Crown Jewel grades: Did Cena-Styles, Rollins-Rhodes ship?

The WWE headed to Perth, Australia, for the seventh version of Crown Jewel from the RAC Arena.

Powered by a white-hot crowd, the second Premium Live Event of the ESPN Unlimited period noticed the boys’s and ladies’s champions from “Raw” and “SmackDown” sq. off to find out the 2025 Crown Jewel champions. World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins was determined to get the monkey off his again and eventually notched a win over Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes, whereas Women’s World champion Stephanie Vaquer knocked off Women’s champion Tiffany Stratton in an incredibly quick affair.

John Cena’s retirement tour has hit its closing stretch, and the extremely anticipated match with AJ Styles didn’t disappoint. Meanwhile, Roman Reigns was caught up in household turmoil following a loss to Bronson Reed, whereas one other fractured household continued their feud as Iyo Sky teamed with Rhea Ripley to tackle her longtime pals Asuka and Kairi Sane.

After every PLE, we assess the standard of every wrestling match based mostly on efficient storytelling, in-ring efficiency and general leisure. We additionally grade the occasion as an entire.

Did Crown Jewel ship?

Men’s singles match: John Cena vs. AJ Styles

Result: Cena defeats Styles by pinfall
Grade: A

No construct, no drawback. Cena and Styles have had an unimaginable rivalry since 2016, with a collection of matches that helped Cena escape the “5 Moves of Doom” label that he had been saddled with throughout his prolonged reign on prime of the WWE. Both 48 years outdated and almost a decade faraway from their final encounter, Cena and Styles needed to discover a option to supply one thing totally different and interesting for his or her final dance.

And they completely delivered with a match that was distinctive from their earlier affairs but in addition served as a love letter to their respective histories contained in the squared circle.

We ought to have recognized we had been in for one thing particular when Styles wore his Total Nonstop Action wrestling gear to the ring and was launched because the chief of the Bullet Club faction.

After establishing that they had been all too aware of one another’s strikes, with counters for his or her opponent’s counters and settling right into a stalemate, Cena and Styles dug deep into their baggage and utilized strikes from former opponents that served each as a homage and an distinctive recreation plan to catch their opponent off steadiness. Cena launched a Skull Crushing Finale (The Miz) and an Accolade (Rusev) earlier than being met with a Coquina Clutch (Samoa Joe) and an Angel’s Wings (Christopher Daniels). Moves from Chris Jericho, Frankie Kazarian, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and Triple H had been among the many tributes within the match.

It was a fully good option to shock followers and work inside their in-ring limits. Still, Styles was as masterful as ever and deployed a springboard 450 as a reminder that he is the most effective ever. Cena was equally entertaining and hit a Sister Abigail in a touching salute to the late Bray Wyatt. Everything labored right here, together with the conclusion.

After hitting Sweet Chin Music (Shawn Michaels), Styles went for a splash off the highest rope, however Cena caught him and rolled by, in a nod to Michaels from their wonderful WrestleMania 23 match. Instead of hitting the Attitude Adjustment, Cena transitioned to a Tombstone (Undertaker). It was solely becoming that Cena put a pin on the match by hitting one final Attitude Adjustment for the win.

This was nearly as good because it will get and a becoming option to finish the most effective rivalries in WWE.

Women’s tag group match: Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs. Asuka and Kaira Sane

Result: Ripley and Sky defeats Asuka and Sane
Grade: B

The Cena-Styles match was going to be a troublesome act to comply with, however this tag match did precisely what it was purported to do by protecting followers engaged as all 4 girls labored extraordinarily laborious in a enjoyable outing.

Sky was remoted by her former pals Asuka and Sane early on, which solely constructed the anticipation for Ripley being tagged in. As anticipated, the roof almost blew off the RAC Arena when Ripley, from Australia, entered the match. It’s no shock that the whole lot labored so nicely with the 4 girls all being among the many greatest within the enterprise. Sane was the important thing to the match as she managed to successfully steadiness her allegiance to Asuka whereas being torn about turning on Sky.

The end was dealt with nicely to guard Asuka as Sane sacrificed herself for her good friend. Ripley clobbered Sane with a Riptide and Sky adopted with an Over The Moonsault for the end. While Sane’s loyalty ended up costing her, Asuka stays the ruthless warrior that Sky will finally have to beat.

Men’s Crown Jewel Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

Result: Rollins defeats Rhodes by pinfall
Grade: B

This match was all about Rollins, the place the end result was simply as essential because the match itself. For Rhodes, he merely served because the mountain that Rollins had been unable to beat regardless of being the World Heavyweight Champion.

Rollins teetered between hubris and insanity as he grew to become more and more determined to finish his shedding streak to Rhodes. Early on, he pulled out his regular bag of tips, however, as anticipated, nothing regular would maintain Rhodes down. The Visionary’s descent into desperation noticed him retrieve the Rolex watch that Rhodes gifted him for serving to with The Bloodline feud, however he instantly modified his thoughts as he wished to do it with out help.

That transient pause almost price Rollins as he absorbed a Cody Cutter and a Cross Rhodes for a close to fall. Rollins took issues a step additional with a coast-to-coast flying headbutt, an avalanche Spanish Fly and a Rock Bottom (a superb contact) for yet one more close to fall. Rollins’ willpower allowed him to outlive a depraved Avalanche Cross Rhodes and finally noticed him resort to nefarious methods through the use of the watch to knock Rhodes out chilly and clobber his rival with a pair of Curb Stomps for the win.

Rollins profitable by any means needed — however with out interference from The Vision — was the one option to go right here to ascertain him as the highest heel with a agency grasp on the championship. This match wasn’t on par with their earlier matches however was nicely dealt with from a storytelling perspective.

Australian Street Fight: Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed

Result: Bronson Reed defeats Roman Reigns by pinfall
Grade: C

This was a reasonably normal no-disqualification match disguised as an Australian Street Fight, with a rugby ball and cricket bat being launched by Reigns, giving it somewhat house nation aptitude. Reigns labored the gang throughout a protracted stretch of dominance early on, however Reed managed to get in some offense to steadiness issues out.

Ultimately, this match was dulled a bit by the strong Last Man Standing battle between Aleister Black and Damian Priest on “SmackDown” the evening earlier than. It wasn’t significantly violent for a road struggle and wasn’t as heated as you’d count on, contemplating Reed put Reigns on the shelf for a month.

The motion picked up when Bron Breakker inserted himself into the match, intercepting a Reigns spear try on the surface with a spear of his personal. The Usos joined the fray to help their cousin Reigns, and a story was set when Jey Uso miscalculated and unintentionally hit Reigns with a spear by a desk. Jey’s involvement price Reigns the match when Reed hit a Tsunami to select up the win.

This match was extra about establishing a brand new narrative with friction between members of the family than the rest. Reed getting the win was stunning however essential to maintain The Vision sturdy. It was a strong match. Nothing extra, nothing much less.

Women’s Crown Jewel Championship: Tiffany Stratton vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Result: Vaquer defeats Stratton by pinfall
Grade: C-

Champion vs. champion matches with none actual stakes or warmth between the members are troublesome to tug off, and the hope is to maintain each titleholders sturdy for his or her respective manufacturers. Unfortunately, this one ended earlier than it actually bought going and completely missed the mark. Vaquer beat Stratton in simply 10 minutes (1 minute,16 seconds longer than Brock Lesnar’s squash of John Cena at Wrestlepalooza), treating the “SmackDown” WWE Women’s Championship as second charge.

It began with Stratton exhibiting off her athleticism early — hitting a superb Alabama Slam from a cartwheel transition — earlier than her miscalculation price her the match.

It’s laborious to justify why this match was so transient — outdoors of an damage forcing an audible — with Stratton consuming the pin after lacking a Prettiest Moonsault Ever and getting hit with Vaquer’s corkscrew moonsault. There was no actual drama or close to falls within the match, as each have had higher and extra aggressive outings on “Raw” and “SmackDown.” You’d count on much more from two champions than what we bought.

Similar to the Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre match at Wrestlepalooza, this by no means had an opportunity to get out of first gear. A narrative of Stratton’s inexperience being the difference-maker would have been effective if Stratton hadn’t been the champion since WrestleMania. But it did not work right here and made her look weak. Hopefully, there’s a good motive to elucidate why we had such a quick match between these two. The girls deserved extra.

WWE Crown Jewel closing grade: B

A present that stumbled out of the gate with a comparatively tame road struggle and a far too transient struggle between girls’s champions was rescued by a fully stellar match between Cena and Styles that put a superb bookend to their rivalry. Rollins lastly getting his comeuppance in opposition to Rhodes — by any means needed — and the ladies’s tag match had been each sturdy and anchored a memorable bounce-back for WWE after a middling Wrestlepalooza.