Opening WWE Crown Jewel 2019 Odds: Velasquez Favored Over Lesnar, Strowman a Heavy Underdog vs Fury

• WWE Crown Jewel will take place at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on October 31st
• Despite last year’s installment receiving backlash from fans, WWE remains in business with Saudi Arabia
• How will the odds for each of the top matches on the card change between now and Halloween night?

None of WWE’s ventures over in Saudi Arabia have been well received by fans since the company’s first show there in April 2018, even though all of them have featured more star power than you’ll likely see at WrestleMania.

The upcoming installment on Halloween night is shaping up to be no different as multiple marquee matches are currently being advertised for the event.

To their credit, WWE has done a commendable job so far of making Crown Jewel feel important by booking matches that are sure to get the fan base talking. If they deliver, it almost won’t even matter if the undercard falls flat.

Courtesy of sportsbooks, let’s look at who fans are picking to reign supreme in each of the night’s three main events, and whether they are at risk of fluctuating between now and then.

WWE Championship Odds: Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez

*All odds taken October 19

Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez have history dating back to their days in UFC together. At UFC 121, Velasquez handed Lesnar a devastating loss inside the octagon and took his UFC Heavyweight Championship from him in the process.

Needless to say, The Beast Incarnate never forgot the beating he endured at the hands of Velasquez that fateful night.

He’ll be out for revenge at Crown Jewel, but according to the odds, Velasquez is expected to beat Brock again. Although it makes more sense for Lesnar to avenge the loss, this will be Velasquez’s grand in-ring debut for WWE, so it would be a disappointment if he was defeated decisively.

That said, it’s entirely possible Velasquez wins the match by disqualification but not the title. With the WWE Championship scheduled to be on the line, it would be a mistake for Lesnar to lose it so soon. In other words, a non-finish may be the way to go.

Once fans realize that Lesnar could feasibly retain his title via nefarious means, the odds will reflect it and even out.

Universal Championship Odds: Seth Rollins vs The Fiend

The finish to the first match that Seth Rollins and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt had against each other, at Hell in a Cell last month, was universally panned by fans, and rightfully so. If WWE wasn’t planning on putting the title on Wyatt, they should have never gone through with it to begin with.

The same can be said for their upcoming encounter in Saudi Arabia. Holding a rematch with the same outcome of Rollins retaining his title is foolish and would merely do more damage to The Fiend’s momentum.

There must be a reason why The Fiend is going for the gold for the second straight pay-per-view. Fans are aware of that based off how the odds are currently tied up, a rarity for WWE matchups.

The only way those odds will change is if it becomes more apparent in the next few weeks on WWE TV what Wyatt’s future will be beyond Crown Jewel. While he was selected by SmackDown in the 2019 WWE Draft, there’s still a chance he could wind up back on Raw and relieve Rollins of the Universal Championship once and for all.

Of course, that would be the best case scenario, but fans are better off not getting their hopes up in case WWE throws them for a curve ball yet again. If nothing else, the match will undoubtedly end with a winner this time with it being contested under Falls Count Anywhere rules.

Tyson Fury vs Braun Strowman

If you feel like you’ve seen this before, it’s probably because you have.

Big Show faced undefeated boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather at WrestleMania 24 and lost in convincing fashion. Almost a decade earlier, Shawn Michaels attempted to throw down with Mike Tyson but ended up looking up at the lights.

These are easily among the most lop-sided betting odds any WWE match has received in recent memory. Fans certainly are not wrong for siding with Tyson Fury over Braun Strowman, especially given how terribly The Monster Among Men has been booked by WWE for the past two years or so.

The buildup has been decent enough up to this point, but regardless of what more they do ahead of Crown Jewel in two weeks, there is no chance fans start buying in on Strowman to beat The Gypsy King. If anything, expect the odds to continue to fall in Fury’s favor before their bout finally comes to the fruition.