WWE debuted the Crown Jewel Championships for the first time in Saudi Arabia, as the Men’s and women’s world champions from Raw and Smackdown faced each other in Champion x Champion matches. Crown Jewel saw Cody Rhodes defeat Gunther in a superb main event, using an inventive pinfall counter to Gunther’s deep strike, while Liv Morgan defeated Nia Jax after interference from Raquel Rodriguez and another failed MITB cash-in from Tiffany Stratton. They will go down in history as the first crown jewel champions.
All other champions also retained their titles. Jade Cagill and Bianca Belair retained their championships in a Fatal Four Way and LA Knight defeated Carmelo Hayes and Andrade to retain his US Championship. Seth Rollins defeated a bloodied Bronson Reed, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens’ fight couldn’t even start because of the explosion of violence from the knockout, and Solo Sikoa defeated Roman Reigns to win The Bloodline’s ‘Uncivil War’ Doubles match.
Sikoa soil and the lineage
Solo Pins Roman Reigns in Shocking Opening
The whole night was about the reunion between Roman Reigns and The Usos. Roman “yeeted” on Smackdown, the band is back and the party was in full swing. Even the audience had a “waiting for the good guys to win” look, loudly singing for Roman, but all of this is to ignore the efficiency, cruelty and quality of the new Bloodline. Solo Sikoa shocked the world by defeating Roman ReignsJacob Fatu has continued to look like pro wrestling’s biggest threat and everyone is about to take Bloodline’s new look a lot more seriously.
In a four-on-three post-match beatdown, Jey Uso was about to be permanently injured by his opponents before Sami Zayn made the save. After being openly anti-Roman, still having his fight with Jimmy Uso and being seen talking to Solo Sikoa in the parking lot of Monday Night Raw, Sami Zayn then caused more controversy by eliminating Roman Reigns.
They surrounded Solo in the middle of the ring, only for Roman and Sami to try to land the first blow and Sami to knock OTC down. Sami’s actions certainly caused many more questions than answers.
Cody Rhodes
Leaving no doubt about who the WWE protagonist is
Ilja Dragunov, Bron Breakker, Sami Zayn and now Cody Rhodes. This is the short list of men in WWE who have achieved a pinfall victory over Gunther, such has been the great Austrian’s dominance in recent years. As promised, Gunther caused his fellow champion to nearly pass out with his sleeper move, but Cody Rhodes’ elite ring IQ earns him the victory with a sensational roll-up to counter Gunther’s deep sleep. This decision truly solidifies Cody Rhodes’ reign and status as the best babyface in the company.
The title may be made-up nonsense that has no meaning, but this match showed why WWE had the ability to tease it for two Royal Rumbles in a row. Cody and Gunther have a natural magic with each other that is incredibly rareboth in terms of their natural fit as characters and their in-ring chemistry. This match was perfectly paced, methodical without being laborious and generated real intrigue about who would win. Their conversation at the final bell suggested there is a rich history between them in a more prestigious environment, but this was an electrifying first fight between these two future Hall of Famers.
Liv Morgan
Your First Female Crown Jewel Champion
Based on all the evidence 2024 has to offer, it really seems Liv Morgan is the most dominant wrestler on the WWE women’s roster. This victory over SmackDown champion Nia Jax is the latest chapter in this particular acquisition. The belt may mean nothing until it’s mentioned again on TV next October, but it’s a compliment and a statement of intent that Liv Morgan is seen as a major player in WWE’s future.
Morgan will be tested in the near future, but not by just one opponent. Rhea Ripley has been removed from service indefinitely and that leaves Liv in limbo. There are no top contenders on Raw and that means Liv will have to stay relevant with no obvious opponent in sight. Maybe someone will emerge from the shadows and generate momentum. It’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure.
The US Championship Match
The best match of the night
Sometimes all you need is to involve the characters in a story that makes sense and is no-frills professional wrestling. LA Knight retained his US Championship against the warrior duo of Carmelo Hayes and Andrade, but This was an occasion where everyone shone brightly. The end of this match was cleaner than a whistle and gave the impression that neither competitor had seen each other for the last time. A very good moment for the SmackDown mid-card.
Seth Rollins
A big win in Seth’s first match since May
In a year where his accumulated injuries reached critical mass, Seth Rollins was plagued by minor knocks that kept him out of the ring for much of 2024. This was only Rollins’ second match since WrestleMania and it’s a measure of the man that he would opt to face Bronson Reed without any kind of warm-up. The fact that he emerged victorious is an indicator that Rollins is still a major player at the top of the WWE food chain.
This feud with Australian wrecking ball Bronson Reed was a welcome detour that served them both well. Reed has taken the ball and run with it since he injured Seth on August 5th and Rollins looked like a badass as he defeated one of this year’s breakout stars. All the intrigue surrounding Seth Rollins now revolves around CM Punk and whether this rivalry will begin soon or will be kept on ice for WWE’s big move to Netflix in January.
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
The women’s champions are starting to feel immobile
A fun match saw Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair defeat opponents from Raw, SmackDown and NXT, Damage CTRL, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, and Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson, to retain her Women’s Tag Team Championship. There was a lot of personality on display throughout, as the members of Damage CTRL grew better into their role as faces with each passing week, and Chelsea Green and Piper Niven’s slapstick antics were perfect for this setting. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson’s powerful feats were particularly eye-catching.
As for tag team champions, Jade and Bianca are at a stage where they feel formidable. They fight champions and regularly defend their titles, but they show no signs of losing the titles anytime soon. Are there any competitors that seem remotely likely to unseat these two stars at this point?
Tiffany Stratton
Tiffy’s time is running out
Here’s an incredible statistic about the last four months. Tiffany Stratton hasn’t won a single solo match since winning the Women’s Money In The Bank briefcase in July, losing to Michin, Bayley and Naomi in singles competition and in two of her three tag matches. Stratton was belittled by the woman she aligned herself with, WWE Champion Nia Jax, and she seemed clueless in her looting attempts so far. To put it bluntly, things aren’t going Tiffany Stratton’s way at the moment.
The beauty of the MITB briefcase is that your luck can change in an instant, and it really looked like Riyadh might be the time for Tiffy to fight for the title, but again she begged. Whether winning the title or racking up some Ws, something has to change for TIffany Stratton. Your talent is undeniable and your future is golden. It’s just her gift that leaves something to be desired.
Randy Orton
No competition, but a lot of fun
There’s no doubt about it, Kevin Owens is currently the most interesting character in WWE. His righteous sense of anger is steeped in history, staying true to his word and watching as weaker men forgive and forget. Not knockout. Kevin Owens is on a vicious path of revenge that goes against anyone aligned with Roman or any part of the Bloodline, as Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes experienced to their detriment.
What makes Kevin Owens magnetic is his outrage. This is the Joker’s arc. Some men are interested in championships and working their way up to Hall of Fame speech and “some men just want to watch the world burn.” This match hasn’t even startedwhen KO attacked Orton with a chair before a bell rang and surprised the referee for trying to stop him from doing any more damage. Orton fought back, including RKOing Raw GM Adam Pearce for getting in the way, but was placed on a table outside a lobby after the two men fought in the arena. Owens was happier with Orton leaving in an ambulance than he would have been with a winsuch is their level of pain and revulsion. The man is a time bomb. Watch it explode in the coming weeks.
-
Roman Reigns came out with Jimmy Uso. Jey Uso came out last and had his own entrance. True recognition.
-
Cory Graves laughing at the power of Lash Legend lifting Kairi Sane was life-affirming.
-
Credit due to Seth Rollins. Your entrance jacket is the worst piece of clothing ever created.
-
Edward Liverhands, amirite?
-
This is the first time Gunther has been defeated twice in one year since joining WWE.
-
WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax has lost her last two singles matches
-
Next week’s episode of Monday Night Raw was taped right after Crown Jewel and features Seth Rollins, Damien Priest, Sheamus and Dominik Mysterio in a four-way number one contender’s match for the World Heavyweight Champion.
-
Bill Goldberg will have a WWE retirement match in 2025. Yes, you read that correctly.