Welcome to Slam Wrestling’s live coverage of WWE’s latest Premium Live Event, Crown Jewel. The show airs live from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, and for many of us this means an early start time of 8am Eastern Standard Time (EST). Canadian fans can catch this show on Netflix.
The show will feature five matches, two of which are for special Crown Jewel Championships. At last year’s show the Men’s and Women’s Crown Jewel Championships were introduced and will be awarded to the winner of two champion versus champion matches. Other matches include hometown hero Rhea Ripley teaming with Iyo Sky to take on The Kabuki Warriors, Roman Reigns taking on Bronson Reed in a Street Fight, and one of John Cena’s last matches as he takes on fabled foe AJ Styles.
And with that let’s get to the show…
The Show Begins…
There is a long, almost ten-minute video hyping up the crowd featuring a mixt of cinematic scenes of the Men’s and Women’s Crown Jewel Championships being delivered in black Lincoln Navigators and Rhea Ripley talking about crowds being passionate, animated, and “real” at shows all over the world. This is expected to continue tonight as well.
Match #1: Australian Street Fight: Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed
For a local boy Reed doesn’t get that much of a pop while Reigns gets a momentary one yet the crowd barely makes any noise once he finishes. It looks like many of the people live in attendance are too busy making ‘1’ gestures to clap. Then once his music ends the singing begins.
Fifteen minutes have gone by before the bell rings. The match starts with punches and then Reigns clotheslines Reed to the floor. Things start off generic at first but then Reigns adds some local flavor by introducing a cricket bat as a weapon. This is less of a fight and more of a “let’s have fun” situation. Despite landing a tackle or two Reigns gets such a comfortable lead that he cuts a mid-match promo to play to the crowd and say his catchphrase. He introduces a table but Reed takes him out leading to a “f**k you Bronson” chant. Reed goes through a chair via Samoan Drop. A series of clotheslines stagger Reed but he stays on his feet. Reed counters with a Death Valley Driver and smashes Reigns with a stop sign. Reigns regains control and goes for a massive drive-by dropkick around the ring when suddenly Bron Breakker appears out of nowhere and spears Reigns. Aided powerbomb through one of the commentary tables. Then music plays and both Usos come out. They superkick Breakker. They’re so worried about Reigns they do a little dance as they punch reed. Generic chanting followed by a 1D as the crowd cheers semi-enthusiastically. Reed knocks Jey off the apron while Reed lands a military press gutbuster on Jimmy. Spear through the barricade on Jimmy and Reed teases a splash on Jey. Reigns appears out of nowhere and lands his superman punches. Reed avoids getting speared through a table setup in a corner which leads to Jimmy spearing Reigns through the table. Breakker spears Jey and sets Reed up for the Tsunami onto Reigns which gets Reed the three-count. Michael Cole claims Reed becomes one of a small handful to beat Reigns one-on-one, but seems to ignore the fact that the match turned into a de-facto three-on-two handicap match with the two beating the three.
Winner after 20:40: minutes: Bronson Reed
Post-match Reigns castigates the Usos as the crowd chants “you f**ked up” at them. “The whole world thinks I can’t do s**t on my own” notes Reigns. Then he says “I don’t want to see y’all until Christmas”. To which the crowd chants “someone’s in trouble”.
Rating: 5/10 A fairly sanitized and corporate-friendly Street Fight. It came off as slapstick and cheesy for the most part with some of the blandest and most predictable “weapons” use imaginable. It didn’t feel heated and it dragged on forever with lots of downtime. The crowd just seemed happy to be there and looked like they trying to entertain themselves or make something mundane seem a little better. Reed got a cheap win in the end to further the story between himself and Reigns but for the longest time he just looked like a chump until the interference started.
Match #2: Women’s Crown Jewel Championship Match: Stephanie Vaquer (Women’s World Champion) vs. Tiffany Stratton (WWE Women’s Champion)
They note that Stratton has been champion for 281 days and that she’s undefeated in 2025. The Crown Jewel title belt they’re fighting for glistens in the spotlight and looks much more prestigious compared to their respective branded belts. The crowd wakes up and sounds more animated compared to during the women’s entrances. Standard exchanges to start things off. Vaquer locks in a unique standing STF of sorts but Stratton counters with s back suplex. Handspring Alabamaslam gets two. Stratton goes for a kick corner escape but Vaquer lands a nasty dragon screw leg whip. Vaquer lands a sudden back suplex of her own, makes a quick Eddie Guerrero tribute, and lands the Devil’s Kiss. a package backbreaker gets two. Stratton fights back but misses a triple-jump moonsault. Vaquer hits back with a corkscrew moonsault of her own and that gets the three!
Winner and 2025 Women’s Crown Jewel Champion after 10:06: Stephanie Vaquer
Triple H hugs Vaquer in the ring and awards her the title which also includes a ring. A post-match interview takes place along with a “You Deserve It” chant. She then cuts a promo in both English and Spanish and ends with her showing off her two title belts and the ring around her finger.
Rating: 5.5/10: Good match that ended abruptly. It felt somewhat rushed. The action was solid but it felt rather heatless and lacking in tension. The crowd was split between both women but by and large this wasn’t anywhere near special or even classic level. But at least it’s clear that Vaquer is being catapulted to greatness with how much gold and glory she’s has gotten thus far.
Paul Heyman approaches Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker congratulating the former and warning both of them not to interfere in Rollins’ match with Rhodes later tonight.
Match #3: John Cena vs. AJ Styles
Decent reaction for Styles while Cena gets a pop so massive the crowd actually starts singing the lyrics to his entrance theme. This is Cena’s fifth-to-last match. Alicia Taylor gives Cena his over-the-top introduction, but then so does Styles, complete with references to Total Nonstop Action, Bullet Club, and his “beat up John Cena” catchphrase from years ago. Great exchange to start. Styles overtakes Cena leading to an early “TNA” chant. Styles lands some basement forearms but goes to the well one time too many so Cena clotheslines him out of a corner. Styles cuts off Cena’s signature comeback but eats a side suplex. Lots of nice counters here. AA gets two. Styles answers with an ushigoroshi but Cena counters with The Miz’s Skull Crushing Finale out of nowhere for two. Rack Bomb gets Styles another near-fall. Cena counters a Clash into an STF but Styles counters that with a Crossface. And Cena counters that with an Accolade/Camel Clutch. This match is just filled with tributes and homages. Styles counters that with a Samoa Joe-inspired Coquina Clutch. Cena counters out of a Calf Crusher attempt into s high-angle Boston Crab/Liontamer. Styles rolls back into the Calf Crusher. Back to the STF for Cena. Styles lands the Clash for two. Cena counters a Phenomena Forearm into Sister Abigail, which gets a monster pop. Styles counters another AA with his best friend Christopher Daniels’ finisher the Angel’s Wings for two. Cena teases a Pedigree but Styles lands a Dead Eye/Back-to-Belly Piledriver out of nowhere for another near-fall. Cena then channels randy Orton with the draping DDT, his signature slithering taunt, and an RKO for two. Cena misses a Punt Kick and Styles lands an AA for two. Wade Barrett accurately describes this as someone creating a video game character and giving them all other wrestlers’ finishers as their regular move-set. Styles attempts You Can’t See Me but Cena lands an Undertaker-style chokeslam. The fans chant “619” because why not, anything’s possible at this point. Cena actually attempts it but Cena clotheslines him. Springboard 450 Splash by Styles connects. And then Styles tunes up the band and lands Sweet Chin Music for another near-fall. Phenomenal Forearm also gets two, as does another AA. Styles avoids an Avalanche AA but Cena does the Mark Henry spot into a Tombstone Piledriver for the three-count.
Winner after 27:10: John Cena
Post-match Cena offers a handshake and both men hug in a show of professionalism. They take turns raising each other’s hands.
Rating: 7/10 This started off classic but soon turned into a sort of fun tribute match. This was unique as far as Cena matches go but at least it’s a refreshing take compared to regular big matches that feature repetitive finisher spam. It was more of a match for the two guys amusing themselves with them foregoing any traditional psychology and just hitting different other wrestlers’ moves on each other. It wasn’t the deepest of stories but it was one of those “I UNDERSTOOD THAT REFERENCE” sort of self-indulgent match. That self-indulgence is usually a bad thing but here it wasn’t all that egregious or self-gratifying since they still brought out things no one ever expected either man to pull out. Cena wanted to show that he could do things outside of his trademark repertoire and this was the right setting for him to do so. It was far from great or classic yet it was a tremendous pick-me-up match that’s great to watch if you’re in a bad mood.
Match #4: Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky vs. The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
The Kabuki Warriors rush Ripley & Iyo as the bell rings. Asuka finds herself in the ring with Iyo. They show some STARdOM/joshi style offense for a while complete with dropkicks, hard shots to the head and body, and in Iyo’s case, a through-the-ropes suicide dive. In the ring the Kabuki Warriors their sweet time double-teaming Iyo. They isolate Iyo extensively with quick tags, ref distractions, and taunts to Ripley. At one point it looks like Ripley gets a tag but the referee doesn’t see it. Kobashi-style discus chops to Iyo’s neck followed by a diving double-stomp for two. Iyo suddenly fires up and gets the hot tag to Ripley who runs wild on both Kabuki Warriors. Razor’s Edge/shotgun dropkick gets the babyfaces a two-count. Sane lands a second-rope armdrag and goes for a moonsault but Asuka cuts her off. Iyo lands a dig dive to the floor and lands a moonsault in the ring for two. Asuka stops a doomsday combo move. Despite a minor miscommunication The Kabuki Warriors land an aided elbow drop on Ripley for two. Things get a bit chaotic with all four women down. Ripley lands a facebuster into a turnbuckle pad and goes for an avalanche Riptide. Sane tags herself in and eats a big boot to save Asuka. Iyo tags in and lands another moonsault to get the pin for her team.
Winners after 19:55 Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky
Rating: 6/10 Good match with a nice little story. The Kabuki Warriors isolated Sky from Ripley for most of the match to take advantage of Iyo’s natural sympathy. Ripley ran wild like the monster she was and fought through several two-on-one situations. Things got a bit hard to follow at times and at one point Asuka looked like she forgot she was the legal woman to make a cover. But it went a bit too long and had quite a bit of unnecessary downtime and repetition of certain spots. By no means was this anything exceptional but the local crowd loved having their hometown hero get a win, even if she wasn’t directly involved in the deciding fall.
Match #5 (Main Event): Men’s Crown Jewel Championship: Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Champion) vs. Seth Rollins (World Heavyweight Champion)
Rollins has a polka dot pattern on his tights to mock Cody’s father. Cody overpowers and out-wrestles Seth early on. Seth is frustrated at first and teases getting into it with the announcers but then surprises Cody by driving him shoulder-first into the ringsteps. Seth lands a double stomp with Rollins draped over the barricade. Cody attempts a Disaster Kick but Rollins counters into a powerbomb out of nowhere for two. Rollins works Cody’s bad arm which leads to a “We Want Barrett” chant for some reason. They trade bionic elbow sequences but Rollins counters into a Figure-4 leglock. Cody lands a Vertebreaker upon escaping and then goes through a long comeback sequence. A Cody Cutter gets two. Seth lands a Pedigree for a near-all of his own and then steals Cross Rhodes for two yet again. Seth misses a Phoenix Splash. Cody misses a top-rope Cody Cutter. A stomp gets two as well. Seth grabs the watch he gave Cody at WrestleMania XL to use as makeshift brass knuckles. This distraction allows Cody to land two finishers which fail to get the job done. Seth traps Cody in the tree of woe and lands a coast-to-coast diving head-butt. Two-count. Diving Spanish Fly by Seth plus an uranage. Two-count. Top-rope Cross Rhodes. Two-count. Standing exchange plus some Kawada kicks from both men. Then there’s a ref bump out of nowhere which allowed Seth to use the watch as brass knuckles. Two Stomps, including one from the second rope, connect to give Seth the win.
Winner and Men’s 2025 Crown Jewel Champion after 29:40: World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins
Post-match Triple H does the same award recognition for Seth as he did for Vaquer earlier. then he cuts a self-congratulatory promo that goes off without a hitch. The final visual or the show is Seth & Vaquer celebrating together.
Rating: 6/10 Slow and underwhelming main event match. For some reason these guys threw moves at each other but it just didn’t have the same level of heat or intensity it should’ve had given the history between them. While there were a few cool moves here and there, this match felt like an inferior version of the Cena/Styles match from earlier. In many ways it felt like a house show main-event and was underwhelming given the magnitude of what this was supposed to represent.
Overall Show Rating: 6/10
Like Wrestlepalooza last month this show was a passable show but not groundbreaking or all that special. The crowd here was excited at first but their enthusiasm peaked with Cena/Styles and dipped afterwards. That was to be expected: Cena/Styles was easily the highlight of the show, less as a classic and more as a feel-good self-referential story that was more about Cena proving that he could cosplay as other wrestlers to tell a cute little story. That match for its overwhelming positive atmosphere was the brightest spot on this card with everything else being solid but not worth going out of your way to see.
That’ll do it for our coverage of WWE Crown Jewel 2025. Please be sure to check out SlamWrestling.net for all your wrestling news and updates. Thanks for reading.
