WWE has had some big international shows in 2023, and it was no different with Crown Jewel, the second show in Saudi Arabia this year.
Roman Reigns, Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins, Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky all head back to the U.S. with their titles, but a new champion emerged with Logan Paul snatching the United States Championship from Rey Mysterio in just his eighth match. The victory cements the social media star and shows he’s built for a bigger run in the company and is not just a part-time celebrity.
Overall, the show was spectacular, with the big surprise of the night being the return of Kairi Sane. And even with a loss, LA Knight secured a big win Saturday night. Yet there were still some odd and confusing moments sprinkled in.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Crown Jewel 2023:
The return of Kairi Sane
She’s back.
After leaving the company in July 2020, Sane made her long-awaited and triumphant return to WWE by coming to the aid of Iyo Sky in the Women’s Championship match against Bianca Belair. Most of the crowd seemed confused, or unsure, about Sane’s appearance, but the return was something WWE fans have been craving for months.
Sane aligning with Sky came as a shock, as it now puts the champion’s status with Damage CTRL up in the air. Questions will linger on whether she’ll stay with the faction or if she’ll form something else with her fellow Japan-native.
What we do know is that Sane is one of the best performers in the world, as she proved in NXT when she was one of the top stars in the developmental brand. Her first run on the main roster was great, and even though she left WWE on her own terms, fans wished they got to see her make a run toward a women’s title. It’s likely at some point we’ll see it, and fans will be tuned in to see the pirate dazzle every week.
But there was one slight issue with her return, which groups into a bigger issue from Crown Jewel…
Too many interferences
Sane’s return was a great spot, but it was one of the many matches of the night to have interference of some kind, which spoiled what could’ve been some great matches.
Paul and Mysterio were headed toward a great finish, but a friend of Paul’s came in to give him brass knuckles for the cheap win. After Sane appeared, The Judgment Day and Jey Uso got involved with Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest in a match that was on fire from the start. And, of course, Reigns got another win after The Bloodline interfered.
It’s without a doubt part of the business, and it’s nearly a given to happen at least once during a pay-per-view, but ending the show with four straight interferences is too sloppy, and messed with what could’ve been a near-perfect event. It’s also part of a larger problem with Reigns’ title matches, as fans can guarantee a non-clean finish now — and that’s quickly grown old with viewers.
This year, Reigns has defended his title five times. Of those five matches, only one — Elimination Chamber — didn’t have direct interference. It’s been established The Bloodline reigns supreme in WWE, but this is a way it can grow stale with an audience that is craving something new. Whenever Reigns defends the title next, a clean finish would be appreciated.
How Solo Sikoa − and LA Knight − were major winners
It wasn’t for gold, but Solo Sikoa received a huge boost in his career by defeating John Cena, in a clean finish no less.
Much has been made of how long John Cena will continue his WWE career, with him even admitting the end of SAG-AFTRA strike would pull him away from the ring. Mix that in with him not having a singles win in over five years and it seemed like the perfect recipe for Cena to possibly go out with a win.
Instead, Sikoa brutalized Cena with a fury of Samoan spikes before pinning him in dominant fashion. Since his debut on the main roster, Sikoa has been somewhat of an enforcer for The Bloodline, doing whatever Reigns tells him to do — which hasn’t given him many chances to shine on his own. The win was big for Sikoa because Cena did a great job of helping him get over.
By legitimizing Sikoa as a singles competitor, there could be some opportunities for him to have his own storyline away from his family, and continue to show how much brute force he has. Similar to what’s going on with The Judgment Day, he could even make a run at a title, adding more gold to the family.
On the other side, there was no chance LA Knight was going to upset Reigns on Saturday night. Yet, he had the whole crowd on his side, and his electric personality added an extra level to what already is a major match. It didn’t result in a win, but LA Knight showed he’s more than capable of performing on the big stage.
Will he win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship anytime soon? Likely not. But will he stay in the main event picture? Absolutely.
Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre put on a show
The opener turned out to be the best match of the show, as Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre put on a dazzling display to start Crown Jewel.
There’s always near pinfalls in every match, but this one had so many close calls that you never knew who was going to pull away with the victory. The amount of talent each star has made it even better, with counter after counter happening in several spots.
Since becoming the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion title holder at Night of Champions, Rollins has had the goal of defending the title as often as he can in hopes of building its prestige. Moments like Saturday will certainly do it. While the belt is not yet at the same level as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, it’s getting up there. Another match between these two would certainly be a treat.