As ever with the Crown Jewel premium live event, WWE’s focus is on the champion vs. champion matches that pit Raw and SmackDown’s best against each other on one night.
While these matches can often feel inconsequential and thrown together, this year’s Men’s Crown Jewel Championship match is an exception, as Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns have years worth of history that can be tapped into.
The once Bloodline family members’ first meeting ahead of Crown Jewel on Raw was a tense one, and it’s already clear that there’s going to be no love lost once the bell rings on November 7, with Zayn looking to pull out any and all stops in order to get a win over his former “Tribal Chief.”
Here are three ways Sami Zayn may pull off what nobody else has managed to this year: defeat Roman Reigns.
A new “Ride or Die” helps Sami Zayn gain victory
Sami Zayn’s current heel run has not only given fans some of his best ever promo and character work, but it has also massively helped the career trajectory of Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae.
After spending more than half the year laid out on a crate backstage, Gargano has been especially revitalized by working with Zayn and it has gotten him mixing it up with the top names on the blue brand on a weekly basis.
Its obvious to everyone – including Candice LeRae seemingly – that Zayn is just using Johnny to remain on top, but it’s hard to say that becoming a “Ride or Die” hasn’t been a positive thing thus far.
And this “Sami Zayn rub” is something many others on the roster could also benefit from, primarily those in the mid to lower card that are struggling to nail down a spot. Whether it be Zayn and Gargano’s tag partner this week on SmackDown: Ricky Saints, an absent NXT star like Josh Briggs or potentially someone like Otis or Akira Tozawa from Raw, we could see a new “Ride or Die” attempt to get Zayn over the line and defeat Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel.
The 946 travel to Riyadh to get revenge on Roman Reigns
This past Monday on Raw we saw Roman Reigns finally step up and confront The 946 after months of targeting The Bloodline.
The look on Royce Keys, and everyone else’s face in the ring at the time Reigns’ music hit told the full story: s**t has indeed got real now.
It’s clear that this war is going to come to a head inside WarGames at Survivor Series on November 28, but WWE could further build that match by having 946 play a role in which way the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship match goes on November 7.
946 attacking Reigns would allow Zayn to get a massive win and further fuel Reigns’ desire to gain revenge inside WarGames.
Penta inadvertently costs Roman Reigns the win with cash-in tease
Penta holding the Money in the Bank briefcase has both Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn sweating, and it truly feels like a cash-in could come at either champion’s expense.
Considering Reigns’ inevitable WrestleMania 43 match with Oba Femi, it’s tough to see this year’s Mr. Money in the Bank targeting the World Heavyweight Title, but that doesn’t mean WWE shouldn’t continue to tease that possibility.
With Reigns and Zayn being in the same place at the same time it only makes sense for Penta to tease a cash-in, but it may not be one that pans out.
Instead Penta could come to ring and appear as if he’s going to cash-in, only to be thwarted by someone like a Johnny Gargano, this could then lead to a Reigns being distracted long enough that Zayn capitalises and sneaks a victory over “The OTC.”
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