WWE Crown Jewel 2024 Results & Reactions

Highlights

It was great seeing Jey and Jimmy “do Uso things,” as Corey Graves poetically described in the commentary, and he was right; it was awesome. The optics were enough for the nostalgic pop but also added an element to the delicate storyline cultivated amongst the original Bloodline.

Roman Reigns gave Jey Uso the “Yeet” heard around the world, but as much as Roman has agreed to be equals in ‘theory,’ he is more than okay with Jimmy accompanying him to the ring with Roman’s music queued up and the OTC in center frame—as was the case for their Crown Jewel entrance. Yet, Jey received his own entrance and was announced last. From a storyline standpoint, the “Uso” chemistry made Roman seem like the odd man out despite the crowd constantly chanting for the “OTC.”

In fact, there was a moment when the crowd chanted for Roman, and he engaged back by asking Jey (the legal man at the time) for the tag-in to pop the crowd. Jey stood decision-less for a moment before tagging in Jimmy—it was a subtle moment that harped on a much larger plot of biblical proportions.

The Match: Solo Sikoa Pins Roman Reigns

There was a lot of stall time early on, but the Roman-Solo stuff was much better than expected, as images of a Solo-led Bloodline standing tall over Roman for more endings of SmackDown than it is possible to remember. The match picked up in the final chapter as Jacob Fatu was allowed to just go crazy on everyone—he is so physically gifted as a truly versatile superstar. Solo pinned Roman, and the beatdown commenced.

The Aftermath

The stage was set for the finale—the outnumbered originals against the hungry black sheep of the family—so that Sami could come ringside, and he did. His music hit, and he did not come fire out of Gorilla like a ball out of a cannon; instead, he walked out slowly and dressed in black. With the original crew down, Sami stood in front of Solo with the full faction behind him.

Sami opened his arms to embrace Solo with a hug but then hit a smooth suplex before becoming overwhelmed by Solo’s goons. Jey and Jimmy were up, and in an instant, Solo was left center ring with original Bloodline (Sami included) at all 4-corners of the squared circle. As Sami went for “helluvakick,” Solo escaped, and Roman was struck accidentally. There was some back and forth between brothers Jimmy and Jey attempting to put into context what had just occurred.

Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther (Men’s Crown Jewel Championship)

The Build

WWE wanted to tell a story about fantasy matches that book ‘champion vs champion’ with examples like Harley Race and Bruno Sammartino setting up the narrative for current-day superstars Cody and Gunther. The problem was that neither of their titles were at stake, and in place is an expensive trinket likely to share the same continuity space within WWE as the “Greatest Royal Rumble” trophy does somewhere in Stroman’s closet.

Without real stakes, the match feels more like a ‘mid-season tournament’ meant to act as a break between the ‘regular season storylines.’ In theory, both men’s credentials make this a huge matchup, considering Gunther is the longest reigning IC champ and former KOTR winner while Cody is, pound for pound, one of the biggest superstars in today’s wrestling spectrum. Triple H promised a ‘definitive winner,’ but after the shenanigans associated with the women’s Crown Jewel title match, you just hoped this would get the finish fans deserve.

The Match: Cody Rhodes pins Gunther

The crowd gave the men the ovation they deserved in a moment that finally started to feel like the matchup was truly appreciated for the showdown’s pureness. They stared at the crowd as they erupted, then engaged briefly only to again take in the fans’ reaction. They traded rest holds for a moment, but the crowd stayed hot. Gunther looked for the same sleeper that put Cody down, but he was unable to lock it in successfully. The match was physical, but they were able to tap into an old-school feel that helped shape the story.

When they were ready to send it home, Gunther unloaded violent chops on Cody until the “American Nightmare” exploded in anger to regain momentum. Cody attempted a cutter from the top turnbuckle, but Gunther was able to catch and counter Cody into a sleeper. It could have been all over for Cody, but he was able to roll backward while Gunther’s shoulders were pinned to the mat. Cody got the pinfall victory, and Michael Cole likened the method to Bret Hart’s famous IC title win over Roddy Piper.

The Aftermath

Gunther shook Cody’s hand after the match and left uneventfully as Trips positioned the belt around Cody’s waist in a scene that mirrored Liv’s. Liv and Cody were both in the ring, and though the face/heel dynamic was strange, it felt special enough of a moment to overlook (especially considering some of the former issues for female performers in past events).

Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax (Women’s Crown Jewel Championship)

The Build

It was odd booking, heel V heel, and the promotion for the match never found its proper footing. Yet, the Saudi crowd reacted to Liv’s movements as though she were face.

The Match: Liv Morgan Puts The win ‘In The Bank’

Tiffany Stratton played a major role in this match, but thankfully, not with a cash-in. With two faces essentially trying to ‘cheat first,’ it was Liv who had “Latino Cheat” on her side. Dom’s next-level cheating was brilliant after Tiff was taken out, and he threw in the “Pink Case” so that the ref wouldn’t be able to fully interpret the tactic. It was all a ruse to allow Rodriguez to interfere. Liv took home the win, and ‘Trips’ was ringside to give the red-brand champ the “Dana White” treatment by placing the gaudy belt around her waist.

Seth Rollins vs. “Big” Bronson Reed

The Build

It was the injured underdog against the destructive monster that has been on a run of wreaking havoc for a duration that started when he initially put his opponent on the shelf. Oddly enough, you can’t help but wonder whether there’s more to this storyline when you consider that Rollins is likely THE opponent for CM Punk’s inevitable return. The guy that left the company for mistreating talent, specifically making them wrestle injured, taking on THE ‘company guy’ (face) willing to put his body on the line for “straps and claps.”

The Match: Seth Rollins Wins

Seth played the recently reinjured and undersized opponent well as he was forced to battle his way from behind the 8-Ball. Reed held the offense role for much of the match, which made it that much sweeter when Seth yelled at Reed, “You should’ve finished me when you had the chance.” Seth was able to rally, but it took three separate “stomps”—one on the steel steps. The last “stomp” was done from the top turnbuckle and referred to as a “Super Stomp.”

The Aftermath

The repackaging of the “super stomp” protected a bloody Reed in the match’s post moments, but so too did the fact that he was up and on his feet relatively fast, just staring daggers at Seth, who was noticeably befuddled at the ‘sort of no sell.’

Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair (c) vs. Kairi Sane & Iyo Sky vs. Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson vs. Chelsea Green & Piper Niven (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship)

The Build

After weeks of developing a legitimate threat to the tag champs in NXT’s stars Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson by having them feud with Sane and Sky, creative decided to just throw everyone in the match to spite all their hard work (it was also working for the audience). That is the crux of this Crown Jewel event, as it feels more like an All-Star game meant to show off the best of the league in low-stakes matches. And that is basically what this booking was for the card.

The Match: Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair Retain Titles

Even if the women were booked with less care than they have been lately, they said, “play our entrance music and watch what we do with it,” as every team in this match showed off and showed out. Between Lash and Jade’s power spots and the “in-SANE” moments created by Damage CTRL’s aerial assault, this match gave a little for everyone. The tag champs won, but each superstar, including Green and Niven, gave their best effort.

LA Knight (c) vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

The Build

In what started as a feud between Hayes and Andrade based on both of their show-stealing performances at Money in the Bank, the feud was so good that it could not simply produce a single number-one contender. LA Knight did not help himself by being a willing participant injected into their feud, and his penalty was having to face both men in a match where he could lose the belt without being pinned.

The Match: LA Knight Retains

Knight was able to stay close enough to the action to take advantage of his moment, but once again, Hayes showed his ability to hang with the best of them. Andrade, for his effort, looked the most ready to create his own reign, but all three men were able to produce a great match in a difficult position on the card.

Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton

The Build

It was the heel turn NOT heard around the world when Kevin Owens, after months of on-TV teasing, beat down Cody off-screen and backstage (technically where the tour busses park). The move was met with criticism, especially when WWE doubled down by having Owens continue his heel turn in social media promos, but the reasoning is sound in a post-Stone Cold/NWO wrestling landscape. The whole thing felt a bit fast-tracked, especially considering the amazing work that “face Randy” has been doing—you may have wanted to see him struggle with fighting Owens a bit longer. After all, The Bloodline story arch has always been a slow burn.

The Match: N/C (No Contest)

It was promoted as a match, but what we got instead was emotions built up over months exploding in front of the Saudi crowd. Owens attacked Randy before the match started and then brought out the chair before stunning the ref. The ‘match’ never started and was instead used to further fuel this fire.

It was a smart decision because this narrative is too complex to end up as a throwaway Crown Jewel match. The crowd doesn’t really care; they just want to see ‘The Viper’ and the “crowd work” they engaged in made it feel like an unsanctioned fight (something you’d expect when things become too personal). The big spot was KO dropping an elbow from the second-level railing onto Randy, who was positioned atop a table.