As a service to fans who have a general interest in WWE but may not have watched a match in months, we are pleased to provide this FAQ as a guide to WWE Crown Jewel Perth on Saturday at 8am ET at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. The premium live event (PLE) will be broadcast exclusively in the US for fans with ESPN Unlimited plan subscription — either directly or through a traditional pay-TV package — on the ESPN app.
Why is Crown Jewel held in Perth, Australia?
Although Australia itself does not have a royal family, it is a constitutional monarchy and recognizes King Charles III as its head of state. We remain hopeful that the Prince of Wales will be a special forces man at one of these matches.
But more importantly, Elimination Chamber 2024 was a huge success in Perth, so WWE wanted to spend the weekend in the city. While the previous six Crown Jewel events were held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this event will head Down Under with the coveted men's and women's WWE Crown Jewel championship belts on the line.
The idea is actually pretty cool: the current men's and women's world champions from “Raw” and “SmackDown” battle each other for the WWE Crown Jewel championship belts. Well, not actually belts, since the winners instead receive championship rings, something Seth Rollins is undoubtedly unfamiliar with as a 39-year-old Chicago Bears fan.
Who does Rollins fight in the men's Crown Jewel match?
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Cody Rhodes: 'Seth Rollins doesn't have what it takes to beat me'
Cody Rhodes joins First Take to talk about his motivation to beat Seth Rollins again ahead of their match at Crown Jewel.
The WWE World Heavyweight Champion will take on Cody Rhodes, the WWE Undisputed Champion, continuing a long-standing rivalry that oscillates between mutual respect and intense animosity. And they had a few moments together. Remember Hell in a Cell in 2022, when Rhodes was battling a torn rib cage that turned his chest purple? Or WrestleMania 40, when Rollins helped Rhodes in his war against the Pedigree both nights before Cody “ended history” by winning the championship over Roman Reigns?
This latest chapter finds Rhodes feuding with Rollins' current stable of The Vision, which includes Bron Breaker, Bronson Reed and manager Paul Heyman, who has added “The Oracle” to his ever-growing list of nicknames. As usual, Heyman found a way to turn an intriguing 0-3 champ vs. champ matchup against Rhodes in the PLE into something much more Shakespearean.
Rollins' confidence in beating Rhodes was shaken to the point that on Monday's Raw, he wanted Heyman to explain the consequences if he were to lose at Crown Jewel. After laughing at the idea, Heyman coolly said that Rollins might lose faith in his stable and locker room. But beyond that, if he loses to Rhodes, Rollins will make Heyman wonder, “Why did I choose you… over Roman Reigns.” He either motivated Rollins to win the Crown Jewel match or created a real dramatic mess if he didn't. Classic Heyman!
What about the women's Crown Jewel match?
Friends… it's time for Tiffy. WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton Challenges WWE Women's World Champion Stephanie Wacker. Stratton has had one hell of a year since she cashed in her Money In The Bank contract on January 3, winning the title and defeating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, Trish Stratus at Evolution and Jade Cargill at SummerSlam, among other wins. Wacker recently captured her first WWE title at Wrestlepalooza on September 20, defeating Ayo Sky to capture the then-vacant title.
The two were contracted for this match on last Friday's SmackDown, which, perhaps for the first time in wrestling history, actually went off without incident. That was until US women's champion Julia and her manager Kiana James… Stratton suddenly attacked offering his services to Vacker. Something to keep in mind heading into this match as Wacker tries to hand Stratton its first big loss of the year. This is one of two women's matches at the Perth tournament, the other being a superstars tag team match.
Who's in the women's match?
Rhea Ripley and Ayo Sky team up to take on the Kabuki Warriors, Asuka and Kairi Sane.
Sorry, make it “Adelaide, Australia's Rhea Ripley.” Not that this information would ever be relevant to who would be celebrating the end of the match. Just an FYI.
Asuka has been a mentor to Sky and Sane, which has led to some emotional moments for Iyo as she admits she still feels love for her former stablemates… and some painful moments, like when Asuka recently ordered a reluctant Sane to attack Sky on “Raw.” So there's some nice undercurrent of drama here to go along with what should be a big fight in Australia. But not an Australian street fight. That's a different matter entirely, as Roman Reigns and Bronson Reed would soon discover.
What is an Australian street fight?
Nobody knows. Otherwise, most of the fighting takes place in the outback.
Like Rhodes, Reigns feuds with The Vision (and his former “sage” Heyman), and? particularly with Reed. This recently led to one of our favorite gimmicks in WWE when Reed steals the Original Tribal Chief's shoes after defeating him and wears them around his neck like a trophy. For these actions, he became known as the “Tribal Thief” and received a popular T-shirt to match. Hey, the winner gets sneakers…
In addition to Crown Jewel's Perth location, we have Australian Street Fight because Reed is a native Australian who got his start in the national indie scene. This doesn't mean we have any idea what kind of match this is.
Aside from the possible involvement of Jey Uso and/or Bron Breaker, we'll just have to tune in to find out.
Finally, where are we on John Cena's retirement tour?
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Cena and Styles prepare for their final match at WWE's Crown Jewel
Relive the epic clashes between John Cena and AJ Styles before their final match at WWE's Crown Jewel.
After his failed heel turn – a fever dream that included The Rock, rapper Travis Scott and Cena calling their fans “pathetic” – the 17-time world champion is once again the face that rules the roost around SummerSlam. It was here that he suffered a shocking retaliatory attack from Brock Lesnar, who set up a match at Wrestlepalooza in which Cena miraculously defeated his tormentor in a rousing and upset victory…
… JUST KIDDING! Lesnar essentially sent Cena into the Earth's core with six F-5s is that WWE itself described it as a complete destruction.
As his number of remaining matches (and potential opponents) dwindled, Cena decided to become his own booker. He asked the entire WWE Universe if they wanted to see him face AJ Styles one last time and they wholeheartedly supported it. This led to Cena writing to Styles and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque to X: “I don't choose my opponents, but I [even through tough times] ALWAYS listen to the fans.”
With this the match took place. On social networks. No assembly.
Cena and Styles have faced each other dozens of times in a variety of formats, on and off television. But it was the trilogy of classic matches between the two that built anticipation for this match: WWE Money In The Bank 2016, where Styles upset Cena; their exciting rematch at WWE SummerSlam 2016, which Styles also won; and Cena's stunning performance at the 2017 WWE Royal Rumble, where he equaled Ric Flair's then-record of 16 world championships.
Following this, Cena will compete on Raw in Boston (November 10) and New York (November 17), Survivor Series in San Diego (November 29) and his final match on Saturday Night's Main Event in Washington, D.C. (December 13). After that you I can't see him more like an active fighter.
