WWE Crown Jewel 2026: 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

The 2026 edition of WWE Crown Jewel is in the books, following weeks of speculation about the event's safety. Thankfully, everything went off without a hitch. There were only four matches on today's card, giving each bout more breathing room than usual.

As always, we've compiled this column to share everything we loved and hated about the show. You'll find entries on each of the four matches, including some controversy as we've got two competing opinions on the opening bout. Inevitably, there will also be some discussion about the circumstances surrounding today's PLE.

If you have any of your own thoughts on the show, be sure to share them with us down in the comments. You can also check out our WWE Crown Jewel 2026 live update blog for a full breakdown. Now let's dig in and talk about the highs and lows of today's event.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, WWE Crown Jewel 2026 is over, and the people of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were entertained at a time in their country's history where they probably needed entertaining more than ever. However, it's because of what has happened recently that leads me on to the point I want to make for this little piece, and that is that this show simply shouldn't have happened in Saudi Arabia.

People have been killed, airports have been bombed, entire countries have straight up told citizens to not travel to the Kingdom, but WWE thought they were above all of that and decided to go anyway. We've heard rumors for weeks about how wrestlers, some of whom were literally on the card tonight, weren't comfortable going. WWE even offered hazard pay to the staff that did travel because, as we all know, the only thing WWE knows what to do in a time where there is a problem is throw money at people. The company didn't even take the commentators over for the show, as if even they knew it was a bad move to do Crown Jewel but yet it went ahead as planned.

The thing that is going to bother me and probably a lot of people in the coming weeks is you know exactly what is going to happen. There is going to be an interview with Paul Levesque or Nick Khan or someone in TKO and they're going to be asked about the Saudi travel. They're going to say something like, "We went to a warzone and entertained people who deserved to be entertained and came back unscathed because that's what we do. We are WWE and we're the best,' or something along those lines. The powers-that-be are going to brag about the fact they went to Saudi Arabia after everything that's happened and didn't get blown to bits.

I must make it clear that I don't think anyone wanted anything actually bad to happen to those who did travel, but the risk was so high already that it was a terrible idea to start with. People like Levesque and Khan can say that WWE was put on this earth to entertain people, but you were put in positions of power to make good decisions, and taking your roster to an active warzone was not a good decision at all. Don't forget: everyone still has to make it back to the United States and there has already been one instance where that didn't exactly go smoothly. WWE put people in danger with this show, and the fact this will be bragged about is another soulless decision from this company.

Written by Sam Palmer

I have to say, I went into this match knowing it would be long and a bit plodding, especially as Crown Jewel only featured four matches, and I knew WWE would drag things out. I knew this Last Man Standing match between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton was one the company was going to use to fill some time.

That being said, this feud absolutely deserved the Last Man Standing stipulation, and I think it was all worth it, as slow as it felt, as we saw Rhodes go to "that dark place" and punt a bloodied Orton to win the bout. It leaves some questions surrounding Rhodes' character moving forward, and that's something the "American Nightmare" desperately needs.

It's been a wild week in wrestling for stipulation matches, from Blood & Guts over in AEW, to an unsanctioned match in "WWE NXT," to finally, a No Holds Barred match pitting Kevin Owens and CM Punk against one another on "WWE SmackDown." While it felt a little odd to end last night, then start today's show, with hardcore stipulations, I think Punk and Owens' match involved a lot more weaponry and time out of the ring compared to Orton and Rhodes' bout. The men having to beat the 10 count to remain in the match also helped differentiate things.

The in-ring (and out-of-ring) action wasn't too much to write home about during this Last Man Standing match, but that doesn't mean it wasn't still solid. It was a usual WWE stipulation match, with the use of kendo sticks, chairs, stairs, tables, etc., but Rhodes did take a nasty bump off a ladder he set up. Rhodes had Orton down on the commentary desk and jumped from the ladder, but Orton moved at the last second, and Rhodes bounced off the desk. At one point back in the ring, Rhodes stopped referee Charles Robinson from making the count, which I liked, and then he hit the punt after he had busted Orton open on the steps left inside the ring. It was a pretty brutal sequence.

Rhodes punting Orton, with "The Viper's" blood wiped across his chest, felt like a good, definitive ending to this saga, which started before WrestleMania 42. It's also intriguing, as many fans stay clamoring for a Rhodes heel turn. I don't feel like commentary played up the punt or Rhodes "going to a dark place" too terribly much before the show moved along, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out on "SmackDown." I'm interested to see a Rhodes promo and hear more about how he's feeling on Friday, and I can't remember the last time I felt that way.

Written by Daisy Ruth

For those of you who have seen the Last Man Standing Match between Randy Orton and then-WWE Superstar Edge at WWE WrestleMania 36, then you probably know where I'm going in what I'm about to say in regards to the Last Man Standing Match between Orton and Cody Rhodes from Crown Jewel.

I remember personally finding the WrestleMania 36 match between Orton and Edge to be very drawn out, long, and pretty boring to watch. The Last Man Standing Match between Orton and Rhodes unfortunately hit all of those same beats to me, and wasn't very fun or interesting to watch in any way whatsoever. 

WWE has been positioning the storyline between Rhodes and Orton to be incredibly personal considering it's been going on for months at this point, but nothing about this Last Man Standing Match felt like it was two men trying to put an end to one another as is supposed to be the point of a match with this stipulation attached to it. It didn't have the intensity that was needed to pull this off, and used a very limited number of weapons or interesting spots to make for something that felt like it was a bit of a drag.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

I really enjoyed the World Tag Team Championship match pitting The Vision's Bron Breakker and Austin Theory against Je'Von Evans and Mr. Money in the Bank, Penta. After the Last Man Standing match, which felt quite long, I really needed a faster-paced bout, and this was it. I know many fans are wondering why Penta hasn't won WWE tag team gold alongside his Lucha Bros. partner, and real-life brother, Rey Fenix, which is completely understandable, but I'm just so thrilled that Evans has his first gold in WWE. It's easy to forget that the "Young OG" never held a title in "WWE NXT."

The in-ring action throughout this one was excellent, and I liked how it felt like a tornado tag match at two different points. Penta and Evans work so well together, with Penta hitting one move, like a backstabber, and Evans being positioned to follow it up immediately with something like a frog splash.

I also liked how Breakker looked for the spear throughout the entire match, but just couldn't hit it, with both Penta and Evans kicking him right in the head to prevent themselves from being cut in half. I don't necessarily find Theory too exciting in the ring, but he's a solid base for Breakker, and the pair hit a Doomsday Device that I thought would win the match, before some surprise interference.

While this match could be described as overbooked, which I don't disagree with, I didn't expect much interference at all across the show, with WWE allegedly limiting who was traveling over to Saudi Arabia. So, when Oba Femi's music hit, I popped. While I can't say I love him being still involved in The Vision's story, we haven't seen him for a few weeks, and there were so few surprises (outside of one I hated in the form of a cash-in) on this show that I didn't mind it. He took out Bronson Reed in a big spot where Reed went through a table off the stage, and then Femi posed alongside Penta and Evans on the stage with their newly-won titles. Pretty simple, but effective, and one of the better things on this show.

I don't expect Penta and Evans to hold the tag titles for long, but I do love them as a team. They're so exciting to watch together in the ring, and I think they should have a few solid defenses before dropping the gold to an established team. This was my favorite match of the show, an extremely well-paced one that Crown Jewel desperately needed.

Written by Daisy Ruth

A lot of Chelsea Green's WWE Championship reign — a run that really should have put the question to bed — has been about whether or not she deserves to be WWE Champion. She won it with the Interim asterisk that has since been removed after Rhea Ripley was forced to vacate it, and she had been almost constantly booked as the most beatable superstar who also happened to be hilariously entertaining and thus over with the fans.

Her feud with Liv Morgan had been much the same. Morgan a champion who rarely defends the belt when she does have it and almost always has at least two people interfering on her behalf. And Morgan also unafraid to completely tear down another woman to make herself look big.

Green was put through the ringer in this rivalry, all to be paid off at Crown Jewel with an upset win that finally sought to actually remove the asterisk next to her name. That was the theory behind it. In all honesty it was a pretty terrible match that was 90% Morgan beating Green up. But at least she did get the win that the story had been calling for: the finest of margins between burying Green completely and saving that for another day.

Tiffany Stratton ran down to the ring and feigned cashing in Money in the Bank on Morgan. Green stopped the Judgment Day from doing what they had done the past few cash-in teases, but then Stratton clocked her with the briefcase and cashed it in on her, winning the Women's Championship from Green while Morgan was still laid out in the ring.

The moment Stratton won Money in the Bank this was always going to happen. But that inevitability didn't make it any more palatable. This could and should have been an opportunity for Green to be put over, but she was made the stepping stone in someone else's story almost immediately. That is especially annoying in this instance, because Morgan was right there and they had the opportunity to truly subvert the expectation. Alas, Green's time in the spotlight appears to be coming to an end, and it's been a rough run to say the least.

Written by Max Everett

Much of the main event's build had been framed around Roman Reigns' refusal to, ironically, acknowledge Sami Zayn as being someone on his level.

As Zayn said in a promo leading up to the bout, he holds the exact same title that Reigns held and maintained was the most prestigious title in the sport, and yet Reigns did not afford the man now holding it that same respect. Going the other way, Reigns made the point that he didn't even know if Zayn would hold the title long enough to face him.

Then they had an exemplary match, as one might expect given the names involved. It wasn't just exemplary in terms of moves and spots, although they were plentiful. But they went in with that story and told it with the action in the ring. Zayn fought from beneath, took almost everything Reigns had and fired it right back at him. He fought tooth and nail for every inch, and even when he had little else to give he called on Reigns to give him more.

By the end of the contest, Reigns and Zayn both sat in the middle of the ring, exhausted and leaning on one another. Reigns uttered the words, "I respect you," before putting him down with one final spear. Zayn clearly didn't hear that, or deem it enough, as after the match he demanded a handshake and the respect he deserves. Reigns didn't go for that, slapping away the hand only to bring him in for a hug instead, paying off the storyline beautifully.

Across the card, this was the one that felt like it was PLE-worthy. There was a clear story to follow and every motion, particularly towards the closing stretch, formed a compelling arc that was just enthralling. Maybe it could have done without the referee bumps, but that's more a symptom of WWE's formula as it pertains to big matches. Either way, it was a great main event match.

Written by Max Everett