WWE loves its international premium live events, and the eighth one of the year took place on Saturday with Crown Jewel 2024.
Now a staple in WWE’s fall calendar, Crown Jewel was held in Saudi Arabia for the sixth time since its inception in 2018. It was one of the biggest cards of 2024 with seven matches, the most since SummerSlam in August.
The biggest matches of the day were the inter-brand matchups between Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, as well as Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, with the winner of each match capturing the newly unveiled Crown Jewel title.
Two titles − the United States and Women’s Tag Team Championships − were defended, and three singles matches with some heated rivalries took place, including the old Bloodline facing the new Bloodline.
Here is the recap of highlights and analysis for Crown Jewel 2024:
WWE Crown Jewel Championship match: Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. World Heavyweight Champion Gunther
The main event of the night pitted the top two champions of the men’s division, and both Cody Rhodes and Gunther started a technical battle to kick off the match. When it looked like one star was going to get the advantage, the other countered and the crowd was loving every second of it. A great spot was when Rhodes went for a bionic elbow, only to receive a chop from Gunther and ‘The Ring General’ mocking a Rhodes’ celebration.
Eventually, Gunther was the one to take the first real advantage of the match, unleashing his grueling assault on the ‘American Nightmare.’ Rhodes’ back was clearly hampering him during the onslaught, and when he took Gunther off the top rope to try and change the tide, he was hurting bad. Gunther had a tight grip on the match and he went on his mission to make Rhodes pass out in a sleeper. When Gunther lost his hold and tried it again, Rhodes countered with a Cross Rhodes to end the threat.
When they got up, Gunther executed a power bomb that has put many people away, only for Rhodes to kick out. Rhodes suddenly found the energy to take every chop Gunther tried, and he landed another Cross Rhodes; it didn’t result in a successful pin. Rhodes signed it would take one more Cross Rhodes, and when it looked like things would go bad with another sleeper attempt, Rhodes got out of it and got Gunther’s shoulders down for a pin and get the victory.
The two champions shook hands after the match as Rhodes was crowned the WWE Crown Jewel Champion.
Analysis: Rhodes and Gunther proved why they are WWE champions when they put on a clinic of what the top dogs in the company should look like. Gunther showed off his dominance while Rhodes had the flair and quick hitting ability.
It was hard to see either champion taking a loss in this, and while the roll up finish may leave a sour taste in the mouth, it is likely was the best path to victory as a case could’ve been made for either star. The acknowledgement between Rhodes and Gunther showed both of them understand the greatness in each other, and that’s what fans should do. Now that this mini-feud for the event is over, both stars can go back to defending their actual titles against solid competition. But after this performance, it’s hard to envision either of them falling before the calendar flips.
The premium live event wasn’t the best one of the year, but it was a solid showing with a seven-match card. Yes, there may be some questionable decisions, but there weren’t too many disappointments to overshadow the day.
Cody Rhodes makes his entrance
Cody Rhodes’ has one of the most electric entrances in WWE, and it was no different in Saudi Arabia. The crowd inside Mohammed Abdo Arena let it be known they know all the lyrics to ‘Kingdom.’
Triple threat match for United States Championship: LA Knight (c) vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes
Carmelo Hayes and Andrade made sure to tee off on each other before getting the champion into the mix, and once it was a true triple threat match, then things got wild. Andrade showed off his high-flying skills while Hayes showed his impressive skills of speed and power.
Even though he is the champion, it took some time for LA Knight to do anything meaningful in the match, and a double-elbow drop was a nicely done move to get some highlights of his own. Hayes saw an opening when he landed the Nothing But Net on LA Knight, and the pin would’ve won it for him if Andrade didn’t stop the pin.
Andrade and Hayes tried to end the match against each other, and the champion found a crack. LA Knight perfectly executed a BFT on Hayes that also got Andrade, and he pinned Hayes to retain the title.
Analysis: A thrilling match that really allowed the challengers to shine, the energy and tempo was excellent in this one. You have to appreciate all of the effort each star puts into their performance.
LA Knight did great in allowing his opponents to shine as they have done in each of their previous battles. However, it’s hard to see his reign ending at this point. He has become a working champion, something the previous title holder didn’t do much of. It wouldn’t be a total shock to see Andrade or Hayes dethrone LA Knight in the future, but it will be some time before then.
Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is clearly fed up with his former friend, attacking Randy Orton before the match began with a chair. After that, all hope was lost for anything to get under control.
Orton had a fire lit in him by matching Owen’s energy and not holding back to assault his former friend. Referees, officials and even the general managers tried to stop the carnage, only to get caught in it. Owens delivered a stunner to the referee and even Monday Night Raw’s Adam Pierce received an RKO.
The fight went into the crowd, and after using some equipment to hit the ‘Viper,’ Owens delivered a diving elbow off the stairs to Orton that completely took out both stars. It was a shock, and it ended with a match that never even happened.
Analysis: That was chaotic. Clearly, there is no love lost between the once good friends, and a match didn’t even take place. Orton took a big bump and it looked like he took some serious damage in the brawl, and it’s likely that he’ll be sidelined for some time. That will allow Owens to solely focus on getting his revenge on Cody Rhodes. When the Undisputed WWE Champion leaves Crown Jewel, he’ll have his next title opponent waiting for him.
WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship match: WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan
In the first champion vs. champion of the night, it was the WWE Women’s Champion that took the early advantage, using her power to control the match against Liv Morgan. After Jax was trying to deliver an early Annihilate-her, Morgan countered it with a power bomb.
That’s when Tiffany Stratton emerged and Ms. Money in the Bank was getting ready to cash in her contract on someone. When she handed it to the referee, Jax got up and questioned what her ally was doing. She then told her to leave, but Stratton opted to stay. When Stratton tried to cash in again, Raquel Rodriguez emerged and stopped Stratton from potentially cashing in on the Women’s World Champion.
When Morgan and Rodriguez tried to confront Stratton, Jax surprised them and took them all out. With Jax closing in, Dominik Mysterio distracted the referee and allowed Rodriguez to knock down Jax. With her down, Morgan used an Ob-Liv-ion to get the pin and win the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship.
Analysis: This match outcome was very easy to see coming, it was just going to be a matter of whether an actual WWE title was going to change hands. Mysterio and Rodriguez will always have Morgan’s back, and they came up big time to get a monumental win for their fellow member of The Judgement Day. Now, Morgan is certified as the best women’s star on the roster, and her emotional response was a sweet moment on what is a rather evil-leaning star.
What was surprising was Stratton not cashing in her Money in the Bank contract. It was perfectly set up for her to turn her back on Jax and dethrone her, but it ended up not happening. It’s now pretty tough to predict when she will cash in her contract, and hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be a waste of a potential star.
Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed
How much do these guys dislike each other? Reed wasn’t even down the ramp before Rollins attacked him to get the action started. Only after some punishing shots did the match finally get in the ring to begin. Once the bell rang, Reed immediately went for a tsunami and when he went for the second one, Rollins moved out of the way and executed a curb stomp. He went for the pin and Reed kicked out.
Reed spent some time delivering punishing blows to Rollins, not allowing many opportunities to get out of it. Even when Rollins would counter something, Reed didn’t allow the momentum to swing out of his favor. Reed looked like his was closing in on a victory, but each pin attempt was met by a kick out. It would take several tsunamis to take Rollins down, but ‘The Visionary’ would get out of the way to avoid it.
Reed chased him outside of the ring, and he fell right into Rollins’ trap. He took him down and delivered a curb stomp on the steel steps, and when he got Reed inside the ring, Rollins went to the top turnbuckle and launched himself for a major curb stomp. The ‘big’ Reed went down and Rollins pinned him for the victory in a brutal contest.
Analysis: The pure distaste between Reed and Rollins made great television, and it translated into a great match. The frenzy that it was showed off the best version of both stars. Reed is proving to be more than just a power wrestler, and he has plenty of potential to become a singles champion. A win would’ve catapulted him toward that path, but his stock shouldn’t take a dramatic fall with the loss, just as long as he gets booked corrected.
As much as Reed would have gained from taking down a big-time star, Rollins badly needed a victory after continuously falling short on premium live events. He’ll stay as a main event talent and now will have his eyes set on big goals as he is headed toward the road to WrestleMania.
Fatal-four way tag team match for WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair (c) vs. Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven
Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky started the action, setting the tone for their match in great style, similar to their battle at Backlash in 2023.
Damage CTRL were the stars early, even if a spot on the turnbuckle was botched. Even when the action got chaotic as expected, Kairi Sane and Sky executed a beautiful InSane elbow and Over the Moonsault combination. The champions took everyone out and Jade Cargill tried to get a pin in, but it was quickly thwarted. Each team then unleashed their own set of impressive moves, but Piper Niven mistakenly took out Chelsea Green. It gave the champions enough time to captialize with a Doomsday Device on Niven to take her down and for Belair to get the pin to retain the titles.
Analysis: A match that gave each team a chance to show off their skill, it was Damage CTRL that really shined in this one, with Sky and Sane proving they are still among the top performers in the sport. However, the defending champions strength still overpowered every other team to do enough to retain.
The women’s tag team division is still being heavily carried by Cargill and Belair, and they need a legitimate challenger to come in and try to dethrone them. It seems like the champions are headed toward a WrestleMania match against each other, so a team will soon have to take the titles and prove to be worthy doing so.
Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu)
The match started with Tonga Loa and Jey Uso, and Uso quickly went to his brother to bring the dynamic tag team duo back. The twin brothers quickly took advantage and forced Solo Sikoa to huddle his team together. However, Jey Uso opting to not tag Roman Reigns in showed there are still some things to figure with the old Bloodline, and the distraction was enough for the new Bloodline to get on offense.
The momentum shifted back-and-forth the next few minutes, and when Jey Uso was down, he finally tagged in Reigns for his first action in the match. He met with Sikoa in the middle of the ring and the ‘OTC’ quickly went to work on his rival. Reigns tried to end the match with a Superman punch and spear, only for Sikoa to counter it with a Samoan spike. Sikoa went for the pin, but Jimmy Uso broke it up in time.
While the carnage went out of the ring, Reigns tried to end the match against Sikoa, only for Tonga to get the referee out. That’s when Fatu went to work on Reigns with a brutal assault. By the time the referee got back up, Sikoa delivered multiple Samoan spikes to Reigns to get the pin and remain the Tribal Chief.
Reigns and company tried to fight back after the match ended, but the effort was unsuccessful. The new Bloodline inflicted more damage on their opponents, and when they were going for the crushing blow to Jay Uso, Sami Zayn emerged.
He stood across Sikoa, surprised him with an attack and the rest of his old friends came to help him out. Sikoa was surrounded in the middle of the ring and when Zayn tried a helluva kick, Sikoa dodged it and inadvertently hit Reigns. An argument ensued while Zayn left in confusion.
Analysis: A perfect match to start the night. There were never any lulls in the action and the crowd was very much into seeing the next chapter of The Bloodline.
The result made sense; the new Bloodline is clearly still dominant and has the numbers advantage. There are still some kinks to work out with the Usos, but it was somewhat surprising to see Sikoa get the pin over Reigns to assert his dominance over the ‘OTC.’ The rivalry is going to carry into the end of the year, and the old Bloodline was still one person short from being able to compete. The emergence of Zayn − even though it wasn’t entire successful − announced the old Bloodline finally has the fourth person it needs to go up against their adversaries. A WarGames match is certainly brewing for Survivor Series between the two sides, and the teams are all but set up now.
Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso make entrance
Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso made their epic entrance together.
When is Crown Jewel 2024?
Crown Jewel 2024 is Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. ET.
Is there a Crown Jewel 2024 preshow?
WWE will air a Crown Jewel countdown show at 11 a.m. ET on YouTube and its social media platforms.
Where is Crown Jewel 2024?
Crown Jewel 2024 is taking place at Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
How to watch Crown Jewel 2024: TV channel, streaming
The event can be streamed on Peacock, but you must have their premium or premium-plus subscription to watch. Internationally, it will be available on WWE Network.
Crown Jewel 2024 match card
Matches not in order
WWE Crown Jewel Championship match: Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. World Heavyweight Champion Gunther
WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship match: WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan
Triple threat match for United States Championship: LA Knight (c) vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes
Fatal-four way tag team match for WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair (c) vs. Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven
Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu)
Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed
Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
James H. Williams Crown Jewel 2024 predictions
Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther: A big-time matchup between the top two champions here but I don’t see a way where one is getting a clean victory over the other. To keep both champions strong, I’d expect to see some level of interference here. Winner: Draw.
Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax: Morgan has things working in her favor coming into this match. She will likely have members of the Judgement Day by her side. She won’t have to worry much about Rhea Ripley, who suffered an injury early in the week while at NXT. Also, we have to see where Tiffany Stratton fits into things as the Money in the Bank briefcase holder. Winner: Liv Morgan.
LA Knight (c) vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes: I’d have to keep an eye out for Carmelo here. He could find himself walking out as a new champion, if WWE wants to use the opportunity to add a boost to a up and coming star. Winner: Carmelo Hayes.
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair (c) vs. Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven: I don’t see Jade and Bianca losing the titles just yet. I think they retain the titles but I’d expect Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson to have an impressive showing as they continue to make a name for themselves on the main roster. Winner: Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair.
Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu): Roman and the Usos are back together despite all that’s happened over the last few years but I expect Solo and The Bloodline to capitalize on the numbers advantage in this one. Winner: The Bloodline.
Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed: Reed has been looking to make a statement over the last few weeks and there’s no better opportunity for him to make one than against a former world champion like Rollins. This one has the potential to be the best match of the night. Winner: Bronson Reed.
Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens: Owens hasn’t been happy with some of his friends as of late including Orton. I expect Owens to continue playing mind games with Orton and get the better of him in this matchup. Winner: Kevin Owens.
Jordan Mendoza Crown Jewel 2024 predictions
Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther: This will be a clinic in technical wrestling that should bring out the best out of each other. While Gunther has been such a dominant force in anything he does, it’s hard to see the WWE champion falling in a match that doesn’t have big implications. Winner: Cody Rhodes.
Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax: Liv Morgan is riding high while Nia Jax has been somewhat shaky with her reign. There’s a great opportunity for Tiffany Stratton to cash in her Money in the Bank contract, and it happens against her soon-to-be former friend. Winner: Liv Morgan.
LA Knight (c) vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes: LA Knight has helped bring back some prestige to the United States title, becoming a solid champion. The rivalry between Hayes and Andrade will make this match compelling, but the champion retains. Winner: LA Knight.
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair (c) vs. Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven: Cargill and Belair are on an eventual collision course against each other, and Saturday is a great opportunity to break them away from the titles and plant the seed for a rivalry. A duo flying under the radar is Sane and Sky, who continue to be excellent in the ring and bring Damage CTRL more gold. Winner: Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky.
Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu): The original Bloodline being together will be great, but there is still a piece missing in their quest to overthrow the new Bloodline. This feud is far from over, and Jacob Fatu plays a big role in his team getting the victory. Winner: The Bloodline.
Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed: Don’t be surprised if this match steals the show. These two stars have held nothing back whenever they meet, and this one will be a chaotic mess that results in Rollins getting back into the main event picture. Winner: Seth Rollins.
Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens: Owens is on a warpath while Orton is trying to stop it. Trying to knock some sense into Owens will be Orton’s downfall. Winner: Kevin Owens.
Crown Jewel stage
The stage for Crown Jewel looks similar to year’s past with a massive screen from where the wrestlers will make their entrance from.
Crown Jewel champions to get ‘Super Bowl-like’ rings
When Cody Rhodes faces Gunther and Nia Jax takes on Liv Morgan, they’ll be competing for more than Crown Jewel championships.
WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque said on Friday the winners of the match will receive a “massive Super Bowl-like” ring. Since the event is now an annual event, stars will get the chance to collect multiple rings as well.
