WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Review
Cody Rhodes VS Randy Orton: Last Man Standing
WWE Crown Jewel 2026 kicked off with Cody Rhodes facing Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match! This feud has been going on since March, so I was pretty desperate to see this end as quickly as possible! There were some really good moments in this match, whether that be them brawling on the stage or Cody going flying through the announce table (after diving off a ladder)! Orton was the clear fan favourite here, with the crowd continuously booing Rhodes whenever The American Nightmare got on top! That would continue into the finish too, where Cody would stop the referee from counting to 10, just so Rhodes could nail Orton with a Punt Kick to make a statement! I can’t wait to see Cody acting like the big company Babyface again when we get to SmackDown next week!
Grade: B-
World Tag Team Championships: The Vision VS Penta and Je’Von Evans
With the crowd firmly behind them, Penta and Je’Von Evans looked to dethrone The Vision of the World Tag Team Championships! This was a great match; this was a lot of fun! The crowd were hot throughout, cheering the Babyfaces as both Penta and Je’Von got their own hot tags! Austin Theory was also doing great Heel work, with Maxxine Dupri watching on from ringside, as Bron Breakker tried to make a statement! Towards the end of the match, Bronson Reed would make his presence known, destroying both Evans and Mr. Money in the Bank, although that wasn’t enough for The Vision to retain! Oba Femi’s music would then hit, with The Ruler making his return to TV by nailing Reed with both an uppercut and an insane shotput throw off the stage and through a table! Penta would then take out Breakker, before nailing Theory with a crazy Mexican Destroyer, as Evans delivered an O.G. Cutter to get the win, meaning we do have brand-new World Tag Team Champions! What a year for Penta, whilst I’m super happy for Je’Von!
Grade: B+
Women’s Crown Jewel Championship: Liv Morgan VS Chelsea Green
The first of two marquee matches at Crown Jewel took place next as Liv Morgan and Chelsea Green went one-on-one for the right to be crowned as the 2026 Women’s Crown Jewel Champion! The story that WWE’s been telling throughout this feud continued into this match; Chelsea isn’t seen as a genuine Champion, so Liv continues to overlook her! Morgan would also outwrestle Green, with the commentary team stating that the pressure is simply too much for the WWE Women’s Champion to handle! Sadly, even though I don’t mind the story that was being told, the actual match itself wasn’t executed very well, with the pace feeling way too slow at times! Amazingly, Chelsea Green would actually manage to win this match via roll-up, with Triple H presenting Green in the ring with the Women’s Crown Jewel Title! Chelsea would then cut an emotional promo about how she finally made it to the top, only for Liv Morgan to attack her from behind! Tiffany Stratton would then seemingly arrive to cash in her Money in the Bank Briefcase on the Women’s World Champion, but when The Judgment Day got dealt with by Chelsea, Tiffany would nail “her friend” with said Briefcase! Stratton would then cash in on Green, nailing her with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to become a 2-time WWE Women’s Champion! Firstly, I’m glad that we’ve already gotten the cash-in out of the way, as I simply couldn’t handle watching any more failed cash-in attempts! Secondly, from a storyline perspective, this was very well done, with Tiffany coming across as a proper Heel again, particularly when she walked off with both Titles, whilst this will only make Chelsea an even better Babyface! However, you could also make the argument that this was a little bit rushed!
Grade: C for the Match, B for the Cash-In
Men’s Crown Jewel Championship: Roman Reigns VS Sami Zayn
And in the Main Event, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn left family matters out of it as they faced off for the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship! The crowd were pretty strong throughout this show, but they were particularly hot for this one due to Sami being somewhat of a home hero for the Saudi crowd! Roman Reigns is obviously the biggest star in the entire company, so the crowd was also pretty loud for him, even though he was working more as a Heel! Whilst the first part of this match was the standard slow pace we see in every Reigns match, it would pick up as both guys were determined to get the upper hand! Sami actually would’ve won the match had it not been for the referee getting knocked out, whilst another referee was deemed to have taken too long to get down to the ring as Zayn floored him with a Helluva Kick! Towards the end of the match, both Reigns and Zayn were exchanging reversals, with them both hitting Superman Punches, before Roman would eventually deliver not 1, but 2 Spears to get the win! After the match was over, Roman Reigns finally showed Sami Zayn the respect that Sami’s always wanted in a nice embrace, before Roman Reigns lifted the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship to close the show!
Comments