Updated WWE Crown Jewel 2023 Match Card and Predictions Before Go-Home Raw

WWE heads to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday afternoon for Crown Jewel, its annual fall time premium live event, this year headlined by Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending against LA Knight.

That blockbuster match, one of the most anticipated of the year, tops a card that features nearly every major title at stake and several key grudges settled in highly emotional battles.

What does the card look like, who can fans expect to leave victoriously, and what two stories bear watching closest?

Find out with this preview of the November 4 extravaganza.

Match Card and Predictions

Announced in advance for Saturday's extravaganza are:

• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns (Prediction: Reigns retains)
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Seth "Freaking" Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre (Prediction: Rollins retains)
• Fatal 5-Way for the Women's World Championship: Raquel Rodriguez vs. Zoey Stark vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax vs. Rhea Ripley (Prediction: Ripley retains)
• United States Championship Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul (Prediction: Paul wins the title)
• WWE Women's Championship Match: Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky (Prediction: Belair wins)
• Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest (Prediction: Rhodes)
• John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa (Prediction: Cena)

Will Damian Priest Cash In?

It feels as though the WWE Universe has asked "When will Damian Priest cash in Money in the Bank" since the moment he won the coveted briefcase at the namesake premium live event this past July.

There have been opportunities prior to Crown Jewel for him to cash in, win the World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins, and do so in a way that made sense within the context of ongoing storylines.

To this point, Triple H and the creative team have opted not to head in that direction.

That may change on Saturday at Crown Jewel.

Assuming Priest loses to Rhodes in their singles match, The Archer of Infamy can easily rebound later in the night interrupting a world title match between babyfaces Rollins and Drew McIntyre, and successfully cash in his briefcase to steal the championship.

It plays on Rhea Ripley's attempts to manipulate both competitors on recent episodes of WWE Raw and freshens up the title picture on Monday nights, where Rollins has reigned since the reintroduction of the world title last May.

With an emphasis placed on Judgment Day of late and Triple H's clear commitment to the faction and its place atop the red brand, it certainly feels like now is the time to make the title change.

Rollins can win it back on the road to WrestleMania and defend it in Philadelphia if that is what the creative team desires, but to pass up an opportunity to book a big moment on the Crown Jewel show—when most other titles appear likely to be retained by their current holders—would be a misstep.

Can LA Knight Leave Crown Jewel Stronger Even In Defeat?

LA Knight will not defeat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

That much is a certainty.

That does not mean, however, that The Megastar cannot leave Saudi Arabia stronger than he entered.

Knight is as hot as any Superstar on the WWE roster right now. He is regularly garnering the biggest reactions of any show he appears on, eclipsing even those received by John Cena and The Tribal Chief himself.

He has momentum on his side, as much if not more than Sami Zayn last February when he challenged for the gold at Elimination Chamber. The difference here is that Knight's title opportunity comes in Riyadh, while Zayn's was a massive homecoming.

Still, Knight has past every test on his path to the championship and has earned this opportunity. So, how does WWE ensure his momentum continues to build instead of plateauing?

Easy. It books the match much like it did the Cody Rhodes match at WrestleMania 39, when it was abundantly clear late in the match that The American Nightmare was about to dethrone Reigns, only for Solo Sikoa to dish out one last bit of interference that robbed the WWE Universe of the long-awaited title change.

It worked then and allowed Rhodes to remain as over as he had been entering the match, a Superstar who did not fail to win the title as much as he had it yanked out from underneath him.

The key will be to portray Knight as a guy that did not fall short of winning the title but was screwed out of it by outside forces. If he comes out of the match having come within a second of winning the gold, and the fans know it was someone else who prevented it, they will continue to support him.

Perhaps most importantly, it will be to Knight not to assign blame for the loss. Rhodes never blamed The Bloodline but, instead, assumed responsibility for the loss. He never forgot it, always chased a rematch, but never pointed fingers.

If Knight does the same, he will be made as a main-event babyface.