Roman Reigns and Logan Paul are touching down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Nov. 5. The undisputed WWE universal championship is on the line as the superstars of WWE make the long flight over for the Crown Jewel PPV event.
WWE’s Crown Jewel events are notorious for recruiting legends and outsiders for rare appearances, for better or worse. Shawn Michaels, Triple H, The Undertaker, Goldberg, Tyson Fury and Cain Velasquez have all previously appeared at the show. The 2022 edition takes a more measured, story-driven approach yet features Reigns defending his world title against social media superstar Paul. The main event is built around Paul’s desire to one-up his exhibition boxing match against Floyd Mayweather and the potential that he can land one lucky shot on Reigns. Paul impressed in performances at WrestleMania 38 and SummerSlam, but few expected him to receive a main event title shot so soon.
Also on the card is a real-life recreation of Godzilla vs. Kong. Two of WWE’s largest superstars, Braun Strowman and Omos, will test the durability of the ring when they exchange blows on Saturday. Other notable matches include Raw women’s champion Bianca Belair vs. Bayley in a Last Woman Standing match, and Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross in a steel cage.
Take a look below at the confirmed and predicted matches.
2022 WWE Crown Jewel matches
Undisputed WWE universal championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. Logan Paul: Paul made his first appearance since SummerSlam on an episode of SmackDown in September. Paul set his sights on the top and challenged Reigns. WWE hosted a press conference in Las Vegas on Sept. 17 that formally set the groundwork for Crown Jewel’s main event. Paul and The Bloodline have repeatedly traded barbs on episodes of SmackDown since.
The O.C. (A.J. Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) vs. Judgement Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest and Dominick Mysterio): Balor had spent weeks attempting to recruit his old friend Styles into Judgement Day. The villainous group gave Styles an ultimatum on Raw: either you’re with them or against them. Styles appeared and feigned allegiance to Balor. It was all a ruse to welcome Anderson and Gallows back into the fold. The two factions, each boasting Bullet Club alumni, will meet in a six-man tag team match.
Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley: There is unfinished business between Lesnar and Lashley. The two collided at the 2022 Royal Rumble in a WWE championship match that left something to be desired. Lashley emerged victorious to kickstart his second reign as WWE champion. Lesnar has not forgotten the taste of defeat. The former UFC champion made an unexpected return to Raw and leveled Lashley. The impact of the attack left Lashley vulnerable in his United States championship defense that same evening. Seth Rollins usurped the title from Lashley and avoided backlash as Lashley focused on Lesnar.
Braun Strowman vs. Omos: Much like Thanos vs. Galactus, there is only room for one destroyer in the WWE universe. Omos, flanked by his manager MVP, made it clear that Strowman was a target. Strowman officially challenged Omos on the Oct. 21 episode of SmackDown. Omos appears to have the upper hand, effortlessly shoving Strowman out of the ring in the first physical encounter between the two.
Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross (Steel cage match): McIntyre is on the warpath. Kross and Scarlett have repeatedly ambushed McIntyre since the duo returned to WWE in August. McIntyre was on the verge of defeating Kross in a strap match at Extreme Rules before Scarlett sprayed mace in McIntyre’s eyes. Tensions boiled over the following week on SmackDown after McIntyre laid out Kross with a car door. All this leads to a steel cage match at Crown Jewel that intends to cut off Kross from his lifeline Scarlett.
Undisputed tag team championship — The Usos (c) vs. Brawling Brutes (Butch and Ridge Holland): The Bloodline kicked their feud with the Brawling Brutes into overdrive on the Oct. 21 episode of SmackDown. After burying Butch and Holland under an announcer’s table, The Bloodline brutally attacked Sheamus’ left arm with two steel chairs. The severity of the assault should theoretically write Sheamus off TV and buoy a motivated Butch and Holland. This should be a fun follow-up to their solid tag team title match on the Sept. 23 episode of SmackDown.
Raw women’s championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley (Last Man Standing match): WWE announced a Raw women’s championship match between Bayley and Belair The booking comes after Bayley defeated Belair in a non-title match on the Oct. 24 episode of Monday Night Raw. Belair looked prime to defeat Bayley before Nikki Cross interfered and attacked everyone, opening the door for Bayley to capitalize.
Women’s tag team championship — Asuka & Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Damage CTRL: Asuka and Bliss beat Dakota Kai and IYO SKY on Raw to win the titles, now the former champions get their rematch at Crown Jewel. The two sides have had several prior run-ins with Asuka and Bliss backing Bianca Belair and Damage CTRL backing their leader, Bayley.
