On this day in 2018: WWE held inaugural Crown Jewel in Riyadh

On November 2, 2018, WWE staged the inaugural Crown Jewel premium live event in Riyadh, featuring Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Kane; the card included a Universal Championship match for the vacant title and a D-Generation X versus Brothers of Destruction main event.

The date coincides with an upcoming November 2 episode of Raw in Brooklyn that is set to be notable, with John Cena returning to make a special announcement and several storylines building toward Crown Jewel. That episode — promoted as a key show ahead of the pay-per-view event — is expected to feature Roman Reigns’ involvement and other high-profile matches.

The Universal Championship at Crown Jewel had been advertised as a triple-threat involving Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman, but Reigns relinquished the belt after announcing he was battling leukaemia, leaving the title vacant. Lesnar and Strowman instead met for the vacant Universal Championship, a contest that saw Baron Corbin interfere and knock out the referee, allowing Lesnar to seize control, deliver five F-5s and pin Strowman to capture the Universal Championship for the second time.

The pay-per-view’s main event was a tag match that reunited D-Generation X — Triple H and Shawn Michaels — against The Brothers of Destruction, The Undertaker and Kane. Michaels returned to in-ring action for the first time since his WrestleMania 26 encounter with The Undertaker in 2010; during the match Triple H suffered a serious pectoral injury and Kane experienced an equipment malfunction when his mask and wig came loose. D-Generation X prevailed after Triple H pinned Kane, marking a successful return to the ring for Michaels, though the bout drew considerable criticism and was widely viewed as a disappointing end to the show.

Other notable moments on the card included Hulk Hogan’s return and AJ Styles retaining the Men’s Championship with a victory over Samoa Joe to continue his championship reign. Shane McMahon won the WWE World Cup after replacing Miz in the contest, The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championship by defeating The New Day with assistance from Big Show, and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Rusev to retain the United States Championship; the report added that Rusev is rumored to be back in WWE while Nakamura already had a strong storyline in the promotion.

Eight years after that event, the article noted changes to several careers: Lesnar, Stroman, and Kane have retired from active wrestling, Triple H currently serves as WWE’s Chief Content Officer and has largely stepped away from regular in-ring competition, and Shawn Michaels is Senior Vice President of Talent Development and Creative and plays a major role in developing NXT talent. Reports have also suggested that Michaels could receive a bigger creative position in 2027, and The Undertaker moved into a backstage role and is involved with AAA as its Head of Creative.

The November 2 episode of Raw will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with a special start time of 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT, and John Cena is expected to provide further details about the inaugural John Cena Classic, which he introduced during his Backlash 2026 appearance.