WWE Crown Jewel 2023: Reviewing the Action

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thejointstaff/31607983606

Crown Jewel 2023 delivered an action-packed night of professional wrestling in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 4th November 2023. With an exciting card, we witnessed some thrilling matches, upsets, and a few surprises along the way.

The main event took a turn away from Seth Rollins, this time featuring Tribal Chief and Bloodline leader Roman Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against LA Knight.

Seth Rollins was once again defending the World Heavyweight Championship on the card, alongside Rhea Ripley who took on a Fatal 5-Way match for her Women’s World Championship title. Damage CTRL’s Iyo Sky and the masked wrestler Rey Mysterio also defended their WWE Women's Championship and United States Championships against Bianca Belair and youtuber Logan Paul.

It wasn’t only title defences taking place, with the card also seeing Sami Zayn take on JD McDonagh, The Judgement Day’s Damian Priest against “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, and Solo Sikoa against WWE Legend John Cena. 

Fight 1: Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh

In the opening match of the night, Sami Zayn and JD McDonagh squared off to settle their ongoing feud in their third match against each other. Zayn took control of the majority of the match and was the crowd favourite from his walkout to the end of the match. Although the middle of the match took a slower pace after McDonagh took a hit to the neck on the bottom rope, it picked up again and allowed Zayn to execute a Blue Thunder Bomb and defeated McDonagh by pinfall.

Fight 2: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Championship

The second match of the night saw a high-gear battle for the World Heavyweight Championship. The battle once again saw Rollins battling with his back injury, although this did not stop him from securing the win. McIntryre put up an incredible fight against the champion and maintained the upper hand throughout the majority of the match, with Rollins having to execute a superkick, a Pedigree and a Stomp to win the final three-count and retain the title. 

However, this was not the end of the match, as we finally saw The Judgement Day’s Damian Priest attempt to cash in the Señor Money in the Bank briefcase . Unfortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful as he was ambushed by Sami Zayn, who escaped into the crowd with the case before it could be cashed. So the question still remains, when will Priest cash in?

Fight 3: Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s World Championship - Fatal 5-Way Match

The start of the match saw Nia Jax immediately get out of the ring, a wise choice for the wrestler when she has prior conflicts with all of her opponents. The moments she was in the ring saw all four of her competitors working against her in moments of alliance before returning to battling each other. The most entertaining moment of the match was given to Shayna Baszler, who put champion Rhea Ripley and rival Raquel Rodriguez into ankle locks while choking out Nia Jax. The match saw Zoey Stark narrowly avoid winning the title, but ultimately Ripley slammed Stark into Rodriguez and Baszler with a Riptide before pinning Baszler to retain the title. 

Fight 4: John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa

The fourth match of the day saw The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa take on the legendary John Cena. The match took a slower pace than some of the others on the card, with Cena avoiding early attempts of the Samoan Spike from Sikoa. However, the tables began to turn as Sikoa took the upperhand, marking him as a powerhouse as he cut short many of Cena’s attempts to regain control. Sikoa finally took the win with multiple Samoan Spikes, marking the biggest win of his career so far. 

Fight 5: Logan Paul vs. Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship

In the eighth match of his career, Logan Paul took on Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship. Paul’s lack of experience in the ring showed in places during the match, he showed a willingness to execute more unexpected plays. The match also saw an appearance from Santos Escobar, in an attempt to remove Paul’s brass knuckle wielding sidekicks from the ring area. However, Paul managed to kick out of Mysterio’s Code Red before retrieving brass knuckles from the side of the ring where they had been abandoned by Escobar. The brass knuckles ultimately led to him gaining the victory over Mysterio to win the United States Championship. 

Fight 6: Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair for the WWE Women’s Championship

The second womens match of the night saw Iyo Sky defend her championship title against Bianca Belair, who has returned from a three month hiatus. The match saw Bianca attempt to take revenge against the champion, who won the title by cashing in her Money In The Bank Briefcase on Belair at Summerslam earlier this year, moments after Blair won the title herself. Damage CTRL member Bayley came out to support Iyo Sky, which did not work out in her favour as she accidentally struck Bayley. However, the match also saw the surprise return of Kairi Sane, who knocked down Belair and set Sky up for the match-winning Moonsault, allowing her to retain the title.

Fight 7: Damian Priest vs. Cody Rhodes 

The penultimate match of the night saw a heated match between Cody Rhodes and The Judgement Day’s Damian Priest. The fight left the ring, with Rhodes sending Priest into the announcers table. This saw some back and forth, with Priest responding with The Reckoning and Rhodes countering with his iconic Cross Rhodes. It wouldn’t be a Judgement Day match unless the other members of the group got involved, this time with the match seeing interference from Finn Bálor, Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh that was countered by Rhodes’ tag team partner, Jey Uso. However, the interference from the Judgement Day wasn’t enough to secure the win for Priest, with three Cross Rhodes securing the win for Cody.

Main Event: Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

The main event saw the Tribal chief Roman Reigns defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship title against LA Knight. The match went back and forth between the two stars, with Knight hitting some of the larger moves as the match started to turn in his favour. However, the match also saw inference from Bloodline members Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso, with Sikoa being removed by WWE officials and Knight putting Uso through the announcers table before being driven through the barricades by Reigns. Reign dragged Knight back into the ring before executing a final Spear to retain the title.

In conclusion, Crown Jewel 2023 had its share of highs and lows, with several memorable moments. The event provided exciting matches and showcased the talents of WWE's top superstars. While some interference-heavy matches felt somewhat predictable, the overall show offered plenty to enjoy.