WWE Crown Jewel 2023, headlined by Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight for the Undisputed Universal Championship, is poised to continue the company’s impressive stretch of successful international events.
Over the past couple of years, major shows like Clash at the Castle, Elimination Chamber and Night of Champions have consistently shattered records, and Crown Jewel should be no different. The blockbuster pay-per-view, emanating from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, quickly sold out and even had to add more seats due to high demand for the star-studded show.
That’s further evidence of WWE’s hot streak, with 2023 being a banner year for the company. With Knight vs. Reigns and top acts like Logan Paul, John Cena, Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes all set for marquee singles matches, Crown Jewel is an important event to keep WWE’s momentum going just a few weeks ahead of Survivor Series.
And with these five smart booking moves, that shouldn’t be a problem.
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Damian Priest Loses To Cody Rhodes But Cashes In Money In The Bank
Cody Rhodes, likely headed for a WrestleMania 40 main event match against Roman Reigns, really shouldn’t be losing between now and then.
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At Crown Jewel, Rhodes will battle Damian Priest as his seemingly never-ending rivalry with Judgment Day continues. But it’s time for Rhodes to finally and firmly put Priest and Judgment Day in the rearview mirror, and the best way to do that is with a clean victory over Priest.
The current Money in the Bank holder, Priest has consistently proven that he can rebound after taking big losses, and given Rhodes’ expected trajectory, Priest needs to take another “L” in Saudi Arabia. That will pave the way for Rhodes to keep his momentum going over the next six months in route to an inevitable clash with Reigns.
Priest’s loss, however, would set him up for a career-defining moment later in the show: cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
Drew McIntyre Turns Heel After Loss To Seth Rollins
A Drew McIntyre heel turn has been teased time and time again in recent weeks,with WWE taking a slow-burn approach with the former world champion. Now, it’s finally time.
The only question is: What does McIntyre’s WWE future hold? It was recently reported that McIntyre still hadn’t re-signed with WWE, and with the company recently altering its approach to renewing contracts, it’s no lock that McIntyre signs a new deal. That’s what will make his World Heavyweight title match against Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel so compelling.
Does McIntyre lose clean? Does he turn heel? Does WWE throw a huge curveball? Well, in any case, the ideal scenario is for the Scottish star to lose decisively and then turn heel by attacking Rollins, giving him a much-needed character refresh and a better story to build a heated Rollins vs. McIntyre rivalry around.
This would also pave the way for Priest to cash in the MITB briefcase, ideally doing so successfully. Of course, this would position the beloved Rollins as the babyface challenger attempting to overcome not just one hated foe but two in Priest and McIntyre.
John Cena Defeats Solo Sikoa
John Cena hasn’t won a singles match in WWE since way back in 2018, which tells you all you need to know about why he should defeat Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel.
Yes, in some ways, Cena’s legacy is etched in stone, but will he be anything more than a novelty act if he continues to lose every singles match he has? That’s up for debate. The last time Cena won a one-on-one bout was April 2018 when he defeated Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.
While Cena certainly doesn’t need to mop the floor with Sikoa, a win for the 16-time world champion is now necessary. Cena has lost all of his recent singles bouts, against stars like Reigns, Bray Wyatt and even Austin Theory, so if WWE wants any of his future bouts to matter as much as they should, he needs to defeat Sikoa clean at Crown Jewel.
Sikoa, after all, has more than enough time to recover while any future Cena matches will be watered down if Cena continues to lose.
Logan Paul Wins The WWE United States Championship
Logan Paul has been absolutely fantastic in WWE, both as an in-ring performer and overall character, and he’s really settling in comfortably as a top heel.
Because he’s a part-timer, though, it remains unlikely that Paul will win a world title anytime soon. With Gunther holding the fort down for the Intercontinental title, that makes the United States Championship the next best thing. At Crown Jewel, Paul will battle a familiar foe in Rey Mysterio in what should be yet another stellar match for Paul and the one that finally gives him some gold.
Paul is a social media powerhouse who brings new eyes to the WWE product, so putting a belt on him is a no-brainer at this point.
LA Knight Loses To Roman Reigns—But Looks Strong In Defeat
With Reigns likely set for a rematch against Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, LA Knight is a huge long shot to pull off the upset at Crown Jewel.
That makes this a somewhat tricky booking situation for WWE. The creative team needs to keep the title on Reigns while ensuring that Knight’s incredible momentum isn’t halted. Convoluted, shenanigans-filled finishes have been the norm during Reigns’ title reign, and though they haven’t always been executed well, this is a scenario that necessitates it.
Something along the lines of Jimmy Uso or Sikoa interfering after a ref bump is the likeliest route and the most logical one. Knight—still WWE’s No. 1 merchandise seller—has to come out of this event still looking like the massive star he is, but unless WWE pulls off one of the biggest swerves in wrestling history, he isn’t leaving Saudi Arabia with a win.
That makes the execution of Knight’s expected loss of utmost importance—because a clean loss could halt his amazing momentum in an instant.
