Joseph Staszewski
Wrestling
Published November 4, 2023, 10:01 PM ET
WWE has positioned itself well for Survivor Series, but has expressed many doubts about John Cena’s immediate future with the company following the events of “Crown Jewel.”
Only one championship changed hands on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when Logan Paul defeated Rey Mysterio to become U.S. champion, but on a night where Roman Reigns’ match didn’t really turn heads, there were plenty of meaningful ones stories.
Here are five insights from Crown Jewel:
Is your time up?
John Cena’s future in WWE has never been more uncertain.
The 16-time world champion is 46 years old and has hinted that his time in the ring is coming to an end, and that moment may seem closer than ever after Cena was destroyed and beaten clean by Solo Sikoa.
In the biggest win of Sikoa’s career, Cena picked up four full Samoan Spikes and a few more short ones as The Bloodline’s enforcer held him lifeless at his feet before pinning him.
Cena, who had his moments but was a step behind for most of the match, did an excellent job of nurturing young talent in the latter stages of his career.
Solo Sikoa prepares for a Samoan Spike against John Cena.WWE
After a squash match that Cena described as an absolute victory and a measure of where his skills now stand, he didn’t leave his boots in the ring to officially announce his retirement, but his matter-of-fact body language certainly showed he would think about it . Maybe the only way out for him is if the actor’s strike ends.
In any case, he received a standing ovation from the Saudi audience.
A distraught John Cena after his defeat at WWE Crown Jewel. WWE
While this doesn’t feel like the way Cena – who hasn’t won a match since 2018 – will turn out, WWE is clearly writing a redemption story for her retirement, perhaps for WrestleMania.
Tired and true
LA Knight did nothing wrong in his main event match with Roman Reigns and showed that he belongs in the ring with WWE’s biggest star.
But this confrontation will not be included in the ranking of Reigns’ most memorable clashes during his historic reign, as the interference required for his victory is increasingly diminishing and this time it took much less time than usual.
A “CM Punk” chant broke out.
The undisputed WWE Universal Champion received help from Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. The latter put his cousin’s foot on the rope just in time after Knight hit his Blunt Force Trauma finisher. Knight only threw out a Superman punch and a spear.
While it ties Knight in with the rest of the babyface that The Bloodline has screwed over for a possible Survivor Series WarGame match, if there is no angle post-match there is a risk that he will blend in with the rest and not advance If you are the umpteenth person it happens to, your talent is the same.
A bad day
Rhea Ripley was treated like an absolute star and had the best performance as two rows of Saudi men lined up on stage almost in awe of her. She then defeated Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax and Raquel Rodriguez cleanly to defend the women’s world title. Only Jax wasn’t involved in the finish, as Ripley Stark delivered a Riptide on Baszler, who attempted to submit Rodriguez. Maybe Jax will come back for a one-on-one match at some point.
But that’s where the immediate good news for Judgment Day ended.
JD McDonagh lost to Sami Zayn in an emotional match on the Kickoff show. Not only did Damian Priest lose to Cody Rhodes after Jey Uso fended off McDonagh’s attempted interference, but he also had his Money in the Bank briefcase stolen by Zayn after he was about to cash in against World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins to earn.
Sami Zayn walks away with the Money in the Bank briefcase.WWE
The potentially good news, with both sides now having real reasons to meet at WarGames, is that Drew McIntyre may finally have a reason to sign Ripley to join the group after they lost a pay-per-view opener to Rollins has.
Golden goal achieved
Paul is finally a WWE Champion – in only his eighth match – by defeating Mysterio with the help of brass knuckles and becoming US Champion. It happened in a way that led to a number of intriguing storylines involving Paul, Myterio and Santo Escobar.
A member of Paul’s “entourage” put the brass knuckles in his ring, but Mysterio was able to thwart his first attempt to use them.
When Paul’s friend tried to get her back, he was initially stopped by Escobar, Mysterio’s partner in the LWO.
But while Escobar pursued Paul’s helpers, he left the brass knuckles in the ring.
Paul was able to grab it as he was being set up for the 619 and hit Mysterio with a right hand as he tried to complete his finisher with a springboard move.
After the match, Paul tried to comfort Mysterio as if he had done nothing wrong, but the legend told him, “You know what you did.”
One wonders how high tensions will be between Escobar and Mysterio now. Was it a miscalculation that he kept his hands in the ring, or was it planned from the start out of lingering resentment that Mysterio took his place and won the US title in the first place?
Logan Paul is the new US Champion in WWE.WWE
Still, Paul appeared to save Mysterio from potentially serious injury by catching him in mid-air doing a springboard move before it appeared the legend’s head landed awkwardly on the mat. Kudos to Paul who had the ring awareness to pull this off.
Crazy surprise
There was a lot of talk about Kairi Sane likely returning with her STARDOM contract, and WWE couldn’t have done a better job. After Bayley’s outside help managed to keep WWE Women’s Champion Iyo Sky alive in her match with Bianca Belair, Sane jumped over the barricade with the referee distracted to attack Belair, saving Bayley from a KOD and the EST in the match to finally switch off.
Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky at WWE Crown Jewel.WWE
Belair rolled back into the ring and Sky got the win with her moonsault finish, followed by an in-Sane elbow from Sane.
Sain, Sky’s former tag team partner, returned as a heel with something special, unlike the pirate princess version we previously saw in WWE. This makes Damage CTRL even more dangerous for now. It gives WWE the opportunity to eventually cut a stunned Bayley from the group – as has been touted for some time – without completely disbanding Damage CTRL once Dakota Kai returns from injury.
Biggest Winner: Solo Sikoa, Logan Paul
Biggest loser: Damian Priest
Best hit: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre
Predictions: 6-1
Degree: b
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