WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Preview
It’s that time of year again, as WWE sends its top stars off to face each other in a match for a ring that will barely be mentioned again all year and a title that doesn’t leave the country. If that sounds uninteresting, it’s only because it is, with WWE even already looking ahead to both Survivor Series and the John Cena Classic. That might be best for everyone as this show only has so much value, and we’ll avoid the elephant in the room with this show. Let’s get to it.
Raw Tag Team Titles: The Vision(c) vs. Penta/Je’Von Evans
This is a weird one so we might as well get it out of the way early. The Vision have held the titles for months and it feels like it’s been that long since they defended the things. Penta and Evans have been having their issues with the Vision but they aren’t a regular team. That doesn’t mean they can’t win the titles though, as Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso were in a similar place with Judgment Day a few years back.
You know what? We’ll go nuts and say the titles change hands here. There is no reason for the Vision to hold onto the things and there is always the chance that they can win them back very soon. Let Penta and Evans have a random title reign that doesn’t last long and shake the titles up a bit. They could all use it and odds are they’ll be fighting at Survivor Series in some way. Yeah sure why not. New champs.
Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes
Here we have what should be a major feud and…it just doesn’t feel like one. The promos have been fine, the premise works and they’re definitely stars, but there’s something lacking and it’s dragging things down. Maybe it’s that the whole point of this is CODY FINALLY PULLS THE TRIGGER isn’t the most thrilling idea but that’s all we’re getting here. The match should be good, but it’s only so interesting and that hurts a lot.
For the life of me I can’t imagine they would have Rhodes screw up again, but there is a way to have both things go right. I’ll go with Rhodes finally pulling the trigger but it doesn’t work (he could just miss with the Punt) and Orton takes him out. Orton wins here, which is a result that probably shouldn’t happen but I’m not feeling Rhodes at the moment and it would at least be a clever ending.
Women’s Crown Jewel: Chelsea Green vs. Liv Morgan
For the last few weeks, I’ve thought that Green needed the win more than Morgan. Then I watched this week’s Smackdown, where Green talked about how she wasn’t sure of herself and Morgan came out to mock her, with Green having no rebuttal. That changed my opinion a bit, as Green now has to win here or she’ll look like the most pathetic loser in recent history.
Thank goodness Vince McMahon is gone, as he would have Green lose here. Instead, I’ll take Green to win and prove that she belongs in a spot like this. Morgan is already established as the biggest non Becky Lynch name in WWE so there is no reason for her to go over here. Let Green win for the much needed (especially after Smackdown) boost, as otherwise both she and the title mean nothing for a good while.
Men’s Crown Jewel: Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns
This one has me a bit curious, as they’ve done a nice job of building things up. It’s similar to the Green vs. Morgan feud as Zayn feels a few steps beneath the other champion, but in this case he feels like he believes in himself more than anyone else. Throw in 946 and the likely WarGames match lurking around and Reigns doesn’t have that usual aura of invincibility around him.
The match is similar enough to the women’s version that I’ll go with the same result, as the Smackdown World Champion goes over. Zayn getting an ultra rare win over Reigns, even if it has shenanigans attached, is the right call and I could go for seeing him get that huge hero’s reception in Saudi Arabia again. Reigns will be fine and already has to deal with 946, so let Zayn have this one as he finds a new challenger.
Overall Thoughts
That’s it? Seriously that’s it? I know WWE doesn’t exactly max out their matches on pay per view anymore but this really doesn’t feel like a complete card. Maybe they’ll add something else on the Kickoff Show (it would be a good idea) but as it stands, this isn’t the most interesting show. That’s Crown Jewel in a nutshell though, as these things never feel all that important, especially with what’s coming in the next few weeks.
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