WWE Crown Jewel 2023 Recap and Results: Special Appearance, Major Title Change, and John Cena Retires?

Crown Jewel 2023 came straight from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The sold-out Mohammed Abdu Arena went wild, singing Sami Zayn’s theme as he made his way to the ring for the kickoff. The crowd was ready for a night they would not forget.

The kick-off show had Zayn facing JD McDonagh. The fully sold-out arena began the show by serenading Zayn to the ring.

Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh

Winner: Sami Zayn won the match with a Helluva Kick, followed by a Blue Thunder bomb on McDonagh. After being sung to the ring by the crowd, who chanted for him the entire match, Zayn was able to pick up the win. McDonagh put up a great fight and showed he could go toe-to-toe with Zayn. However, with the fans backing him up, Zayn was victorious.

Promo Package: Drew McIntyre’s promo explaining why he wants to be the WWE Champion. This set up Seth Rollins vs Drew McIntyre as the shower’s opener.

Promo Package: Hype package for LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship.

Promo Package: Seth Rollins’ promo package overviews his reign as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Segment recounting their heated promos.

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre for WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Winner: Seth Rollins retained his title after a grueling match where both men pushed themselves to the breaking point. Rollins was able to pick up the win after a second Curb Stomp. Drew McIntyre targeted the back of Rollins from the start of the match but could not capitalize on the opportunity.

Post Match: Domain Priest came out to cash in his Money in the Bank contract but was thwarted by Sami Zayn. Zayn proceeded to run off with the MITB briefcase.

Promo Package: Promo featuring all the women in the fatal five-way for the WWE Women’s Championship.

Fatal 5-Way for the Women’s World Championship: Raquel Rodriguez vs. Zoey Stark vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax vs. Rhea Ripley (c)

Winner: After a chaotic match, Rhea Ripley picked up the win with an incredible Riptide on Zoey Stark from the second turnbuckle on Raquel Rodriguez, trying to pin Shayna Baszler. Despite Nia Jax giving it her all, she couldn’t do what she wanted after returning to the WWE. Ripley was able to retain her title. 

Promo Package: A quick promo package for John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa’s match.

John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa

Winner: Solo Sikoa won after repeated Samoan Spikes on John Cena. Despite a burst of power near the end of the match, Cena was no match for the deadly finisher by Roman Reign’s enforcer. After a heavy buildup of Cena not winning for over 2,000 days, this was yet another loss in his books. Sikoa hit Cena with 11 Samoan Spikes for the win.

After the match, Cena bid an emotional farewell to the fans, who thanked him. Later Cena also posted a picture of soccer legend David Beckham on Instagram, hinting at possible retirement.

The Miz TV segment

The Miz interviewed Saudi actor Ibrahim Al Hajjaj only to be interrupted by Grayson Waller. After a bit of back-and-forth, Waller was hit with a People’s Elbow by Al Hajjaj in a tribute to Dwayne Johnson.

Promo Package: Prior to the Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul for the United States Championship match, a promo package showed recapping the entire feud.

Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul for the United States Championship 

Winner: Logan Paul was able to pick up the win and the United States Championship title with brass knuckles. After a high-flying match where both men were on the same level, Paul used dirty tricks to win the match. One of Paul’s entourage members snuck the brass knuckles to Paul during the match. Despite being chased away by Santos Escobar, Paul had the brass knuckles to use for the win.

Backstage segment: Prior to her match with Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair had a backstage interview, talking about winning her title.

Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship 

Winner: Iyo Sky retained her title after a returning Kairi Sane helped her out. Despite Bayley interrupting the match to ensure Sky retained her title, it was Sane whose help led to Sky’s victory.

Promo Package: A promo package played featuring the feud between Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso and The Judgment Day before Rhodes’ match with Damian Priest.

WWE Crown Jewel 2023 Predictions: Anticipating Two Title Changes, Roman Reigns’ Continued Dominance, and More Excitement

Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest

Winner: Cody Rhodes picked up the win despite members of the Judgment Day showing up to help Priest. Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, and Dominik Mysterio showed up to turn the odds against Rhodes. However, Jey Uso showed up to keep the match going. After a trifecta of Cross-Rhodes on Priest, Rhodes was the winner.

Promo Package: The same hype promo package for LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns played ahead of their match for the WWE Universal Championship match.

LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

Winner: Roman Reigns retained the WWE Universal Championship with some help from Jimmy Uso. Despite giving it his all and having the sold-out arena chanting, “Yeah!” Knight was unable to put The Tribal Chief down. Reigns walks out of Saudi as still the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

What did you think about Crown Jewel 2023? Let us know in the comments below.

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