event at all. Apart from that, Bobby is facing off against Seth Rollins who has been booked pretty solid thus far.
Despite his low chances of success, the tournament may be a blessing in disguise for the former MMA fighter. Bobby recently turned heel, and WWE Crown Jewel gives him a perfect stage to showcase a more brutal side of his personality.
However, despite all the god that the tournament can do for his WWE career, Bobby needs to avoid looking like a backup John Cena. He needs to carve out his niche and avoid relying on the nostalgia from his first run with the WWE and at Crown Jewel he may do just that.
#7. Jeff Hardy
The charismatic enigma is another superstar with very little to gain from winning the WWE World Cup. Most WWE fans did not expect Jeff Hardy to be competing in the World Cup as they thought he would be recovering from the effects of his brutal match against Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell.
In his first World Cup Match Jeff Hardy is placed against the Miz who is entering the match with a huge chip on his shoulder. Although the match has the potential to be highly entertaining, Jeff Hardy will most likely be unable to defeat the Miz since the Miz has something to prove after an embarrassing loss to Daniel Bryan.
For Jeff, the best he can hope for in the match is a strong showing that would place him in contention for the US Championship or the tag team titles if he chooses to form a tandem with Rey Mysterio.
#6. Randy Orton
The Viper is another superstar with little to gain from winning the WWE World Cup. Randy has already won every WWE championship that he set his mind to and the WWE World Cup would be nothing more than an affirmation of his legacy. Randy would be better served using the WWE World Cup as an opportunity to put his opponent, Rey Mysterio, over with the fans.
During Rey' previous run with the WWE, he and Randy Orton had some memorable matches, and their match could be the start of a new rivalry. If Randy defies expectations and wins the WWE World Cup, I can see the WWE putting him in a storyline against Triple H and Batista to play off the tension from SmackDown 1000.
If the WWE is unable to convince Batista to appear more frequently on SmackDown, Randy Orton may face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship.
#5. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler is one of the competitors with the lowest probability of winning the WWE World Cup. Despite his low chances of winning the entire tournament, Dolph might advance further than most people expect. One of the reasons why Dolph is poised to do well in the tournament is the presence of the Scottish Psychopath Drew McIntyre.
Since Drew doesn't have a match scheduled for Crown jewel at the time of writing this article it is probable that he would choose to help his teammate win the tournament. Dolph won against Apollo Crews on the final episode of Raw, and he has a lot of momentum heading into the World Cup, but the fact remains that he has almost nothing to gain from the tournament.
If Dolph were to win the tournament, it would place him in the main event picture once again. Considering how crowded the RAW main event currently feels that's very unlikely at the moment.
#4. Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins is already the Intercontinental Champion as well as one-half of the RAW tag team champions; therefore, he has nothing to prove by winning the WWE World Cup. At the moment, it is safe to assume that most of Seth's attention is focused on Dean Ambrose who could possibly cost him a match which would automatically disqualify Seth from the rest of the tournament. In addition to Dean Ambrose, Seth also has to think about the fate of his championships.
Winning the World Cup would place a very large target on Seth's back, and at the moment I don't think he would benefit from the extra attention. Even if Seth doesn't win, the tournament has been set up in such a way that all his matches would be very entertaining. Seth's first match will be against Bobby Lashley, and it promises to be one of the most intense matches of the night.
#3. The Miz
One of the superstars who really need to win the WWE World Cup is the Miz since he is yet to recover from the embarrassing loss to Daniel Bryan at WWE Super ShowDown. Daniel won the match in under 3 minutes, and he delivered a crushing blow to the Miz's fragile ego. With the win fresh in the minds of the entire WWE universe, the Miz will be looking to reestablish himself as a top star.
In his first match at the tournament, the Miz has a tough challenge since he faces Jeff Hardy, but if the Miz overcomes the charismatic enigma, he will be one step closer to reestablishing himself.
The odds will be further stacked against the Miz since he would face either Rey Mysterio or Randy Orton to qualify for the next stages of the World Cup. If the Miz wins the match, he could once again be in the title picture possibly even face AJ Styles at some point down the road.
#2. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle is one of the superstars who have an opportunity to shine at the WWE World Cup. Kurt Angle hasn't been involved in any major competition since he returned to the WWE and this would be an opportunity for him to remind the younger generation that he is the greatest superstar to step into the squared circle.
Kurt's first opponent will be Dolph Ziggler, and the match promises to be a technical masterpiece since both stars are master technicians. With Kurt Angle's recent feud with Baron Corbin, there is the possibility that the Constable of RAW will interfere and have his lackeys attack Kurt in the middle of his match.
If Kurt defeats Dolph, he will face either Bobby Lashley or Seth Rollins. In my opinion, the best possible outcome would be for Kurt to face Seth Rollins in a battle of technical ability against pure athleticism.
#1. Rey Mysterio
Without a doubt, Rey Mysterio has the most to gain from winning the WWE World Cup. Since his return to the WWE, Rey has been successful in his matches, and the World Cup would be the perfect place to increase his momentum heading into the future.
Rey's qualification was all but assured after the WWE announced he would be competing in the qualifying round and at this point, most fans believe that the master of the 619 will win the entire thing. Rey's first opponent, Randy Orton, will definitely be a tough challenge but if Rey wins, it will prove that he can still overcome insurmountable odds.
If Rey wins the tournament, he will definitely be thrust into the main event picture to compete for a championship. We might even get to see a dream fatal four way, AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio for the WWE Championship. If the WWE doesn't put Rey in contention for the main belt, he might face Shinsuke for the US title.
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