WWE Crown Jewel: Perth was a noticeable improvement on the previous month’s Wrestlepalooza, according to those at ESPN. Reviewing the Australian event, ESPN’s Andreas Hale gave Crown Jewel: Perth a B grade with the following explanation.
“A show that stumbled out of the gates with a relatively tame street fight and a far too brief affair between women’s champions was rescued by an absolutely stellar match between Cena and Styles that put an excellent bookend to their rivalry. Rollins finally getting his comeuppance against Rhodes — by any means necessary — and the women’s tag match were both strong and anchored a memorable bounce back for WWE after a middling Wrestlepalooza.”
Hale added that John Cena Vs. AJ Styles was the clear standout match of the night. He described it as “a love letter to wrestling” and awarded the match an A grade. The bout saw both men pay tribute to past rivals in what was Cena’s final match competing outside of the United States.
Hale had previously given Wrestlepalooza a C rating, criticizing the show’s lack of surprises and failure to deliver on its promised hype. Many saw this as a bad omen for WWE’s partnership with ESPN and believed that a more favorable review would have been given.
With Crown Jewel: Perth in the history books, WWE’s attention will now turn to Survivor Series: WarGames in November. It remains to be seen what ESPN makes of the show, the first of the ‘Big 5’ that will be part of the ESPN deal.