WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan successfully defeated The Miz at WWE’s Super Show-Down event in Melbourne, Australia last month. As a result of the victory, Bryan earned himself the right to challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at the upcoming Crown Jewel event. However, it was later reported that Bryan refused to compete at the event, which caused the previously announced title match to be changed. Bryan took on Styles for the championship on SmackDown earlier this week instead, which ended with Bryan submitting. After the match was over, Samoa Joe ambushed Styles. WWE has since confirmed that Joe and Styles will now be facing each other in another title match at Crown Jewel tomorrow.
An update on the circumstances leading to Bryan’s decision against wrestling on Crown Jewel has just been provided. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter says that Bryan made the choice not to wrestle at Crown Jewel before the news of Saudi Arabian involvement in the recent death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bryan reportedly told company officials that he would not be coming back to Saudi Arabia following the Greatest Royal Rumble event in the nation earlier this year. Bryan is against the country’s treatment of homosexuals. Bryan also views that fact that Sami Zayn isn’t allowed to wrestle on the show as being racist. Bryan had also supposedly requested that he lose to The Miz during their match at Super Show-Down.
Starrcade will be returning very soon in the form of an upcoming WWE live event. Several of the top matches for the event had already been announced, but PWInsider reports that WWE has made few changes to their upcoming show. The Shield’s planned match against Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, & Dolph Ziggler has obviously been changed. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose will face each other in a Street Fight for the Intercontinental Championship instead now. Shinsuke Nakamura now will defend the US title against Rey Mysterio, and Braun Strowman will face Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler in a handicap match. Fans living near Cincinnati, Ohio will be able to experience Starrcade on November 24th.