WWE Crown Jewel preview: Rollins-Rhodes, Cena tour cease, extra

As a service to followers who’ve a common curiosity in WWE however may not have watched a match in months, we’re joyful to offer this FAQ as a information to WWE Crown Jewel Perth on Saturday at 8 a.m. ET from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. The premium reside occasion (PLE) will stream completely within the U.S. for followers with a subscription to the ESPN Unlimited plan — both straight or by way of a standard pay TV package deal — on the ESPN App.

Why is Crown Jewel being held in Perth, Australia?

While Australia itself does not have a royal household, it’s a constitutional monarchy that acknowledges King Charles III as its head of state. We stay hopeful that the Prince of Wales would be the particular enforcer for considered one of these matches.

But extra to the purpose: Elimination Chamber 2024 was an enormous hit in Perth, so the WWE wished a “takeover” weekend within the metropolis. While the earlier six Crown Jewel occasions had been held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this occasion heads Down Under, the place the coveted males’s and girls’s WWE Crown Jewel championship belts will probably be on the road.

The idea is definitely fairly cool: The reigning males’s and girls’s world champions of “Raw” and “SmackDown” battle one another for the WWE Crown Jewel championship belts. Well, not truly belts, because the winners as an alternative get championship rings, one thing with which Seth Rollins is little question unfamiliar as a 39-year-old Chicago Bears fan.

Who is Rollins wrestling within the males’s Crown Jewel match?

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Arda Ocal recaps contract signing between Vaquer and Stratton

Arda Ocal appears again on the contract signing between Stephanie Vaquer and Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown.

The WWE World Heavyweight Champion is taking over Cody Rhodes, the Undisputed WWE Champion, persevering with a longtime rivalry that vacillates between mutual respect and intense animosity. And they’ve had some moments collectively. Remember Hell in a Cell in 2022, when Rhodes wrestled with a torn pec that turned his chest purple? Or WrestleMania 40, when Rollins assisted Rhodes in his battle towards the Bloodline on each nights earlier than Cody “finished the story” with the championship win towards Roman Reigns?

This newest chapter finds Rhodes feuding with Rollins’ present steady The Vision, which incorporates Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed and supervisor Paul Heyman, who has added “The Oracle” to his ever-growing listing of monikers. As ordinary, Heyman has discovered a technique to elevate an intriguing match — champion vs. champion, with Rollins 0-3 towards Rhodes on PLEs — into one thing way more Shakespearean.

Rollins’ confidence in defeating Rhodes has been shaken to the purpose the place, throughout Monday’s “Raw,” he wished Heyman to elucidate the results ought to he lose at Crown Jewel. After initially laughing off the notion, Heyman chillingly stated Rollins might lose the religion of his steady and the locker room. But past that, ought to he lose to Rhodes, Rollins would go away Heyman questioning “why I picked you … over Roman Reigns.” He has both motivated Rollins to win the Crown Jewel match or has created fairly the dramatic mess if he does not. Classic Heyman!

What in regards to the girls’s Crown Jewel match?

Friends … it is Tiffy Time. WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton takes on WWE Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer. Stratton’s had a heck of a 12 months since cashing in her Money In The Bank contract on Jan. 3 to win the title and beating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, Trish Stratus at Evolution and Jade Cargill at SummerSlam, amongst different wins. Vaquer just lately claimed her first WWE title at Wrestlepalooza on Sept. 20, defeating Iyo Sky for the then-vacant title.

These two had an in-ring contract signing for this match on Last Friday’s “SmackDown” that, in maybe a primary in wrestling historical past, truly got here off with out incident. That was till girls’s U.S. champion Giulia and her supervisor, Kiana James, sneak-attacked Stratton whereas providing their companies to Vaquer. Something to remember heading into this match, as Vaquer tries at hand Stratton her first massive lack of the 12 months. It’s considered one of two girls’s matches on the cardboard in Perth — the opposite being a famous person tag staff match.

Who’s competing within the girls’s tag match?

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky are teaming as much as tackle The Kabuki Warriors, Asuka and Kairi Sane.

Sorry, make that “Adelaide, Australia’s own Rhea Ripley.” Not that this info would ever be pertinent to who may have fun on the finish of the match. Just an FYI.

Asuka has been a mentor to each Sky and Sane, which has led to some emotional moments for Iyo as she acknowledges nonetheless feeling love for her former stablemates … and a few painful moments, like when Asuka just lately commanded a reluctant Sane to assault Sky on “Raw.” So there is a good undercurrent of drama right here to associate with what ought to be an enormous struggle in Australia. But not an Australian Street Fight. That’s a completely completely different factor, as Roman Reigns and Bronson Reed will uncover quickly.

What is an Australian Street Fight?

No one is aware of. Other than that many of the preventing occurs Outback.

Like Rhodes, Reigns has been feuding with The Vision (and his former “wise man,” Heyman), and? particularly with Reed. This has led to considered one of our favourite gimmicks within the WWE just lately, by which Reed steals the Original Tribal Chief’s sneakers after defeating him and wears them round his neck like a trophy. He’s turn out to be referred to as “Tribal Thief” for these actions, with the favored T-shirt to match. Hey, to the victor go the sneakers …

Besides the placement of Crown Jewel in Perth, we’ve ourselves an Australian Street Fight as a result of Reed is a local Aussie who acquired his begin within the nation’s indie scene. That nonetheless does not imply we’ve any concept what the match is.

Other than the potential for Jay Uso and/or Bron Breakker involvement, we’ll simply must tune in to search out out.

Finally, the place are we within the John Cena Retirement Tour?

After his misbegotten heel flip — a fever dream that included The Rock, rapper Travis Scott and Cena calling his personal followers “pathetic” — the 17-time world champion as soon as once more grew to become the face that runs the place round SummerSlam. That’s the place he was attacked by Brock Lesnar in a surprising return, organising a match at Wrestlepalooza by which Cena miraculously overcame his tormentor in a rousing upset victory …

… JUST KIDDING! Lesnar mainly despatched Cena into the Earth’s core with six F-5s in what the WWE itself described as a total annihilation.

With his remaining appearances — and potential opponents — dwindling, Cena determined to turn out to be his personal booker. He requested the WWE universe whether or not they’d prefer to see him wrestle AJ Styles one final time, which they heartily endorsed. This led to Cena posting at Styles and WWE chief content material officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque on X: “I do not choose my opponents, but I [even through tough times] ALWAYS listen to the fans.”

With that, the match was made. On social media. With no construct.

Cena and Styles have confronted one another dozens of occasions, in a wide range of codecs, on and off tv. But it is a trilogy of basic matches between the 2 that constructed anticipation for this one: WWE Money In The Bank 2016, the place Styles upset Cena; their thrilling rematch at WWE SummerSlam 2016, which Styles additionally received; and Cena’s large exhibiting at WWE Royal Rumble 2017, the place he equaled Ric Flair’s then-record of 16 world championships.

After this, Cena has “Raw” occasions in Boston (Nov. 10) and New York City (Nov. 17), Survivor Series in San Diego (Nov. 29) and his remaining match on “Saturday Night’s Main Event” in Washington, D.C. (Dec. 13). After that, you cannot see him as an lively wrestler anymore.