Crown Jewel 2022: Logan Paul Turns a Novelty Main Event Into the Real Thing

Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley waste no time pretending this is anything other than a heavyweight collision. Lashley attacks before the bell, drives Lesnar into the steps and keeps targeting the knee, immediately giving the rematch more urgency than their first meeting. The six-minute runtime suits the violence.

Lashley controls far more of the match than the result suggests. He lands repeated Spears, survives the F-5 and traps Lesnar in the Hurt Lock long enough to make the finish feel genuinely uncertain. Lesnar looks vulnerable without ever losing the aura that makes the matchup feel special.

The ending is clever but unsatisfying. Lesnar kicks off the turnbuckle while trapped in the Hurt Lock and lands on top of Lashley for the pin, winning without actually escaping the hold. Lashley immediately reapplies the submission afterward, making the result feel more like a chapter than a conclusion.

The reported Observer rating was 3.5 stars, and contemporary reviews generally praised the intensity while criticizing the abrupt ending. The match accomplishes a lot in six minutes, but the finish prevents it from reaching the next tier. WrestleFile lands at B- / 7.3.

Damage CTRL against Alexa Bliss and Asuka benefits from having a recent title change to reverse. The champions won the belts only days earlier, so Dakota Kai and IYO SKY enter with urgency rather than the usual rematch inertia. The teams work at a pace that makes the division feel important.

Asuka and SKY provide the sharpest exchanges. Their speed and counters elevate the middle while Bliss and Kai handle the more character-driven portions of the match. The championship stakes remain visible instead of becoming background decoration.

Nikki Cross decides the finish. She attacks Bliss while the referee is occupied elsewhere, allowing Kai to score the pin and return the titles to Damage CTRL. The interference is familiar, but it connects directly to the Raw stories that lead into Survivor Series.

The reported Observer rating was 3.75 stars, one of the stronger marks on the card. WWE's official results confirm the title change, and contemporary reviews generally treated the match as a clear success. WrestleFile lands at B / 7.8.

Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross improve substantially on their Extreme Rules strap match by using the cage as a simpler framework. McIntyre can fight aggressively without being tied to an awkward stipulation, while Kross can still rely on Scarlett and the environment to create danger. The result feels more natural immediately.

The match is strongest when the cage matters physically. McIntyre throws Kross into the steel, survives the pepper spray angle and continues fighting after Scarlett locks the door. Those obstacles give the babyface a clear sequence to overcome.

The finish becomes a race rather than a pinfall. Kross tries to escape through the door while McIntyre climbs, and Drew reaches the floor first. It is a clean visual payoff even though Scarlett's involvement remains central to the story.

The reported Observer rating was 3.75 stars, and contemporary reviews were noticeably kinder than they had been to the earlier strap match. The feud still lacks elite chemistry, but the stipulation finally gives it structure. WrestleFile lands at B / 7.7.

The Judgment Day and The O.C. bring six experienced wrestlers into a match built around Finn Bálor and AJ Styles' shared history. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson give Styles backup, while Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio allow Bálor to work as part of a fully established unit. The faction identities are immediately clear.

The middle of the match is energetic without becoming an uncontrolled six-man scramble. Styles and Bálor repeatedly find one another, Gallows and Priest provide the power exchanges and Anderson helps keep the transitions clean. The match feels more organized than many faction tags.

Rhea Ripley provides the decisive advantage. She pulls Styles from the apron while the referee is distracted, allowing Bálor to land the Coup de Grâce. The finish reinforces the exact problem The O.C. has been unable to solve rather than introducing a random interference.

The reported Observer rating was 3.5 stars, and WWE's official recap emphasizes Ripley as the deciding factor. The wrestling is good, but the real purpose is extending the faction war toward a solution for Rhea. WrestleFile lands at B / 7.5.

Braun Strowman against Omos is built around one visual: Strowman is finally standing across from someone who makes him look normal-sized. The first half commits fully to that premise as Omos wins the strength exchanges and controls the former Monster Among Men. The crowd understands the novelty even when the wrestling remains basic.

Omos' offense is simple but effective enough for the role. He throws Strowman around, cuts off the running charge and forces the audience to wait for the one power move everyone expects. The match is closer to attraction wrestling than a conventional singles contest.

Strowman eventually avoids the corner charge and lands the Running Powerslam for the win. The feat of strength is the payoff, and the match wisely ends before the concept runs out of material. Seven minutes is about the maximum this pairing needs.

The reported Observer rating was 1.5 stars, clearly the lowest on the card. The match is not a disaster because it knows exactly what it is, but the ceiling is low. WrestleFile lands at C- / 5.6.

The Usos and The Brawling Brutes receive only eleven minutes, but the teams already have enough television history to skip introductions. Ridge Holland supplies the power while Butch handles the faster exchanges with Jimmy and Jey. The match feels like an extension of SmackDown in the best sense.

The Brutes repeatedly target Jimmy's hand and lean into the damage The Bloodline inflicted on Sheamus during the build. That detail gives the challengers a strategy rather than simply a sequence of near falls. The Usos respond by accelerating their tandem offense.

The finish is strong. Jimmy and Jey hit the 1D from the top rope on Butch, giving the title defense a decisive visual without requiring outside interference. The champions leave looking prepared for the record-setting implications of their reign.

The reported Observer rating was 3.25 stars, and WWE's official recap presents the match as another significant defense in the Usos' record run. The limited runtime keeps it from becoming a major tag classic. WrestleFile lands at B / 7.6.

Bianca Belair and Bayley use the Last Woman Standing stipulation to turn their rivalry into the most creative match on the undercard. The fight immediately expands beyond the ring, with chairs, steel steps, equipment cases and the entrance ramp becoming part of the layout. The twenty-minute runtime feels earned because the environment keeps changing.

Bayley is particularly effective at finding new ways to control the count. She traps Belair in an equipment case, uses a chair and turns a golf cart into part of the match rather than treating weapons as interchangeable props. Belair's escapes increasingly feel like feats rather than routine count breaks.

The table sequence is the biggest spectacle. Belair drives the golf cart back toward ringside, sends Bayley off the vehicle and later powerbombs her through a table. The match repeatedly escalates without depending on blood or outside interference.

The finish is creative and decisive. Belair hits the KOD onto a chair and then traps Bayley beneath a ladder wedged into the turnbuckle area, leaving the challenger unable to stand by ten. The champion wins by outthinking Bayley rather than merely hitting one larger move.

The reported Observer rating was 4.25 stars, second only to the main event on this card. WWE's official recap likewise emphasizes the match's inventive use of the environment. WrestleFile lands at A- / 8.8.

Roman Reigns versus Logan Paul should not be this good. Paul is wrestling only his third WWE match, yet the main event is structured around that inexperience rather than pretending it does not exist. Roman's confidence gives Logan room to build credibility one successful gamble at a time.

Paul's athleticism makes the upset threat believable. The Buckshot Lariat, crossbody and standing moonsault all land with enough precision to make the crowd react before the champion can slow the match back down. Reigns remains in control whenever the pace becomes conventional.

The phone-assisted frog splash through the announce table becomes the signature image. It fits Logan's character, creates a viral-looking moment without breaking the match's logic and helps justify why a newcomer is surviving so deep into a championship main event. The performance never feels like a celebrity exhibition.

The Bloodline and Jake Paul eventually create a crowded ringside scene. The Usos attack Logan's entourage, Jake drops both brothers and Solo Sikoa arrives before Logan wipes the Usos out again. The interference is excessive, but it gives the final minutes the spectacle WWE clearly wanted from the pairing.

Reigns ultimately lands the Superman Punch and Spear to retain. The reported Observer rating was 4.5 stars, the highest on the card, and Pro Wrestling Dot Net's reader poll had 65 percent selecting the match as best of the night. WrestleFile lands at A / 9.3 for one of the best celebrity-wrestling performances WWE has ever produced.