Mike Fontenot

# Mike Fontenot

Michael Eugene Fontenot Jr. (/ˌfɑːntɛnoʊ/; born June 9, 1980) is an American former professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Philadelphia Phillies. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Fontenot was commonly used at second base, shortstop, or third base during his career. He won a World Series with the Giants in 2010.

Fontenot grew up in Louisiana. He attended Louisiana State University (LSU) and was a member of the LSU Tigers team that won the 2000 College World Series. After two years of college baseball, he was a first round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2002. Named the organization's Minor League Player of the Year in 2003, Fontenot never played in the major leagues for Baltimore, as he was included in a 2005 trade with the Cubs that sent Sammy Sosa to Baltimore. Fontenot debuted briefly with the Cubs in 2005, but it was not until 2007 that he reached the major leagues full time. He batted .305 while primarily used as a bench player in 2008 and began 2009 as the Cubs' starting second baseman. However, Fontenot lost the role after batting only .230 through August 7. He was traded to the Giants in 2010, becoming part of the team's first World Series victory since 1954.

In 2011, Fontenot was receiving starting time in May due to an injury to Pablo Sandoval, but he missed a few weeks himself with a left groin injury. He was released by the Giants before the 2012 season but was signed by the Phillies. Joining the team in May, he batted .289 in 47 games before getting released in August. He spent 2013 and 2014 with the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

## Early life

Michael Eugene Fontenot Jr., was born on June 9, 1980, in Slidell, Louisiana, where he grew up. He was the oldest of four children of Mike Sr. and Lisa Lauren Fontenot. Two of his younger siblings, Christopher and Seth, are brothers, and the third is his younger sister, Jennifer. According to Fontenot, his father was the person who most influenced him as an athlete.

Fontenot was a standout for Salmen High School in Slidell, Louisiana, lettering in baseball in each of his four years there. He made the 1st All-State Team each of those years, as well as the All-Metro team. In his freshman year (1996), he batted .445 as Salmen won the state championship. As a senior, he batted .556, recording 38 runs scored, 13 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 42 runs batted in (RBIs), and 18 stolen bases. For his efforts, he was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the St. Tammany Parish, the district, and the All-Metro region. His four-year totals with Salmen included a .535 batting average, 139 runs scored, 35 doubles, 11 triples, 30 home runs, 128 RBIs, and 57 stolen bases. In addition to baseball, Fontenot played football, lettering twice. He was used on the gridiron as a return specialist, defensive back, and wide receiver.

After his senior year, Fontenot was drafted in the 21st round (625th overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but chose to attend Louisiana State University (LSU) on a baseball scholarship instead of going professional.

## College career

As a freshman at LSU, Fontenot was the everyday second baseman for the Tigers. He batted .353 with 93 runs scored, 103 hits, 13 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, 64 RBIs, and eight stolen bases. At the time, the 17 home runs were the most by an LSU freshman, breaking Blair Barbier's 1997 record of 15. For his contributions, Fontenot was named the National Freshman of the Year by the Southeastern Conference; The Sporting News; and Collegiate Baseball, which declared him a co-winner. Baseball America named him a First-Team Freshman All-American.

Fontenot was a part of the NCAA team that played well enough during the season to advance to the Baton Rouge Regional. He batted .400 with five runs scored, two doubles, one home run, and five RBIs, earning all-tournament team honors as one of the best ballplayers in the regional. Along with future Chicago Cubs teammate Ryan Theriot, Fontenot was a member of the LSU Tigers baseball team that won the 2000 College World Series. In the NCAA Baseball Tournament, Fontenot recorded a team-high batting average of .432 with four doubles, two home runs, and nine RBIs. LSU advanced to the College World Series, and Fontenot again led the team in average (.462), also recording two doubles, one home run, two RBIs, and six runs scored as the Tigers won the championship. For his efforts, Fontenot was selected to the College World Series all-tournament team.

In 2000, between his freshman and sophomore seasons, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named the league's MVP.

Before Fontenot's sophomore season of 2001, Baseball America named him one of the top prospects in the country, and the Southeastern Conference named him a pre-season All-Star. Fontenot was the First-Team All Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection at second base. He batted .339 for the Tigers with 64 runs scored, 13 doubles, 14 home runs, and 50 RBIs. Behind his contributions, the Tigers posted a team batting average of .318, tops in the SEC. Though they did not win the College World Series this time, they did win an SEC Western Division title.

## Professional career

### Draft and minor leagues

Though he had only played two years of college baseball, Fontenot's age made him eligible for the 2001 MLB Draft. Deciding to enter it, Fontenot was chosen in the first round (19th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles. He signed with the team and was given a \$1,300,000.00 signing bonus.

Fontenot began his minor league career with the Frederick Keys of the Single-A advanced Carolina League in 2002. In 122 games, he batted .264 with 127 hits, eight home runs, and 53 RBIs. In 2003, he played for the Bowie Baysox of the Double-A Eastern League. In 126 games, he batted .325 (second in the league to Alex Ríos's .352) with 146 hits (ninth), 12 home runs, and 66 RBIs. He was named the Orioles' Minor League Player of the Year, in addition to being named an Eastern League postseason All-Star.

Promoted to Triple-A in 2004, Fontenot played for the Ottawa Lynx of the International League. In 136 games (tied with Earl Snyder for fourth in the league behind Bry Nelson's 142, Víctor Díaz's 141, and Jhonny Peralta's 138), he batted .279 with 146 hits, eight home runs, 49 RBIs, and 10 triples (tied for second in the league with John Rodriguez and Pete Orr behind Mark Budzinski's 15).

Entering the 2005 season, Baseball America ranked Fontenot the seventh-best prospect in the Orioles' organization. However, Fontenot would never play a game for the Orioles. On February 3, 2005, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs along with second baseman/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. and right-handed pitcher Dave Crouthers for outfielder Sammy Sosa.

Fontenot started the 2005 season with the Iowa Cubs of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, but he was called up to the major leagues on April 11 after Todd Walker went on the disabled list due to a sprained left knee.

### Chicago Cubs (2005, 2007–2010)

He made his major league debut in the first game of a doubleheader on April 13, 2005, pinch-running for Aramis Ramírez and scoring a run in the team's 8–3 loss to the San Diego Padres. Fontenot played in four games with the club (pinch-hitting in the other three) before getting sent back to Iowa on April 23 to make room for Ben Grieve on the roster. He was also called up on May 13 and played three further games for Chicago, pinch-hitting in two and pinch-running in one, before getting sent back to Iowa on May 20 when pitcher Joe Borowski came off the disabled list. In seven games with Chicago in 2005, he had no hits in two at bats (0-for-2) with two walks and four runs scored. At Iowa, he played 111 games, batting .272 with 60 runs scored, 103 hits, six home runs, and 39 RBIs. In 2006, Fontenot spent the entire season with Iowa, batting .296 with 107 hits, eight home runs, and 36 RBIs in 111 games.

Chicago did not invite Fontenot to spring training in 2007, and he started the year with Iowa once again. He did not return to the Cubs until May 15, 2007, when he was promoted from Iowa to replace relief pitcher Rocky Cherry. Pinch-hitting against the New York Mets on May 15, he got his first major league hit, a double against Ambiorix Burgos in Chicago's 10–1 triumph. He also pinch-hit against the Mets on May 17 before getting sent back to Iowa the following day to make room for Carlos Mármol on the roster. In 55 games for Iowa in 2007, he batted .336 with 46 runs scored, 71 hits, six home runs, and 34 RBIs.

Fontenot received more playing time on his next callup. After Aramis Ramírez suffered left patellar tendonitis in June, Fontenot was called up on June 9 (his birthday) to become Chicago's everyday second baseman, as Mark DeRosa moved over to third base to replace Ramírez. He hit his first major league home run against Buddy Carlyle on June 10, in a 5–4 loss to the Atlanta Braves. On June 24, Fontenot had five hits in five at bats in Chicago's 10–9 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The next day, he had hits in his first two at bats, tying Sammy Sosa's Chicago record of most consecutive at bats with a hit. Fontenot had hits in 19 of the 20 games he played in June, leading National League (NL) players with a .397 average for the month and finishing second in the NL Rookie of the Month voting to Ryan Braun. After the month of June, he only batted .214 for the rest of the season, losing the starting second base job to DeRosa in mid-August. In 86 games (234 at bats) his rookie year, Fontenot batted .278 with 32 runs scored, 65 hits, three home runs, and 29 RBIs. Winners of the NL Central, the Cubs faced the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Division Series (NLDS). Fontenot pinch-hit twice in the series, going hitless as the Diamondbacks swept the Cubs in three games.

Though used mostly as a bench player in 2008, Fontenot also started 49 games, many of which were in June and July while Alfonso Soriano was on the disabled list. On May 3, he had three hits and set a career high with four RBIs, including a three-run home run against Kyle Lohse in a 9–3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. He made it to first base in 14 straight games from June 25 through July 18. Fontenot hit home runs in consecutive games against the Cincinnati Reds on July 8 and 10. Following the All-Star Break, Fontenot batted .360. He had the first pinch-hit home run of his career on August 28 against Ryan Madson, starting a five-run rally for the Cubs in their eventual 6–4 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies. In 119 games (243 at bats), he batted .305 with 42 runs scored, 74 hits, nine home runs, and 40 RBIs. For the second year in a row, the Cubs won the NL Central. This time, Fontenot played every game of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, even starting at second base in Game 3. He had two hits in six at bats, but the Cubs were swept by the Dodgers.

Entering the 2009 season, the Cubs traded DeRosa and signed infielder Aaron Miles to a two-year contract. However, manager Lou Piniella named Fontenot the team's starting second baseman on March 14 during spring training. Though Fontenot began the year at second base, he also started several games at third base while Ramírez was recovering from various injuries. On April 8, he had four RBIs, including a three-run home run against Russ Ortiz in an 11–6 victory over the Houston Astros. He hit home runs in consecutive games against the Diamondbacks on April 27 and 28. On his birthday (June 9), he had a season-high four hits and an RBI in a 7–1 victory over the Astros. After batting .230 through August 7, Fontenot lost his position as the Cubs everyday second baseman, splitting time with Jeff Baker for the rest of the year. Though not a starter in September, he batted .317, his highest average of any month. The 2009 season was a year of career highs for Fontenot in games (135), at bats (377), hits (89), home runs (nine, same as in 2008), and RBIs (43). He also scored 38 runs. Though the Cubs had a winning record at 83–78, they finished second to the Cardinals in the NL Central, missing the playoffs. In addition serving as an infielder for the Cubs in 2009, Fontenot played himself in the TBS comedy My Boys. He appeared in the final episode of the show's third season, entitled "Spring Training."

After the 2009 season, Fontenot barely became eligible for salary arbitration. Under MLB's collective bargaining agreement, the 17 percent of players with the most playing time in at least two MLB seasons but not three full seasons were eligible. Fontenot was in a tie for the last spot with Adam Jones and Micah Owings, but he won the tiebreaker because he played more games in 2008 than the other two. Ultimately, Fontenot avoided arbitration by settling for a \$1 million contract on January 19, 2010. He got the bulk of the starts at second base to begin the 2010 season. On May 7, Fontenot hit his first career grand slam against the Reds. It came in the eighth inning off the first pitch from Carlos Fisher, with the Cubs up 10–4. However, the Cubs called up shortstop prospect Starlin Castro from the minor leagues that day, and Fontenot's playing time became much scarcer as Ryan Theriot was shifted to second base to accommodate Castro. On August 11, Fontenot was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Evan Crawford. In 75 games (169 at bats) with the Cubs, he had batted .284 with 14 runs scored, 48 hits, one home run, and 20 RBIs.

### San Francisco Giants (2010–2011)

Fontenot had little trouble joining his new team since the Cubs were already in San Francisco. He played the first two games of the series with the Cubs and the last one with the Giants. San Francisco wanted him because Édgar Rentería had just been placed on the disabled list with a left biceps strain. With his new team, Fontenot was used at second base, shortstop, and third base, serving as a pinch hitter as well. He appeared in 28 games (71 at bats) for San Francisco, batting .282 with 10 runs scored, 20 hits, no home runs, and five RBIs. In 103 games (240 at bats) combined between Chicago and San Francisco, he batted .283 with 24 runs scored, 68 hits, one home run, and 25 RBIs.

After a one-year hiatus, Fontenot returned to the playoffs as part of a Giants team that won the NL West. After pinch-hitting in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Braves, he started Games 3 and 4 at third base. He had a triple against Tim Hudson to start the second inning of Game 3 and scored the Giants' first run in their eventual 3–2 victory. The Giants won the series in four games, advancing to the NL Championship Series (NLCS) against the Phillies. Fontenot started the first two games of the series at third base, but after only recording one hit in seven at bats, he was used merely as a pinch hitter in his other two appearances in the series. He got a hit in his only at bat of Game 6, a 3–2 series-clinching victory that sent the Giants to the World Series against the Texas Rangers. Fontenot had the unusual distinction of being credited with a game played in the World Series without recording a plate appearance or a play in the field. In the eighth inning of Game 2, the left-handed-hitting Fontenot was announced as a pinch-hitter with the Giants leading the Rangers, 6–0. The Rangers replaced right-handed pitcher Mark Lowe with the left-handed Michael Kirkman, prompting the Giants to replace Fontenot with the right-handed Aaron Rowand, who tripled. Fontenot went on to become a World Series champion as San Francisco won the series in five games, their first World Series victory since 1954.

In 2011, Fontenot received a slight raise in salary, earning \$1.05 million. He began the season as a backup player. On April 13, Fontenot hit a go-ahead home run against Ted Lilly to help the Giants win 4–3 over the Dodgers. He took over as the Giants' everyday shortstop on April 30 after Pablo Sandoval was placed on the disabled list with a broken hamate bone and Miguel Tejada was shifted over to play third base. On May 7, he made a difficult play to rob Seth Smith of a hit in the top of the ninth inning against the Rockies, then ended the game in the bottom of the inning with a game-winning sacrifice fly against Franklin Morales. After suffering a left groin injury in late May, Fontenot was on the disabled list until July 8. He started several games at second base and shortstop for the rest of the season, with most of these starts coming in July and August. In 85 games (220 at bats), he batted .227 with 22 runs scored, 50 hits, four home runs, and 21 RBIs. He batted .154 in pinch-hitting situations.

In 2012 spring training, Fontenot found himself competing with Theriot for a spot on the Giants' roster. On March 30, Fontenot was released, just before \$787,000 of his salary for the coming year would have become fully guaranteed.

### Philadelphia Phillies (2012)

On April 13, 2012, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Fontenot to a minor league contract. He was assigned to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the International League, batting .308 with one home run and seven RBIs in 16 games with the club. On May 14, he was called up by the Phillies. He had a season-high three hits and an RBI on June 7 in an 8–3 loss to the Dodgers. Against the Orioles the next day, he hit his only home run of the year, a two-run shot against Jake Arrieta in a 9–6 victory over the Orioles. On August 1, Fontenot was designated for assignment by the Phillies. Fontenot had recorded a .289 batting average, a.343 on-base percentage, and a .340 on-base plus slugging percentage in 47 games, but he had only recorded one hit in 15 at bats against left-handed pitchers. Michael Martínez was recalled to take his place. Fontenot was released by the Phillies four days later.

### Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays signed Fontenot to a minor league contract on November 29, 2012. He spent the 2013 season playing for the Durham Bulls of the International League. In 120 games (417 at bats), he batted .264 with 53 runs scored, 110 hits, four home runs, and 42 RBIs. Though he played 82 games at second base, Fontenot also made 15 appearances at shortstop and 13 appearances at third base, serving as a designated hitter, pinch hitter, or pinch runner in his other appearances. He became a free agent after the season.

On January 8, 2014, Fontenot signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. He was released on March 26 after hitting just .105 in spring training. The Rays signed him again two days later, and Fontenot played with Durham for the second year in a row. He was again primarily used as a second baseman (82 games), also making seven appearances at third base and serving as a designated hitter, pinch hitter, or pinch runner in his other appearances. In 113 games (398 at bats), he batted .276 with 35 runs scored, 110 hits, three home runs, and 48 RBIs. He became a free agent after the season and has not played professional baseball since.

## Career statistics

In 582 games (1,143 at bats), Fontenot batted .265 with 175 runs scored, 374 hits, 27 home runs, and 163 RBIs. He played 303 games as a second baseman, 89 games as a third baseman, and 50 games at shortstop. He played 422 games with the Cubs, 113 with the Giants, and 47 with the Phillies.

## Personal life

Fontenot is good friends with Ryan Theriot, his teammate at LSU, and with the Cubs. It was through Theriot's wife that Fontenot met his wife, Ashley.

American baseball player (born 1980)

American expatriate baseball players in Canada

Sportspeople from St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana


Crown Jewel (2018)

# Crown Jewel (2018)

The 2018 Crown Jewel was the inaugural Crown Jewel professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on November 2, 2018, at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It was the second event WWE held in Saudi Arabia under a 10-year partnership in support of Saudi Vision 2030, after the Greatest Royal Rumble in April, and it hosted the first ever WWE World Cup tournament. The event also marked the final match of Shawn Michaels, who had retired from active in-ring competition at WrestleMania XXVI in 2010, though returned for this match, as well as the return of Hulk Hogan—who had not appeared on WWE programming since a 2015 scandal—who served as the event's host.

Twelve matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) defeated The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane). In the penultimate match, Shane McMahon defeated Dolph Ziggler to win the WWE World Cup. In other prominent matches, The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The New Day (represented by Big E and Kofi Kingston), AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe to retain SmackDown's WWE Championship, and Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman to win Raw's vacant Universal Championship.

Due to the controversy surrounding the killing of Jamal Khashoggi as well as accusations against Saudi Arabia for severe human rights abuses, leading a war of attrition in Yemen and suppressing women's rights, WWE faced harsh criticism for producing the event and was asked to stop its business ventures in Saudi Arabia by multiple parties. The controversy also led to the company's top babyfaces at the time, John Cena and Daniel Bryan, boycotting the show. The event itself met with generally negative reviews, especially the main event, the Universal Championship match, and the World Cup final.

## Production

### Background

In early 2018, the American professional wrestling promotion WWE began a 10-year strategic multiplatform partnership with the General Sports Authority in support of Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's social and economic reform program. The first pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event under this partnership, the Greatest Royal Rumble, was held at the King Abdullah Sports City's King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah on April 27. On September 17, 2018, a follow-up titled Crown Jewel was announced to take place on November 2 and feature wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands. It was originally to take place at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, but was later changed to the King Saud University Stadium, also in Riyadh.

In 2015, WWE terminated Hulk Hogan's contract due to a report by the National Enquirer and Radar Online of a partially racist rant made by Hogan on his controversial leaked sex tape; he was heard expressing disgust with the notion of his daughter dating black men, referenced by the repeated use of the racial slur "nigger". On July 15, 2018, after a three-year suspension, the company reinstated Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame, and on October 31, it was announced that Hogan would be the host of Crown Jewel.

### Storylines

The event comprised 12 matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live.

At SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar defended the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. Before the match began, Braun Strowman came out and announced that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on the winner. During the match, however, Strowman was incapacitated by Lesnar, preventing him from cashing in. The distraction allowed Reigns to defeat Lesnar and win the championship, ending Lesnar's 504-day reign. The following night on Raw, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle told Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman that although Lesnar had a contractual rematch, it would not occur for an indefinite period of time, as he preferred a fighting champion like Reigns. The following week, Strowman announced that he would be cashing in against Reigns at Hell in a Cell inside the namesake structure. At the event, Lesnar interfered in the match by kicking in the cell door and attacking both men, rendering them unable to continue, thus ruling the match a no contest and Reigns retained the championship. The following night on Raw, both Reigns and Strowman called out Lesnar, resulting in Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin scheduling a triple threat match between Reigns, Strowman, and Lesnar for the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel. On the October 22 episode of Raw, however, Reigns relinquished the title after announcing that his leukemia, which had been in remission since late 2008, had legitimately relapsed. This turned the scheduled triple threat match into a singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the now vacant title. In February 2019, Fightful reported that prior to his leukemia diagnosis, Reigns had informed Vince McMahon and WWE officials that he would not be taking part in the Crown Jewel PPV due to the controversy surrounding the event.

On September 17, WWE scheduled the WWE World Cup for Crown Jewel, an eight-man tournament to "determine the best in the world" with four wrestlers representing Raw and SmackDown each, all from the United States of America. On the October 8 episode of Raw, for his accomplishments in WWE, John Cena was announced as the first entrant to represent Raw, despite being a non-exclusive wrestler who could appear on Raw and SmackDown. That same episode, a 10-man battle royal commenced where the winner would be added to the tournament. Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin took part with nine local competitors, but was lastly eliminated by a returning Kurt Angle, disguised as The Conquistador, thus Angle won the battle royal to qualify for the tournament. Two more qualifiers were decided on the October 9 episode of SmackDown, where Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton qualified for the tournament by defeating Samoa Joe and Big Show, respectively. Raw's final two qualifiers were decided on the October 15 episode of Raw, where Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler qualified by defeating Drew McIntyre and Dean Ambrose, respectively. SmackDown's final two qualifiers were decided on the SmackDown 1000 special, where The Miz and Rey Mysterio, the latter making his full-time WWE return, qualified for the tournament by defeating Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura, respectively. On the October 29 episode of Raw, Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin replaced Cena with Bobby Lashley after praising Lashley's post-match attack on Finn Bálor earlier that night. In storyline, Corbin replaced Cena as he did not technically qualify for the tournament. In reality, Cena legitimately refused to participate due to the controversy surrounding the event. On the October 30 episode of SmackDown, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon gave his four participants an ultimatum: if their finalist were to lose, they would be fired from SmackDown.

At Super Show-Down, AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe by submission in a no countout, no disqualification match to retain the WWE Championship, while Daniel Bryan defeated The Miz to earn a future WWE Championship match. Following Bryan's win, SmackDown General Manager Paige announced that he would receive his title match against Styles at Crown Jewel. However, after the two had a heated exchange on the October 30 episode of SmackDown, Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that their championship match would take place that night, where Styles successfully retained after submitting Bryan with the "Calf Crusher". Moments after the match concluded, Joe attacked both men, choking each out with the "Coquina Clutch". Enraged, Styles demanded to face Joe at Crown Jewel with the title on the line, and Paige reluctantly made it official. In reality, Bryan had also legitimately refused to work Crown Jewel due to the controversy surrounding the event, so WWE moved his championship match up to the October 30 episode of SmackDown.

At Super Show-Down, Triple H defeated The Undertaker in a no disqualification match. After the match, Triple H and Undertaker, along with Shawn Michaels and Kane, who were in the respective corners of Triple H and Undertaker, showed mutual respect for one another until Undertaker and Kane attacked Triple H and Michaels. On the following Raw, Triple H and Michaels formally rechristened themselves as D-Generation X, challenging The Brothers of Destruction to a tag team match at Crown Jewel, marking Michaels' first match since The Undertaker retired Michaels at WrestleMania XXVI in March 2010.

On the SmackDown 1000 special on October 16, The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) defeated The New Day (represented by Big E and Xavier Woods) to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, with help from their new ally Big Show. A rematch for the titles was scheduled for Crown Jewel.

On November 1, it was announced that Shinsuke Nakamura would defend the United States Championship against Rusev on the event's Kickoff pre-show.

## Event

### Pre-show

During the Crown Jewel Kickoff pre-show, Shinsuke Nakamura defended the United States Championship against Rusev. After connecting with a "Matchka Kick" early in the match, Rusev applied his "Accolade" submission hold twice on the champion. In the climax, following a low blow to break free from the hold, Nakamura pinned Rusev to retain the title.

### Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with Rey Mysterio facing Randy Orton in SmackDown's first WWE World Cup quarterfinal match. During the match, Orton attempted to remove Mysterio's mask. Orton countered a "619" attempt from Mysterio into an elevated DDT from the rope. In the end, Mysterio countered an "RKO" attempt into a roll-up pin to win the match and advance to the semi-finals. After the match, Orton attacked Mysterio and threw Mysterio on top of the Arabic announce table.

Next, The Miz faced Jeff Hardy in SmackDown's second WWE World Cup quarterfinal match. During the match, Miz applied a figure-four leglock, which Hardy countered into a near fall. In the climax, Miz countered a submission hold and performed the "Skull Crushing Finale" on Hardy to win the match and advance to the semi-finals.

After that, Seth Rollins faced Bobby Lashley (with Lio Rush) in Raw's first WWE World Cup quarterfinal match. As Lashley attempted to perform a spear in Rollins, Rollins leaped over Lashley and then performed "The Stomp" on Lashley to win the match and advance to the semi-finals.

In the fourth match, Kurt Angle faced Dolph Ziggler (accompanied by Drew McIntyre) in Raw's second and the final WWE World Cup quarterfinal match. Angle performed a trio of suplexes on Ziggler for a near fall. Angle countered a sleeper hold by Ziggler with more suplexes. Ziggler performed a DDT on Angle for a near fall of his own. Angle performed an Angle Slam on Ziggler, countering for another near fall. Angle applied the ankle lock on Ziggler, however, Ziggler countered. In the climax, Ziggler performed a "Zig-Zag" on Angle to win the match and advance to the semi-finals.

Following the conclusion of all World Cup quarterfinals, The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) (accompanied by Big Show) defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) (accompanied by Xavier Woods). After Kingston and Big E took down Sheamus, Cesaro broke up the pin to void the pinfall. In the end, Sheamus countered an attack from Big E and shoved him into Show, who was standing on the ring apron. While the referee was distracted, Show performed a knockout punch on Big E, and Sheamus performed a "Brogue Kick" on Big E to retain the titles.

After that, The Miz faced Rey Mysterio in SmackDown's WWE World Cup semi-final match. Throughout the match, Mysterio sold the injuries sustained by Orton's previous assault. Miz countered a splash from Mysterio into a roll-up to win the match earning a spot in the finals.

Next, Seth Rollins faced Dolph Ziggler (accompanied by Drew McIntyre) in Raw's WWE World Cup semi-final match. Rollins and Ziggler exchanged a number of roll-ups for near falls. Rollins performed a suicide dive on Ziggler. Ziggler performed a "Famouser" on Rollins for a near fall. Ziggler countered a superplex combination into a "Zig-Zag" on Rollins for a near fall. Finally, as Rollins attempted a splash on Ziggler, McIntyre pushed Rollins from the top rope and Ziggler performed a Superkick on Rollins to win the match to advance and the finals.

In the ninth match, AJ Styles defended the WWE Championship against Samoa Joe. Joe dominated Styles early in the match and began to target Styles' knee, who in turn focused on Joe's injured knee himself. Joe performed a suicide dive on Styles outside the ring, sending Styles into the commentary desk. Inside the ring, Styles performed the "Calf Crusher" on Joe's injured leg but Joe reached the ropes. After that, Joe caught Styles in his "Coquina Clutch" submission hold. In the end, Styles performed the Phenomenal Forearm on Joe and pinned him to retain the title.

Following this, Braun Strowman faced Brock Lesnar (accompanied by Paul Heyman) for the vacant Universal Championship. Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin came out to present the title to the winner of the match. Before the match began, Corbin attacked Strowman with the title belt. Lesnar then attacked Strowman with three "F-5s", however, all three resulted in near falls. Lesnar performed another "F-5" on Strowman to the outside of the ring, forcing Strowman to beat a countout. Lesnar performed a fifth "F-5" on Strowman to win the vacant title. With this win, Lesnar became the first two-time Universal Champion.

The penultimate match was the final of the WWE World Cup tournament between The Miz and Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler arrived at ringside with Drew McIntyre, who was immediately removed from ringside. The Miz used this to get an advantage over Ziggler, however, he received a kayfabe injury which led to him unable to compete. This led to SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon taking Miz's place in the match. As the match officially began, Shane attacked Ziggler, however, Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin interfered only to get ejected himself. Ziggler then performed a "Zig-Zag" for a near-fall. In the end, Shane pinned Ziggler following a "Coast-to-Coast" to win the match, the WWE World Cup, and trophy.

### Main event

In the main event, D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) faced The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) in Michaels' first match since 2010, as well as the first time that the two tag teams ever faced each other. Kane blocked a "Sweet Chin Music" attempt from Michaels and countered with a chokeslam. Later in the match, Michaels floored Taker with a successful "Sweet Chin Music". During the match, all four men brawled, leading to the outside ring area where Kane put Triple H through an announce table. Michaels performed a moonsault from the top rope on Undertaker and Kane outside the ring. Triple H performed "The Pedigree" on Taker, who countered into a submission hold. The end came when Michaels performed another "Sweet Chin Music" on Kane, followed by a "Pedigree" from Triple H, who pinned Kane to win the match. During the match, Triple H was legitimately injured, suffering a torn pectoral muscle.

## Controversy

As had already been the case with the Greatest Royal Rumble, WWE came under scrutiny for catering to a state accused of severe human rights abuses, leading a war of attrition in Yemen and suppressing women's rights.

Due to restrictions on women under Saudi Law, female wrestlers have not been allowed to perform at WWE's events in Saudi Arabia, although female commentator Renee Young did provide commentary at Crown Jewel. Prior to the announcement of Crown Jewel, WWE announced its first-ever all-women's pay-per-view event, Evolution, which took place on October 28, 2018. Triple H, WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, as well as a current wrestler, denied that Evolution was intended to be a counterpoint for the all-male Saudi Arabia events, explaining that WWE's female performers "deserve[d] the opportunity" for such a showcase, and that it "was simply the right time for this to happen."

### Killing of Jamal Khashoggi

In wake of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents, WWE faced calls to cancel the event, with prominent U.S. Democratic and Republican politicians criticizing the company's endeavors in Saudi Arabia. Questions were raised whether because of the position of Administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon, who is the wife of WWE CEO Vince McMahon and a former WWE executive herself, WWE's endeavors in Saudi Arabia could still be viewed as a strictly private business enterprise. Due to this, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez urged the US government to pressure WWE into canceling the event, while Republican Lindsey Graham, among others, called for WWE to reconsider their business deal with the Saudi kingdom. English comedian and political commentator John Oliver also weighed in on the controversy on his show Last Week Tonight, criticizing WWE for what he saw as blatant pro-Saudi propaganda.

Knox County Mayor and professional wrestler Kane, who was scheduled to compete in a tag team match, announced he would work at the event, contrasting reports that the majority of WWE's wrestlers felt uncomfortable working the show. Former WWE wrestler John Layfield spoke on Fox News in favor of the event in order to promote change, while current WWE wrestlers Randy Orton, Ronda Rousey, and Mark Henry had similar remarks when speaking with TMZ. On the other hand, John Cena, who was scheduled to participate in the WWE World Cup and had called it "an honor and a privilege" to compete in Saudi Arabia during the Greatest Royal Rumble, was replaced by Bobby Lashley, as he reportedly refused to work the show in wake of the Khashoggi murder. Daniel Bryan, who was scheduled to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, had his title match bumped up to the October 30 episode of SmackDown, and was replaced on the Crown Jewel card by Samoa Joe, as he too reportedly refused to work the show. In February 2019, Fightful reported that prior to his leukemia diagnosis, Roman Reigns, who was scheduled to defend the WWE Universal Championship, had also informed Vince McMahon and WWE officials that he would also refuse to work the show.

WWE continued to promote the show, but erased all references to Saudi Arabia as the event's location. On October 19, the day tickets were to go on sale, the Saudi government confirmed the death of Khashoggi within the consulate and WWE.com removed ticket information from the event page. On October 25, WWE confirmed the event would go on as planned, citing contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority. Speaking with Sky Sports on pushing forward with the event despite the murder, WWE CBO Stephanie McMahon spoke of "an incredibly tough decision, given that heinous act", but said that in the end it was strictly a business decision.

## Reception

The show received generally negative reviews from critics, with Shane McMahon's participation in the finals of the World Cup, the Universal Championship match, and the main event tag team match in particular receiving criticism. Adam Silverstein of CBS Sports gave the event a "C−" rating, describing that the show "failed as a normal event but at least had enough to talk about afterward", while finding the booking and WWE's long-term plans questionable. Bryan Rose of the Wrestling Observer described Crown Jewel as a show that ended "mercifully". Writing for Pro Wrestling Dot Net, Jason Powell viewed the event as a "cash grab" by WWE, and said that "Crown Jewel was gross for all the obvious reasons, including Vince McMahon doubling down on the controversy by bringing back Hulk Hogan." He did also note that the kickoff show had a quality match between Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Silverstein said that the main event tag team match between D-Generation X and The Brothers of Destruction offered "effort and nostalgia ... but not much more" given the wrestlers' age, resulting in them "operating at 50 percent of their prior capacity". Rose said that although Crown Jewel's main event was better than that of Super Show-Down's, which featured the same four men, Crown Jewel's main event was still "very plodding" and "long". Powell wrote that despite their efforts, "everyone involved came up short regardless of how much gushing the broadcast team did afterward", and the four veterans were instead "stealing the spotlight from the deserving full-time stars of yet another generation". In 2020, pro wrestler Chris Jericho named the match "the worst match I have ever seen".

The WWE World Cup Final was rated "C+" by Silverstein, who said it was "creative though a bit confounding". Powell felt that all of the tournament matches were "basic and brief", and that Shane McMahon had become "yet another heel authority figure" in WWE. In addition to the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match, Rose said that most of the tournament matches were "paint by numbers" or "nothing special", with only Ziggler-Angle "decent" and Ziggler-Rollins "pretty good". He also said that Ziggler-McMahon "couldn't be more destructive towards people that need a boost the most" – a sentiment he also felt about the Universal Championship match – while a "McMahon winning [the WWE World Cup], which was to crown the best in the world, feels like an allegory for something."

For the two world championship matches, Silverstein gave the Universal Championship match a "D+" rating. They said that Brock Lesnar's win was a positive, but it was wholly outweighed by "no offense from [Braun] Strowman". Powell was positive of the match, stating that it was a good decision to not rush Strowman into winning a world title. For the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, Silverstein and Jorgensen gave it a "C+" rating for being "relatively slow". Rose said that it "was good while it lasted, but they've had better matches."

Crown Jewel was awarded WrestleCrap's Gooker Award, an annual booby prize for the worst gimmick, storyline, or event in wrestling. In their induction, the website stated that the event "was a bad idea from day one". The site also noted that if were not for the final three matches, Crown Jewel "would have been a passable, if completely tasteless, pay-per-view event". The event received awards in three negative categories at the annual Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards. The event itself was named Worst Major Wrestling Show, while the main event between The Brothers of Destruction and D-Generation X was named Worst Match of the Year. Furthermore, the business ties between Saudi Arabia and the WWE were recognized as the Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic of the year. Shawn Michaels described the event as a "glorified house show" that was, in his opinion, insignificant.

## Aftermath

After his interference in the Universal Championship match, Braun Strowman sought revenge against Baron Corbin. After chasing him through the arena during the next Raw episode, Stephanie McMahon struck a bargain with him a week later: if he ceased attacking Corbin until after Survivor Series and led "Team Raw" to victory, he would be granted a match against Corbin and another Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar, and could freely determine the stipulations in either match. At Survivor Series, Strowman eliminated four of the five members of "Team SmackDown", leading his team to a decisive victory. On the following Raw, he was granted his match against Corbin at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, which he chose would be the namesake match. If Strowman won, he would be granted another Universal title match against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and Corbin would be stripped of all authority, but if Corbin won, he would become the permanent Raw General Manager. At TLC, an injured Strowman defeated Corbin with the assistance of Heath Slater, Apollo Crews, Finn Bálor, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, and Kurt Angle, to challenge Lesnar again at the Royal Rumble and stripping Corbin of all authoritative power. However, as punishment for damaging Vince McMahon's limousine, he was stripped of his title opportunity, which was largely caused by Corbin, leading to a match at Elimination Chamber, which Corbin won thanks to assistance from Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley.

The involvement of Shane McMahon in the WWE World Cup final was used as a build-up towards Survivor Series. It drew heavy kayfabe criticism from various wrestlers on the Raw roster. Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin accused Shane of stealing the World Cup from Raw and of having massively abused his power. The same statements were reiterated by Dolph Ziggler, who called Shane's actions a conspiracy, and his partner Drew McIntyre. Both wrestlers proclaimed Ziggler to be the "true best in the world". Furthermore, Stephanie McMahon called her brother's actions "an insult to the entire Raw locker room."

As The Miz had originally qualified for the final, he took credit for Shane's victory and subsequently demanded to captain "Team SmackDown" at Survivor Series, to which Shane McMahon and Paige obliged, naming him co-captain along with Daniel Bryan. Bryan and Miz then named Shane as part of "Team SmackDown" on the grounds of him winning the World Cup; Bryan was then removed from the match after winning the WWE Championship from AJ Styles. During the men's Survivor Series match, Shane eliminated Ziggler, who kept on referring to himself as the "best in the world", but could not help his team overcome Braun Strowman, who almost single-handedly eliminated most of his team. Altogether, SmackDown suffered a clean sweep on the pay-per-view, only winning the tag team match on the pre-show.

The Miz also began a pursuit to form a tag team with Shane McMahon, again painting Shane's win of the WWE World Cup as a team effort. However, their tag team, branded by Miz as "The Best Team in the World", lost its debut match to a duo of local competitors after a roll-up to Miz. At the Royal Rumble, Shane and Miz defeated The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, holding the titles for three weeks, before losing to The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. After failing to recapture the tag team championship the following month at Fastlane, Shane attacked The Miz, thus ending their partnership and turning heel for the first time since returning to WWE in 2016. Shane incorporated the "Best in the World" moniker and trophy as an integral part of his heel gimmick. The two fought at WrestleMania 35 in a falls count anywhere match and again at Money in the Bank in a Steel Cage match, in which Shane narrowly won both.

## Results

### WWE World Cup

The WWE World Cup was an eight-man single-elimination tournament to determine the "best in the world". Four participants came from Raw and four participants came from SmackDown. Participants from Raw and SmackDown faced opponents of their own brand until one member of their brand was left, after which, the finalist from Raw faced the finalist from SmackDown. John Cena was originally announced as a direct participant on account of his previous achievements in WWE, but was replaced by Bobby Lashley after he legitimately refused to work the show in wake of the Khashoggi incident.

## See also

- 2018 in professional wrestling

WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

Wrestling Observer Newsletter award winners