WWE Crown Jewel 2023: Roman Reigns Winning And 5 Smart Booking Decisions (2024)

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.

WWE Crown Jewel 2023: Roman Reigns Winning And 5 Smart Booking Decisions (2024)

FAQs

Did Roman Reigns lose his title at Crown Jewels in 2023? ›

Coppinger: Roman Reigns retained his WWE undisputed universal championship with a victory over LA Knight on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at Crown Jewel. WWE's top star, as usual, was aided by The Bloodline to retain the company's top prize for the 1,161st day, one of the longest reigns in history.

Who won between Roman Reigns and LA Knight at Crown Jewel 2023? ›

Roman Reigns defeated LA Knight, retaining the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship with help from the Bloodline at WWE Crown Jewel 2023.

Who won, Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes? ›

The 'Head of the Table' Roman Reigns returned at SummerSlam and took out Solo Sikoa, costing him a chance to grab the Undisputed WWE Championship, against Cody Rhodes, who retained his Championship once again.

Did Roman Reigns really lose his title? ›

leaving the page. beat Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40 Night 40. The loss marked the end of Reigns' remarkable reign, which began in 2020 and spanned over 1,000 days.

Will Roman Reigns be stripped of title? ›

Roman Reigns is stripped of the Championship for breaking WWE rules.

Who won the fatal 5 way Crown Jewel? ›

Rhea Ripley defeated Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Nia Jax, and Raquel Rodriguez in a Fatal 5-Way add WWE Crown Jewel in order to retain the Women's World Championship.

Who are the winners at Crown Jewel? ›

In the main event, which was the main match from SmackDown, Roman Reigns defeated LA Knight to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. In what was Raw's main match, Seth "Freakin" Rollins defeated Drew McIntyre to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, which was also the opening bout.

How many days has Roman Reigns been champion? ›

He is the former leader of The Bloodline stable and a member of the Anoaʻi family. Reigns's title reign of 1,316 days as Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion was the fourth-longest world title reign in WWE history and the longest championship reign since 1988.

Who is the current WWE champion? ›

Cody Rhodes

Is Roman Reigns coming back to SmackDown? ›

Roman Reigns makes his return to SmackDown: WWE Now, Aug. 9, 2024. WWE Now previews Roman Reigns' return, LA Knight's U.S. Title celebration, a WWE Tag Team Title No. 1 Contender's Tournament beginning and so much more.

Has Cody Rhodes won a belt? ›

At WrestleMania XL, Rhodes won his first world championship in the WWE: winning two world heavyweight championships simultaneously; as well as ending Roman Reigns' WWE Universal Championship reign of 1,316 days, in the process becoming a WWE Triple Crown winner.

Has Cody Rhodes won any titles? ›

Cody Rhodes: Bio

Son of the late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, the highly proficient Rhodes made his mark in WWE from 2007 to 2016 by capturing two Intercontinental Championships and six Tag Team Championships.

Did Roman Reigns keep his title at Crown Jewel? ›

Every other champion on the Crown Jewel 2023 card retained the title, though a few needed an assist to do so. Roman Reigns used an assist from Bloodline member Jimmy Uso to spear LA Knight through the barricade. Another spear back in the ring and Reigns kept his Undisputed WWE Universal title around his waist.

Did Roman Reigns vacate his title? ›

Roman Reigns Vacates Title Due to Medical Reasons.

Does Roman Reigns still have the universal title? ›

The current champion is Cody Rhodes, who is in his first reign. He won the undisputed championship by defeating previous champion Roman Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match at WrestleMania XL Night 2 on April 7, 2024.

Has Roman Reigns retired? ›

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