WWE Crown Jewel 2024 notes: Sami Zayn returns to Bloodline angle
WWE presented Crown Jewel today at Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In addition to Liv Morgan and Cody Rhodes winning the inaugural WWE Crown Jewel Championships, we also saw a significant development in the Bloodline storyline and the continuation of a few other angles. Below are notes from the show, match finishes, and storyline updates.
Live coverage from the show is available here.
Sami Zayn returns to the Bloodline angle.
The Bloodline vs. Roman Reigns & The Usos kicked off the show. The finish saw Jacob Fatu give Reigns multiple moonsaults, followed by Solo Sikoa hitting consecutive Samoan Spikes and then getting the pin on Reigns.
Following the match, The Bloodline continued the assault on Reigns and the Usos until Sami Zayn came out. After briefly teasing a hug with Sikoa, Zayn gave him an exploder suplex. Reigns and The Usos rid the ring of Fatu and the Tongans, leaving Sikoa surrounded by the babyfaces. Zayn charged at Sikoa with a Helluva Kick but at the same time, Reigns charged at Sikoa with a spear. Sikoa moved, and Zayn and Reigns hit each other.
Zayn and Reigns will now have to “squash the beef” ahead of Survivor Series, and that will likely play out on television for the next few weeks.
Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair retain WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
After dropping the tag titles in a triple threat match at Clash at the Castle in Glasgow earlier this year, Cargill and Belair retained the titles in a fatal four-way today at Crown Jewel. The finish of the match saw the champs give Piper Niven a Doomsday Device.
Seth Rollins defeats Bronson Reed
Rollins needed a super finisher to beat Reed. He won the match with a Curb Stomp from the top rope. After the match, Reed got to his feet and stared menacingly at Rollins, with the idea that he may have lost, but he withstood all that punishment and is still standing. Maybe it leads to a Last Man Standing match?
Michael Cole really played up on commentary that Reed showed he belongs in the main event.
The Judgment Day helps Liv Morgan win the WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship
Nia Jax seemed as though she had Morgan where she wanted her, but interference from Judgment Day and Tiffany Stratton factored into the finish.
Stratton came out and appeared ready to cash in her briefcase until Nia caught her. Later, Dominik ended up with the briefcase after Stratton and Raquel Rodriguez fought over it. He slid the briefcase into the ring right as Nia was going for the Annihilator, distracting the referee so Rodriguez could knock Nia off the turnbuckle. Morgan then hit Oblivian and got the win. Morgan was presented with the title by Triple H in the ring.
In a ceremony held after Crown Jewel, the title belt was put back into the vault at the WWE Fan Experience in Riyadh, and she was presented with a ring. She was emotional during the post-event show.
“I’m at the very top of this women’s division, and I can’t believe it, but I can totally believe it,” Morgan said on the post-show.
She later made sure Jackie Redmond mentioned that she retired Becky Lynch when listing off her achievements.
Kevin Owens and Randy Orton did not have a match at WWE Crown Jewel; multiple WWE officials take RKOs or Stunners
Owens, wearing a “Cowboy” Bob Orton T-shirt, attacked Randy Orton with a chair before the bell rang, and the match was never made official.
Owens gave a stunner to the referee and some officials who came out to stop him. Orton then went after Owens with a chair, and the brawl continued. Adam Pearce came out to separate them, and Orton gave him an RKO.
They brawled through the crowd, and the segment ended with Owens setting Orton up on some tables and giving him a flying elbow off the railing.
At some point, Cole mentioned the match had been waved off.
LA Knight retains the United States Championship
In a fun, fast-paced 10-minute match, Knight retained his title in a triple-threat match against Andrade and Carmelo Hayes. The finish saw Knight give Hayes the BFT as he was going for a facebuster on Andrade.
Cody Rhodes wins WWE Men’s Crown Jewel Championship
Rhodes and Gunther had a great match. The finish had Gunther reverse a Cody Cutter into a sleeper, leading to Rhodes countering into a pinning combination, similar to Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper at WrestleMania 8, for the win. They shook hands after the match and Gunther showed good sportsmanship in the loss.
After the show, a small ceremony was held. The two Crown Jewel title belts were put back on display at the WWE Fan Experience, and Morgan and Rhodes were presented with their rings. They were definitely building it up as a more significant achievement than winning a champion vs. champion match in the Survivor Series brand vs. brand era. Morgan seemed to put aside her heelish persona and was saying she was proud and honored with the win, and spoke about progress being made with how the women’s division is presented on shows in Saudi Arabia.
WWE also announced during the broadcast that the next contender to Gunther’s title will be determined on Raw on Monday. It will be a fatal four-way match between Seth Rollins, Damian Priest, Sheamus, and Dominik Mysterio.