WWE is heading to Saudi Arabia for the second time in 2024, and this go-around, Crown Jewel 2024 will feature a pair of champion vs. champion matches to crown two unofficial titleholders.
World Heavyweight Champion Gunther will battle WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in a colossal clash between two of WWE's biggest stars while WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax will go one-on-one with Women's World Champion Liv Morgan to determine the first-ever Crown Jewel Champions. WWE's latest pay-per-view from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is part of a massive 10-year deal that WWE is hoping to extend beyond 2028 when the current deal expires, and the company has assembled yet another strong card for this year's event, which also features a pivotal six-man tag team match between both sides of The Bloodline.
Most of the previous events held in Saudi Arabia have revolved around some sort of gimmick, whether that be the Greatest Royal Rumble or the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. This time, WWE is hopeful that the lure of a clash between its top champions will help draw in fans and pave the path for a successful route to Survivor Series in just a few weeks.
Will that happen? As always, that depends upon WWE's ability to make smart creative decisions at Crown Jewel 2024.
WWE has struck gold with Jax, who is in the midst of the best run of her career and is shaping up to be the epic villain who will only be slayed be a rising fan favorite, likely a soon-to-be-babyface Tiffany Stratton.
That, however, is probably still at least a few months away, which means that Jax should continue her streak of dominance regardless of who she faces during that span. Morgan, her Crown Jewel opponent, is a much different type of champion, one who typically needs help to win and rarely, if ever, runs roughshod over her rivals.
Morgan can certainly recover from a loss to Jax, a fellow heel, and remain a heat magnet. On the flip side, it wouldn't look good for Jax to lose to Morgan given the strak differences in their characters and the way they are booked. Although it would be surprising to see this match end cleanly given that it involves two heels, that's precisely what needs to happen.
After all, Jax shouldn't need help, and Morgan's cowardly character doesn't need the win.
Kevin Owens recently betrayed not just Rhodes but also Randy Orton, and at Crown Jewel, the two stars will face off in a battle of former friends.
Given Owens' recent heel turn, the expectation is that he will face Rhodes in a blockbuster WWE Championship match either at Survivor Series or the upcoming return of Saturday Night's Main Event. That would presumably mean that Owens would triumph over Orton in Saudi Arabia, but it t certainly doesn't have to happen that way.
The main premise of Owens' turn is the belief that he's the good guy in the situation, but there's also the added layer of his desire to be WWE Champion again. He's the focal point of Rhodes' current character arc, and yet, his own arc is just as compelling as he returns to his evil heel ways.
One of the best villains in WWE history, Owens should cement his heel turn -- which has worked out wonderfully thus far -- with a loss to Orton that absolutely enrages the former Universal Champion. Post-match, Owens should attack and destroy Orton to "get his heat back" and prevent Orton from helping Rhodes later in the night. More on that shortly.
Bronson Reed has been one of Triple H's best rehires, transforming from an overlooked midcarder to a wildly entertaining wrecking machine on Raw.
Reed's memorable feud and matches with Braun Strowman really helped him emerge as one of the top acts on the red brand, and now, he finds himself in the biggest rivalry of his career with Seth Rollins. The two stars have been involved in a handful of compelling segments over the past few weeks, and their intense rivalry feels like one that will extend over many months and matches.
It's doubtful that Rollins will end up losing this feud, but Reed can still get a huge boost by picking up at least one significant victory over the former world champion. Given the way that feuds like this are typically booked, Reed should get the first win without any underhanded tactics so that Rollins, the fan favorite, has to overcome the odds to ultimately win the rivalry.
If Reed loses at Crown Jewel, WWE really doesn't have many ways it can go afterward. But if Reed wins and does so in convincing fashion? Then, WWE can easily continue this enthralling rivalry with Rollins looking for revenge.
WWE really booked itself into a corner with Rhodes vs. Gunther, didn't it?
That's because neither star should be losing right now or anytime soon. Even if Rhodes did indicate in a recent promo that there would be a decisive winner in this dream match, this is one of those bouts where WWE having one of its biggest stars lose cleanly could do more harm than good.
Gunther vs. CM Punk is reportedly penciled in for Survivor Series while Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens is a potential direction for that show as well. Two matches of that magnitude indicate that all four stars involved should enter the event with as much momentum as possible.
What's unfortunate is that WWE is in a booking pickle because Gunther and Rhodes could use the momentum-building win at Crown Jewel. So, the "out" here is a controversial finish with no clean winner, perhaps with Owens -- enraged by his loss to Orton -- interfering to cost Rhodes the bout.
And with Orton being taken out earlier in the night, that would prevent "The Viper" from assisting Rhodes.
WWE is surprisingly delivering a Bloodline battle at Crown Jewel, when Roman Reigns and The Usos will challenge Solo Sikoa's new version of the faction -- a bout that looked like it was earmarked for Survivor Series.
In all likelihood, it probably still is, with Reigns, The Usos, Sami Zayn and perhaps even another star like Bron Breakker clashing with Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu in a WarGames match. That begs the question: If the babyface side of The Bloodline stands tall at Crown Jewel, what's the point of a WarGames match? There isn't one.
No, instead, Reigns' Bloodline should lose in Saudi Arabia, especially after Reigns and Rhodes already beat Sikoa and Fatu at Bad Blood last month. It's important that Sikoa's squad is portrayed as equals to Reigns' group because -- let's be honest -- Reigns' stable has a lot more star power and significantly more accomplishments under its belt.
In order to make this feud one worth continuing through Survivor Series and beyond, it's imperative that the new-look Bloodline beats the old version -- and that either Sikoa or Fatu is the one standing tall at Crown Jewel.