I keep forgetting that this year’s Crown Jewel is in Australia. I’m definitely not waking up at 7:30 a.m. to watch it live, but I appreciate that I’ll be able to catch the PLE in the morning and still have the rest of my day free.
There are some good matches on this card, and I’m sure the Perth crowd is going to be hot. Plus, the SmackDown before Crown Jewel was solid, so that’s something. Either way, here are my thoughts and predictions for WWE Crown Jewel: Perth.
Some people say this match came out of nowhere. I get it, but not really. It reminds me of those Survivor Series brand versus brand years when everyone suddenly put on red or blue shirts. This feels like that, just with one of the nicest yet ugliest titles ever, the Crown Jewel Championship.
Cody Rhodes doesn’t lose often, but it makes sense here. He’s 3-0 against Seth Rollins since returning (WrestleMania 38, Backlash, and Hell in a Cell), and if WWE really wants Rollins to be the big bad, he needs this win, even if it’s for a belt we probably won’t see again until next year.
Also, I’m hoping Randy Orton costs Cody the match to kick off that storyline.
This is the match we should have gotten at Clash in Paris, but I’ll take it here. John Cena has been wrestling with purpose lately (that Sami Zayn U.S. Open match proved it). If we get that version of Cena and an AJ Styles who still has a little magic left, this could be great.
Cena hasn’t won in his last two matches, so I’m picking him to finally get one back and then hug it out with AJ afterward.
Tiffany Stratton’s title run hasn’t exactly been hitting. Stephanie Vaquer’s stock is up, Tiffany’s is slightly down, and Vaquer hasn’t been around much due to illness, so this feels like the right time for her to pick up the win.
And seriously, it’s time to turn Tiffany heel again.
I’m genuinely happy for Bronson Reed. I didn’t think he would reach the point of getting a one-on-one match with Roman Reigns, but here we are. If I remember right, he was miss the last time WWE toured Australia, so it’s great to see him get this home-country spotlight.
Roman should win, but if WWE is building toward War Games, I could see Reed stealing a win with some shenanigans from The Vision (and maybe a surprise new member).
I love what Asuka and Kairi Sane have going, and I hope Asuka yelling “Kairi!” continues to be a thing. But there’s no way Rhea “Bloody” Ripley loses in Australia. This one feels obvious, but it’ll be fun and the crowd will be all over it. Rhea and Iyo Sky win.
- WWE Crown Jewel Championship: Seth Rollins defeated Cody Rhodes
- John Cena defeated AJ Styles
- WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Tiffany Stratton
- Australian Street Fight: Bronson Reed defeated Roman Reigns
- Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky defeated Kabuki Warriors