WWE Crown Jewel: 5 last-minute predictions

Well, to say it's been mired in controversy would be a monumental understatement, but WWE confirmed last week that WWE Crown Jewel WILL go ahead as planned in Saudi Arabia on Friday 2nd November - and if you look at this card purely from a wrestling perspective, the card is pretty incredible.

Firstly, Shawn Michaels will return to the ring at Crown Jewel as his comeback match sees HBK team with Triple H to face off against Undertaker and Kane in the ultimate nostalgia trip.

After Roman Reigns' heartbreaking announcement on RAW two weeks ago that saw The Big Dog emotionally relinquish the WWE Universal Championship and step away from WWE, the stakes were upped for Crown Jewel as a new Universal Champion will definitely be crowned! Braun Strowman takes on Brock Lesnar in a match that promises to be as brutal as it is exciting.

Looking at the blue brand's main championship, the planned match between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan was dropped from the event and Bryan has now been replaced by Samoa Joe. After the pair's incredible rivalry earlier this year, we can expect a classic encounter.

And of course, there's also a World Cup tournament to look forward to when eight WWE Superstars compete in a tournament to crown the first ever WWE World Cup winner in Saudi Arabia!

This one will be huge and, in this article, we're taking a look at five last-minute predictions for the show.

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#5 Hulkamania runs wild!

Hulkster is back!

So, WWE may have slightly given the game away with this one, but one very likely prediction is that the Hulkster returns!

Hogan last appeared on WWE television in July 2015 before being released by WWE after a recording emerged of WWE's one-time landmark star using racially insensitive language.

Hulk Hogan was fired immediately, having hosted WrestleMania the year before in New Orleans. Hogan was also removed from the WWE Hall Of Fame but has since been reinstated with WWE reporting that Hogan has been trying to make amends.

Last week, though, WWE promoted an event Hulk Hogan was selling tickets for, and the Hulkster is now even being quietly advertised for Crown Jewel on WWE. While there's no announcement yet, though, this remains a prediction.

What will Hulk do?! Well, if Elias hadn't seemingly turned face, an interruption from Hogan would have got a great pop - but I now think we may see Hulk attack Baron Corbin and potentially angle himself to be the new RAW General Manager!

#4 A new champion is crowned

Will the Beast win the belt?

Well, this isn't so much a prediction as an absolute certainty - we will get a new champion - but I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that Brock Lesnar wins the WWE Universal Championship at WWE Crown Jewel.

It may seem like the less likely option, but I think The Beast takes home the gold.

While I could easily see Braun Strowman holding the gold to end the show like he did last time round in Saudi, I think WWE is going to gear up for a Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles rematch at Survivor Series after last year's event was well received.

While there's been a lot of talk about Brock Lesnar being part-time and being more interested in UFC than WWE, there's no denying that he is here and that Vince McMahon is a huge fan of having Brock as champion. While Reigns finally defeated Lesnar at SummerSlam, he's now out of the equation so someone has to take a pinfall out of Lesnar and Strowman and, well, I think it's Braun.

I do think there's some shenanigans, though, and we set up a rivalry between Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre going forward, with The Monster Among Men's face turn being cemented after he loses the title because of McIntyre. Ideally, this rivalry would happen after Strowman wins the title, but my gut instinct says Lesnar becomes the first ever two-time Universal Champion at Crown Jewel.

Is this the rivalry going forward?

#3 AJ Styles retains

Does Styles keep the title?

Well, AJ Styles was originally scheduled to face off against Daniel Bryan at Crown Jewel for the WWE Championship, but that match took place instead on the go-home SmackDown and Styles' new opponent has been named as Samoa Joe.

Joe and Styles' rivalry this year has been monumental, with The Phenomenal One besting his opponent every time - and I don't think Friday will be any different.

Like I said in the last slide, I think WWE is gearing up for AJ Styles vs Brock Lesnar II at Survivor Series and, with one big title change already definitely happening when the vacant Universal Championship finds a new home, I can't see past an AJ Styles win in this match.

But will we see a new contender emerge for Styles at the event? Sadly, I think not. I think we see an excellent match, a clean Styles win and the story continues on SmackDown next week.

#2 The Miz wins the World Cup

The Miz is in line for glory

So, the WWE World Cup takes place at Crown Jewel with The Miz, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Dolph Ziggler, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton making up the eight competitors.

WWE officially released the bracketology for the tournament, so let me explain why I think Miz is taking home the trophy.

🏆 #WWEWorldCup ALERT 🏆@WWERollins vs. @fightbobby@RealKurtAngle vs. @HEELZiggler@JEFFHARDYBRAND vs. @mikethemiz@reymysterio vs. @RandyOrton#WWECrownJewel #RAW pic.twitter.com/cBaActXDr9

— WWE (@WWE) October 30, 2018

I think we see Seth Rollins and Kurt Angle progress from the left side, and The Miz and Rey Mysterio from the right. Rollins will defeat Angle in an incredible contest, and Miz will use some dirty tactics to get one over on Rey Mysterio - but the drama lies within the final.

With Dean Ambrose's role so far unconfirmed for Crown Jewel, I think The Lunatic Fringe assaults Rollins to cost him the trophy, cementing his role as a heel and progressing the story between the pair going forward in an Intercontinental Championship feud.

I think The Miz, going forward, may very well be the next contender for AJ Styles' WWE Championship, and this match gives The Awesome One the kudos and bragging rights necessary to claim his shot at the gold!

#1 A huge faction returns in the main event!

Could this match be in for a huge shock?!

Okay, so this may be the wackiest prediction of the lot - but it definitely isn't too farfetched.

With several reports that the DX vs Brothers of Destruction match at Crown Jewel is going to be lengthy and monumental, it really got me thinking - how can WWE make this match any bigger or crazier than the end of Triple H vs Undertaker at Australia was?

Shawn Michaels returning is obviously huge news but is there something else in store at Crown Jewel?

With WWE all but confirming Hulk Hogan's return at the event, listing him in the Superstars scheduled to appear section, will it be the yellow and red all-american we see? Or could Hulkster be flanked by two friends?

We all know WWE tends to try and cater more towards nostalgia when it comes to shows overseas, and none more so that Saudi Arabia, so could we see a monumental happening on November 2nd? Well, WWE already promoted the return of a certain faction last week when the nWo had a one-off meet and greet reunion event...

The #nWo reunion is only ONE WEEK AWAY! Get the details so YOU don't miss out at https://t.co/hSS8wAJZ87! #nWo pic.twitter.com/EJmJjbpwSm

— WWE (@WWE) October 20, 2018

Well, call me crazy, but one of Hogan's final appearances in WWE was as part of the nWo at WrestleMania 31 when the faction, as well as DX, would get involved in Triple H vs Sting. Now, D-Generation X and nWo may just have some unfinished business here - so could we see an invasion to end Crown Jewel?

Will we see this trio on Friday?

My final prediction is that the nWo is going to invade Crown Jewel during DX vs the Brothers of Destruction, and lay out both teams - potentially setting up a short run for the faction back on WWE television to test the waters for a full-scale Hulk Hogan return.

What are your predictions for Crown Jewel? Let us know in the comments.