On November 2nd 2018, World Wrestling Entertainment aired ‘WWE Crown Jewel 2018’ LIVE on PPV from the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This PPV featured the WWE return of ‘The Immortal’ Hulk Hogan (who acted as the host of the event), a ‘World Cup’ tournament featuring old school legends Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Rey, Mysterio, Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon, as well as Brock Lesnar wrestling Braun Strowman for the vacant Universal Championship.
But first and foremost, this event highlighted the in-ring return of WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, who retired from professional wrestling after losing the WrestleMania 26 main event in 2010, and always said he would never ever wrestle another match.
The Heart Break Kid reportedly made $3 million for this match, which was paid by the Saudi Prince in order to get Shawn to come out of retirement.
During the main event, Triple H tore his pec, but continued to wrestle and managed to finish the match.
Here are the results from that night:
&#8211; WWE World Cup Quarterfinal: Rey Mysterio defeated Randy Orton
&#8211; WWE World Cup Quarterfinal: The Miz defeated Jeff Hardy
&#8211; WWE World Cup Quarterfinal: Seth Rollins defeated Bobby Lashley
&#8211; WWE World Cup Quarterfinal: Dolph Ziggler defeated Kurt Angle
&#8211; SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Bar (c) defeated The New Day to retain the titles
&#8211; WWE World Cup Semifinal: The Miz defeated Rey Mysterio
&#8211; WWE World Cup Semifinal: Dolph Ziggler defeated Seth Rollins
&#8211; WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) defeated Samoa Joe to retain the title
&#8211; Vacant Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman to win the title
&#8211; WWE World Cup Final: Shane McMahon defeated Dolph Ziggler to become the &#8216;Best In The World&#8217;
&#8211; 20 Years In The Making: D-Generation X (Triple H &amp; Shawn Michaels) defeated The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker &amp; Kane)

Shawn Michaels’ Salary For Coming Out Of Retirement 8 Years Ago Today

December 19 is currently the leading contender for the John Cena Classic, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.
If WWE selects that date, the event would run head-to-head with AEW’s Worlds End pay-per-view. Meltzer pointed to WWE’s packed December calendar as the key factor.
NXT TLC is already set for December 12, the same day as Wrestlepalooza in Australia. December 5 remains a possible alternative, while December 26 appears unlikely due to existing house shows, including one at Madison Square Garden.
The date is not yet official. John Cena is scheduled to appear on this week&#8217;s RAW at the Barclays Center (special 6 p.m. ET start) and has promised to end the speculation by revealing full details about the Classic.

John Cena Classic Could Clash With AEW Worlds End

On the Double Coverage Podcast, Cody Rhodes shut down rumors that he pitched to lose the Undisputed WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre in early 2026:
&#8220;The conversations that take place X, specifically, they only take place there. If you could just take that one step back, get out of your bubble and look at the product, none of this is real. These stories are wildly made up. Here’s how I knew it had gotten crazy.
There was a story that I had pitched to lose the title (to Drew McIntyre), and now I saw somebody referencing this. It was like eight months ago. They were saying, ‘Well, don’t forget when he pitched it.’
If you ever hear a story of a wrestler pitching to lose the title, you should know right out of the gate they’re lying. There’s a difference between an old man figuring out who his last opponent is, but no wrestler has ever said, ‘Yeah, I want to lose the title.’ My gosh, that’s the meal ticket. You never want somebody to take it from you. Don’t pitch it.
I saw that being talked about as if it was actual evidence, and I thought, ‘Oh, man, I wish you knew.’ You know, I wish you guys knew that these conversations are just here. They’re just here. Come to a show, and you will see.&#8221;

Cody Rhodes Shuts Down Rumors He Pitched To Lose WWE Title To Drew McIntyre

WWE has been making a concerted effort to create viral moments and generate organic social media buzz from its non-televised live events, aiming to give fans a stronger incentive to attend house shows.
Recent events have featured unexpected booking decisions that immediately caught the attention of the wrestling community. A prime example came during a recent house show in Youngstown, Ohio, where Intercontinental Champion Chad Gable scored a clean, shocking pinfall victory over CM Punk.
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Chad Gable defeated CM Punk at last night&#39;s WWE Live Event <a href="https://t.co/NBzNz3lplN">pic.twitter.com/NBzNz3lplN</a>
&mdash; WrestleFeed (@WrestleFeedApp) <a href="https://x.com/WrestleFeedApp/status/2116090233955766418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
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CM Punk puts over Chad Gable <a href="https://t.co/cv9sErkDu8">pic.twitter.com/cv9sErkDu8</a>
&mdash; WrestleFeed (@WrestleFeedApp) <a href="https://x.com/WrestleFeedApp/status/2116090648466239699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
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In addition to Gable&#8217;s upset win, WWE also leaned into festive, buzzworthy programming by booking special Halloween-themed matches to keep the crowds entertained and talking online.
According to Fightful Select, these moments are not accidental. Rather than treating house shows strictly as routine exhibitions with predictable finishes, WWE is deliberately staging memorable angles and genuine surprises. Management hopes that by showing fans that anything can happen when the cameras aren&#8217;t rolling, it will drive ticket sales and keep live event attendance strong going forward.

Why WWE Booked Chad Gable To Defeat CM Punk

Speculation has circulated across social media regarding Jordynne Grace’s standing with WWE, particularly after fans noticed changes to her social media profiles and her recent return to competitive bodybuilding.
According to Fightful Select, Grace is still very much under contract with WWE. While fans pointed out that references to WWE were missing from her social media bio, that detail is not a recent development and has been the case for months.
Her absence from WWE programming is also completely unrelated to her bodybuilding endeavors. Grace is not off WWE TV because she chose to compete; rather, because WWE creative currently has no active storyline plans for her, she had the available time and freedom to train and step back onto the bodybuilding stage.
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Back on stage.
Surprise 💪🏼 <a href="https://t.co/7L35oPzvg5">pic.twitter.com/7L35oPzvg5</a>
&mdash; Jordynne Grace (@JordynneGrace) <a href="https://x.com/JordynneGrace/status/2101396451347636409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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For now, Grace remains on the WWE roster, waiting for creative plans to take shape for her eventual return to SmackDown.

Jordynne Grace Has Not Left WWE

Dave Bautista is taking over the lead role of Kratos in Prime Video&#8217;s live-action &#8220;God of War&#8221; series, stepping in after original star Ryan Hurst tore his biceps during a stunt accident in late June, according to Deadline.
Following the injury four months into shooting, Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television chose to completely recast the character and throw out all previous footage to start fresh. Filming will restart from the very beginning this mid-October in Vancouver, with director Frederick E.O. Toye returning to helm the first two episodes.
Batista noted in September that he has started bulking up to play the role of Kratos. Here&#8217;s what he posted:
&#8220;3rd week in to weight training again. 2 more months to get to where I need to be. Like ridin a bike! LFG!&#x1f4aa;&#x1f3fd;&#8221;
He also shared the following video:
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Batista is turning back into The Animal <a href="https://t.co/LdyYEVisV5">pic.twitter.com/LdyYEVisV5</a>
&mdash; WrestleFeed (@WrestleFeedApp) <a href="https://x.com/WrestleFeedApp/status/2095426131918983241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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In an update, Batista revealed that he has gained 20 pounds and weighs 250 lbs now:
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Batista has put on 20 pounds and weighs 250 lbs now <a href="https://t.co/fRvRCdEQPE">pic.twitter.com/fRvRCdEQPE</a>
&mdash; WrestleFeed (@WrestleFeedApp) <a href="https://x.com/WrestleFeedApp/status/2117015929217511579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Batista Gains 20 Pounds, Weighs 250 Lbs Now For “God Of War” Series

On his Marking Out with MVP &amp; Dwayne Swayze podcast, MVP shared deeply personal details about his childhood and the steps he has taken to heal from lifelong trauma.
Reflecting on how he historically handled pain and loss, MVP explained that he grew up in an environment where men were expected to stay silent about their struggles. He opened up about the severe adversity he faced at an early age:
&#8220;I&#8217;m a man of my time, you know. You deal with it. You don&#8217;t complain, you don&#8217;t cry, you don&#8217;t talk it out, you deal with it. And you know, I was abused as a child. Physically abused, $exually abused. Got beat up a lot. Then, you know, was in the streets, gunplay, violence. Saw my best friend get shot and killed at 15. Did my own dirt, can&#8217;t take back. Then at 16, went to prison for 10 years. I grew up in prison. I went from being a teenager to a man in prison.&#8221;
MVP revealed that for decades, he simply boxed up those traumatic events and tried to move forward without ever addressing them. However, that unresolved pain eventually surfaced in unexpected ways, including panic attacks during flights that felt so intense he believed he was suffering a heart attack.
Those experiences led MVP to talk with AEW&#8217;s mental health counselor, Chris Manzione, who provided a perspective that changed his approach to mental health:
&#8220;Chris Manzione said that we all have a reservoir for trauma. Like a dam, if you don&#8217;t release some of that water, that water is going to find a way to get out, it&#8217;s going to start coming through. He said some of the anxiety that I was experiencing&#8230; that&#8217;s that compartmentalized trauma that we as strong, manly men just put away. If you don&#8217;t confront it, if you don&#8217;t deal with it, it&#8217;s going to come out. And he said to me, &#8216;You, my friend, have a 50-year reservoir of trauma built.&#8217; That was my impetus for therapy.&#8221;
MVP credited regular therapy sessions with helping him finally process his past, noting that carrying emotional weight in silence is not healthy. He strongly urged other men to shed the old stigma surrounding mental health:
&#8220;It&#8217;s okay to go and get help. It&#8217;s okay to talk to somebody. It&#8217;s okay, because sometimes people snap because they don&#8217;t deal with it&#8230; it just builds up. I&#8217;ve seen Mike Tyson cry several times, and who&#8217;s going to tell him he&#8217;s crying about his feelings? That man&#8217;s a savage. It&#8217;s okay to talk about it. It&#8217;s okay to cry.&#8221;

Shawn Michaels’ Salary For Coming Out Of Retirement 8 Years Ago Today

John Cena Classic Could Clash With AEW Worlds End

Cody Rhodes Shuts Down Rumors He Pitched To Lose WWE Title To Drew McIntyre

Why WWE Booked Chad Gable To Defeat CM Punk

Jordynne Grace Has Not Left WWE

Batista Gains 20 Pounds, Weighs 250 Lbs Now For “God Of War” Series

MVP Says He Was $exually Abused As A Child, Started Therapy In AEW