Brock Lesnar returning for WWE's Saudi Arabia shows has become the norm, mainly because the former WWE Champion scores a massive payday. However, with Crown Jewel set to take place there next weekend, it's obvious The Beast won't be in attendance.
The last time we saw him was at SummerSlam when he lost the rubber match in his feud with Cody Rhodes. It was a memorable rivalry and one which further established the American Nightmare as one of WWE's top stars.
As for Lesnar, we expect him to be back in time for January's Royal Rumble and the Road to WrestleMania. However, the fact he's not part of Crown Jewel is noteworthy due to the fact he's appeared on every single show there since the deal was made between WWE and the Saudis in 2018.
We're not discounting a surprise appearance, PWInsider Elite is reporting that the feeling in WWE is that the show's card featured enough "attraction" matches - including names like Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Logan Paul - that Lesnar wasn't needed.
Instead, the thinking is that he should be saved for another big show in a different market down the line.
It makes sense and shows the difference between Triple He's style of booking a wrestling show and Vince McMahon's approach of throwing everything at a wall to see what would stick.
During last night's RAW, Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest was added to Crown Jewel after the babyface was brutally attacked by The Judgement Day member. You can see some highlights from that altercation below.
Here's Crown Jewel's current confirmed match card:
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Seth "Freakin" Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Women's World Championship - Fatal Five-Way Match
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match
Roman Reigns (c) (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. LA Knight
United States Championship Match
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Logan Paul
Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest