Hey everybody! It’s @TheMagnumDA with your WWE Crown Jewel PPV Pick’em report! Today’s contest has been a long time in the making. Throughout the year, the WOPC Championship has been all over the place…it was stolen and subsequently held in abeyance. At SummerSlam, we FINALLY crowned an Undisputed WOPC Champion (that’s me!) and I’ve held the title since that time. Tonight, WO’s very own Colin Vassallo is finally going to get the one-on-one rematch he’s wanted since his title was stolen back in May.
Today’s matchup will be a classic Confidence Pool pick’em, where we will put 1 point on the pick we are least confident about, all the way up to 9 points for the pick we’re most confident about. Whoever has the most points at the end of the show is the Champion – remember, if there’s a tie of any kind, the title stays with the WOPC Champion.
Enough argle-bargle. Enough fooferah! ON WITH THE PICKS!!
Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali
Colin: Mansoor has a 100% record in Saudi. That will not change now. It’s funny, the only guy who never loses in his hometown/country LOL! I wonder why. Mansoor wins – 9 points.
Magnum: You know, I can’t argue with any of Colin’s logic here. Mansoor is unbeatable at home…although it’d make for some AWESOME heat if he were to ever lose there. Those people would go shithouse. But yeah, for now, let’s take Mansoor for the full monty – 9 Points.
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) (c) vs. AJ Styles and Omos
Colin: It’s time for AJ Styles to go back to singles action and go back to being simply phenomenal. Tag Omos with someone else, or send him to NXT. RK-Bro will not implode for now, although I don’t think they’ll last long either. But RK-Bro win this one – 4 points.
Magnum: I feel bad for Riddle…at first, his schtick with Orton was charming and funny (albeit slightly goofy). Since that time, it’s turned into something weird. Riddle hero-worships Orton, and he’s just not that funny anymore. It’d be awesome if Orton were to turn this guy into a killer, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. For now, I’ll take RK-Bro to retain – I’ll put 3 points on it.
Finals – King of the Ring
Finn Bálor vs. Xavier Woods
Colin: Woods has been wanting this King of the Ring tournament forever and now he gets to the final…and probably will lose. Hell, not probably, I think he will lose. Not sure Balor needs the title of KOTR though, but anyway, King Finn it is – 3 points.
Magnum: Bálor was quite heelish on Monday Night Raw…and if I’m not mistaken, he was once called “The Demon King” in NXT. It’s time for the Prince to ascend to the throne, which sadly means that Xavier is going to come up one match short of the crown. The Demon King is BACK and Finn Bálor will be your NEW King Of The Ring – 2 Points for this pick.
Finals – Queen’s Crown
Doudrop vs. Zelina Vega
Colin: Interesting final. Didn’t expect these two here but Zelina Vega returned and has nothing going for her right now. She would benefit more from the crown that Doudrop in my opinion. Hoping for a Vega win here – 2 points.
Magnum: It’s stunning to me that you would have a “Queen’s Crown” tournament without Charlotte Flair. I would imagine that whoever wins this match will be a very, VERY different Queen than Charlotte is. So who does that favor? That’s easy – it’s Doudrop. As good as the crown looked on Zelina Vega, I could see Doudrop turning into a babyface Queen in a comedy act (think ‘Glenda the Good Witch’ in “The Wizard of Oz”). Eva Marie is still injured, so I don’t foresee her swooping in and claiming the crown…although anything is possible. Either way, the former Piper Niven is one of the most gifted women’s wrestlers that I’ve seen since the “Monster Ripper” Rhonda Singh. All Hail Queen Doudrop! Give me 5 points on it.
No Holds Barred
Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley
Colin: Let’s hope Goldberg does not really kill Lashley in Saudi, okay? This will probably be kept very short and Goldberg will annihilate the former champ and go back home for the next several months until WrestleMania comes…or another Saudi trip is booked. Goldberg wins – 8 points.
Magnum: I was inclined to think that Lashley would destroy Goldberg again, just as long as he was still WWE Champion. Once Bobby lost the title, all bets were off. Now, I’m convinced that Goldberg is going to clean Lashley’s clock (and he’s probably going to do it in record time). Give me Goldberg, and make it big – 8 points.
Hell in a Cell
Edge vs. Seth Rollins
Colin: First HIAC for Edge and probably last HIAC for him too. I can’t see him doing much of these matches in the future. Who will get the last laugh? I’m banking on the Rated-R Superstar. Should be a good match – 5 points.
Magnum: Correction, Colin! This is Edge’s *second* HIAC (his first was against The Undertaker at SummerSlam 2008). A lot of matches on this card will provide the sizzle, but right here is the steak. This match is not just any steak…this is the Scottish Ayrshire, raised on grass in Finland and produced in Denmark. They’re going to do something crazy, and all I can do is hope that neither of these guys get seriously injured. I expect Seth to take the madman bump of the night, but I expect Edge to get the duke – 6 Points.
WWE Championship
Big E (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Colin: Oooooooh Riyadh! Don’t you dare be sour! First major title defense by Big E on a big show and I’m fairly confident he’s going to walk out of Saudi still with the title. Plus Drew is off to Smackdown anyway – 7 points.
Magnum: The former Iowa Hawkeye is now WWE Champion – I am truly happy for Big E…his time has come. It would seriously shake things up if Drew took the WWE Championship with him to Smackdown, although I don’t see that happening. Give me Big E to grab that brass ring and win the biggest singles match of his career – I’ll also take 7 points on it.
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship – Triple Threat
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks
Colin: Looking forward to this match and see what they will come up with. No doubt that Becky will eventually retain this one, but how they get there is what interests me and who gets the fall. I’m actually going for a DQ here, because, you know, there has to be a non-finish on a show LOL! 1 Point for a DQ finish where Becky retains.
Magnum: A DQ in a Triple Threat, Colin?! No way, Jose. It’s going to be interesting to see what they come up with, especially considering that this is technically a No-DQ match. Expect Big Match Bex to show up and show out…or do something outrageously cowardly to keep her title. Becky retains – 4 Points for The Man. Also, quick sidebar…with Becky’s heel turn, she needs to change her theme song to “The Man” by The Killers – it absolutely fits her new persona.
WWE Universal Championship
Roman Reigns (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Brock Lesnar
Colin: The million dollar question: who will Paul Heyman walk BACK with? I can’t see them breaking up Paul and Roman for now, the act is too good together. I think Heyman will screw Lesnar and Roman gets the pinfall on Brock – 6 Points.
Magnum: The BILLION dollar question: Will Vince sacrifice Roman’s incredible title reign for this match? Roman’s had one of the greatest title reigns in modern history (surpassing CM Punk’s run from 2011-2013), so it’d be a shame if it were to end under these circumstances…right? Right?! Well, maybe so…but I don’t think they’d travel all the way to Saudi Arabia without ONE of the major titles changing hands. I don’t know what their plans are, and I don’t know how this is going to happen…but give me Brock Lesnar to win the title – I’m only going to put 1 point on it.
Alright everybody, that’s going to do it for the PPV Pick’em report. We’ll see you next month for the Survivor Series! @TheMagnumDA signing off.
