The match WWE chose to open Crown Jewel was the Bloodline Civil War with Reigns’ and Sikoa’s respective versions of The Bloodline fighting in a six-man tag team match. Tanga Loa was not part of the bout but was still present.
The crowd in Riyadh went wild for The Original Tribal Chief and The Usos. The show’s intro and the entrances took a combined 20 minutes, so it took a while for the match to get underway.
Jey and Tama started for their teams and took their time taunting each other between moves. Jimmy got the first tag of the match and the first tag between The Usos in almost 18 months, but he only scored a two-count.
When Reigns asked for a tag, Jey tagged his brother instead. The signs of friction were beginning to show as Sikoa tagged in.
This contest was in line with most of what we have seen from The Bloodline since its inception. This wasn’t a work-rate match with the best chain wrestling or the most dangerous moves.
This was about the story they were telling. It’s the definition of sports-entertainment.
However, we don’t want to take anything away from the six competitors in the ring. Everyone put forth a great effort to make this fun, but it would be a lie to say it was the most action-packed and competitive bout from the PLE.
All that being said, this played out exactly the way it needed to. The new Bloodline was a cohesive unit while the OG Bloodline dealt with communication and trust issues.
The OTC and The Street Champ tagged in at the same time and began trading punches. Both men survived each other’s best shots, but it was Sikoa who emerged as the victor after taking out Reigns with three Samoan Spikes.
Sikoa and his crew continued to assault Reigns and The Usos after the match was over. Sami Zayn’s music hit and he marched his way to the ring. Sikoa held out his arms for a hug and wanted Zayn to join him, but the babyface unleashed an exploder suplex instead.
Zayn ended up accidentally kicking Reigns when Sikoa avoided the hit. Jey, Jimmy and Zayn argued while Reigns tried to recover.
Result: New Bloodline defeated OG Bloodline
Notable Moments and Observations
- The crowd was chanting “OTC” before Reigns’ music hit.
- It’s interesting that Jimmy came out with Reigns but Jey got his own entrance. He had to make a long journey through the crowd to get to the ring.
- Reigns smiled from the apron as he watched his cousins work in tandem.
- Fatu’s running hip strike looked nasty.
- The camera was at the wrong angle to see Jimmy break up a pin, so it looked like the ref just stopped counting for a second.
