Thoughts on WWE Crown Jewel 2026: This was a really strong show overall

I know that a lot has been written about this event over the last month: Should WWE go? Should it postpone the event or move it? Some fans and critics were angry at WWE for going forward with the event despite the danger it represented. But the fact of the matter is that the event did take place, and WWE took every security measure possible to make sure everyone could get in and out of Saudi Arabia without any incidents. The show happened without a hitch, everybody is safe and back in the States as we speak, and WWE produced a really good show.

While I understand why some fans would decide not to watch the show for political reasons, which personally makes no sense to me considering those same fans aren’t boycotting any other product that does business with the Saudi government, and pretty much everything we consume has Saudi money behind it, I decided not to skip this show. Quite frankly, I had a really good time watching it, and I just want to share some quick thoughts on the event.

First of all, while I liked the fact that they didn’t force Michael Cole and Corey Graves to make the trip, I did notice that they had some problems at the beginning. However, they quickly fixed them, and the commentary was properly synchronized.

Now, onto the card itself.

The opening match was Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, and quite frankly, this was one hell of a Last Man Standing match. The crowd clearly chose who they wanted to cheer for, as Orton was clearly the fan favorite in this match. However, that didn’t matter, as the crowd was really into the action, which made it a lot easier to get invested in the match. In the end, Cody finally got his revenge on Orton, and that was the right ending. I just hope Orton is okay after he caught the side of the steel steps during the third Cross Rhodes.

The second match was the tag team title match, and again, this was a really fun tag team match. Je’Von Evans has a really bright career ahead of him, as he has a lot of charisma and is one hell of an athletic wrestler. I loved the ending, with Oba Femi returning to destroy Bronson Reed, which the crowd popped huge for. Having Penta and Je’Von win the titles was a nice surprise, and I’m happy for Je’Von, who finally won his first championship in WWE.

The third match was Liv Morgan vs. Chelsea Green for the Crown Jewel Championship. Personally, this was the match that I thought cooled down the crowd. Nothing against Liv and Chelsea, but the way this match was booked exposed a lot of Chelsea’s weaknesses as a wrestler. Liv is clearly the superior wrestler, while Chelsea, although good, can look a little clumsy at times. Anyway, while it wasn’t the greatest match in the world, it still delivered a strong story of Chelsea being the underdog and outsmarting Liv to get the win.

The post-match segment was what everybody will be talking about, and I thought it was really well done. First, they had the classic title presentation with Triple H, followed by Chelsea giving her heartfelt speech before getting attacked from behind by Liv. Then Tiffany Stratton came from behind and clocked Liv with the briefcase, which made the crowd pop huge. When Chelsea took out Judgment Day, they made fans think that Tiffany would cash in on Liv. However, in a surprising turn of events, she clocked Chelsea with the briefcase and cashed in on her to win the WWE Women’s Championship, turning heel in the process. This is something I’ve been waiting for since she was called up, as I think Tiffany’s character works better as a heel than a babyface. Now I’m interested to see how this story develops on Friday and how the American fans will react to Tiffany Stratton.

Finally, it was time for the main event: Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn for the men’s Crown Jewel Championship. We all knew that Sami would be the bigger babyface in that match because he’s a megastar in Saudi Arabia. Roman didn’t seem to mind, as he approached the match like a face vs. face encounter. The match went like a typical Roman Reigns match, which means it was a really slow-paced contest with plenty of ups and downs that took you on a ride. In the end, Roman won while making his opponent a bigger star in the process, which is what happened again here. Sami came out of this match looking like a credible champion and a top star rather than just a midcard guy holding the WWE title. That’s what really mattered here.

In the end, this was a really strong show overall. The matches delivered great action and surprising moments. The remote production didn’t hurt the show too much, and while the atmosphere wasn’t as strong as it would have been if they hadn’t moved the event for security reasons, it was still pretty good considering everything. I feel sorry for the fans who missed this show based solely on their opposition to WWE working with the Saudi government, but that’s another story that deserves its own column someday.

WWE stood its ground with this show and decided to go ahead with it. The company took all the necessary safety precautions, including moving the event to a smaller arena, offering hazard pay, and using a skeleton crew. Everybody got out of there safely, and that’s all that matters.