Why Gunther vs. Finn Balor Was Left Off WWE Crown Jewel’s Final Match Card

Gunther’s reported decision changed WWE’s original Crown Jewel plans.© NDTV Library

Gunther vs. Finn Balor was supposed to be on WWE Crown Jewel, but it never made the final card. Dave Meltzer of F4W Online reports that Gunther decided against travelling to Saudi Arabia for the show, and multiple WWE sources reportedly backed that up, though there was some uncertainty internally while plans were getting discussed. Balor was also said to have reservations about the trip. Still, the internal belief was that he would have agreed to compete if Gunther had gone. WWE never formally announced the match before Crown Jewel took place on November 7.

Gunther's decision not to travel reportedly forced WWE to drop the planned singles match

Meltzer's report came out after the event, and it says the decision wasn't settled straight away. One source told him that“the situation went back-and-forth,” which explains why WWE's television segments kept pointing toward a singles match while the travel plans were still up in the air.

Meltzer added that Balor “would have gone if Gunther would have gone.” Separately, multiple WWE sources confirmed Gunther's decision, and other people inside the company believed the account was accurate.

The two had also crossed paths in a SummerSlam four-way to determine the next challenger for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Then on the October 30 episode of SmackDown, Balor brought back his Demon persona and attacked Gunther. Posters at Riyadh Season Stadium also advertised the pairing while the venue was being built, according to F4W Online's earlier report.

A separate WWE report gives a different explanation for the missing Crown Jewel match

There's another account of why the bout got left off. WRKD Wrestling said people within WWE felt the rivalry needed “further build” and that the four-match card was already enough.

That's different than Meltzer's report, which puts Gunther's decision not to travel right at the centre of the change. WWE has not publicly confirmed either explanation, so the two reports shouldn't be treated as one agreed-upon account.

Meltzer also reported that some WWE personnel believed declining Saudi appearances was no longer encouraged. That would make Gunther's reported choice an exception to what they understood as company expectations, according to the report.

The original lineup also had a six-man tag match, with Oba Femi, Je'Von Evans and Penta against Bron Breakker, Austin Theory and Bronson Reed. WWE instead booked Breakker and Theory against Evans and Penta, who won the World Tag Team Championships, and Femi and Reed also appeared during the match.

So Crown Jewel ultimately ran with four matches, and neither Gunther nor Balor wrestled on the show.