On September 17, 2018, WWE also scheduled the WWE World Cup, an eight-man tournament to "determine the best in the world." The tournament will consist of four wrestlers from Raw and four wrestlers from SmackDown.
History[]
The historic WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view will feature a monumental one-night World Cup Tournament, featuring eight of the top Superstars from Raw and SmackDown LIVE battling it out to determine the best in the world.
The first Superstar announced for the groundbreaking competition was none other than 16-time World Champion John Cena, whose tremendous accomplishments over the years have certainly earned him a place in the contest.
On the same night, Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin designed an impromptu Global Battle Royal, made of unique (although completely unknown talent) from all over the world, setting himself up to represent the United States. However, his scheme didn't go according to plan, as a mysterious masked Conquistador stole the victory from The Lone Wolf before revealing himself to be none other than WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, who was back from his “vacation.” Oh, it's true. It's damn true!
The first SmackDown LIVE Superstar to qualify for the competition is none other than Jeff Hardy. After the merciless beating he suffered at WWE Hell in a Cell at the hands of Randy Orton, The Charismatic Enigma reemerged with a new aggressive attitude. Capitalizing on the knee injury that Samoa Joe suffered at Super Show-Down, Hardy unleashed a fierce assault on his dangerous opponent until Joe could no longer continue the match.
Speaking of Orton, The Viper became the next Superstar to qualify by besting the returning Big Show on the same night. The Apex Predator will set his serpentine sights on what is sure to be an incredible field of Superstars at WWE Crown Jewel.
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins earned his place in the groundbreaking showdown by overcoming Raw Tag Team Champion Drew McIntyre after his Shield brother-in-arms Dean Ambrose neutralized the disruptive Dolph Ziggler.
Unfortunately for The Lunatic Fringe, when McIntyre interrupted his match against Ziggler, Rollins’ assist misfired, and The Showoff earned his way into the World Cup showdown.
The Miz qualified for his opportunity to become the best in the world by defeating Rusev on SmackDown 1000, thanks in part to Aiden English.
The final slot was decided later that night when the incomparable Rey Mysterio scored a huge victory over Shinsuke Nakamura in his thrilling return to in-ring action. The Ultimate Underdog is back!
Participants[]
Four participants will come from Raw and four participants will come from SmackDown. All eight participants have been confirmed.
| Wrestler | Date Qualified | Brand representing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt Angle | October 29, 2018 | Raw | Qualified by winning a battle royal as The Conquistador. |
| Jeff Hardy | October 9, 2018 | SmackDown | Qualified by defeating Samoa Joe via referee stoppage |
| Randy Orton | Qualified by defeating The Big Show | ||
| Seth Rollins | October 15, 2018 | Raw | Qualified by defeating Drew McIntyre via countout |
| Dolph Ziggler | Qualified by defeating Dean Ambrose | ||
| The Miz | October 16, 2018 | SmackDown 1000 | Qualified by defeating Rusev |
| Rey Mysterio | Qualified by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura | ||
| Bobby Lashley | October 29, 2018 | Raw | Replaced John Cena |
Tournament bracket[]
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||||||||||
| Raw | Seth Rollins | Pin | |||||||||||
| Raw | Bobby Lashley | 5:30 | |||||||||||
| Raw | Seth Rollins | Pin | |||||||||||
| Raw | Dolph Ziggler | 13:05 | |||||||||||
| Raw | Kurt Angle | Pin | |||||||||||
| Raw | Dolph Ziggler | 8:10 | |||||||||||
| Raw | Dolph Ziggler | Pin | |||||||||||
| SmackDown | Shane McMahon | 2:30 | |||||||||||
| SmackDown | Jeff Hardy | Pin | |||||||||||
| SmackDown | The Miz | 7:05 | |||||||||||
| SmackDown | The Miz | Pin | |||||||||||
| SmackDown | Rey Mysterio | 11:15 | |||||||||||
| SmackDown | Rey Mysterio | Pin | |||||||||||
| SmackDown | Randy Orton | 5:30 | |||||||||||