WWE Crown Jewel 2025 Match Card Predictions After Wrestlepalooza Results

WWE's premiere on ESPN with Wrestlepalooza marked a new era for the company's premium live events, which will hopefully see an increase of quality going forward.

John Cena and Brock Lesnar met for the final time ever one-on-one to start the show, a fairly one-sided affair that ended in an emphatic victory for Lesnar. However, seeds that have been planted in recent days could indicate what's next for both men.

AJ Lee also returned to the ring on Saturday night with a win alongside her husband CM Punk against the conniving couple of Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, seemingly setting up a future clash between Lynch and Lee over the Women's Intercontinental Championship.

Earlier in the event, a new Women's World champion was crowned in Stephanie Vaquer. It's clear her opponent Iyo Sky has unfinished business to attend to with The Kabuki Warriors as well as with Rhea Ripley.

All eyes are now on WWE's next ESPN outing Crown Jewel, coming up on Oct. 11 in Perth, Australia. Two matches have already been confirmed for the card while others were heavily teased at Wrestlepalooza.

These are the matches that make the most sense to transpire at Crown Jewel.

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins (Men's Crown Jewel Championship)

It was established at last year's Crown Jewel event that the men's and women's world champions of Raw and SmackDown would face off for Crown Jewel championships. The titles were won by Cody Rhodes and Liv Morgan yet held no value beyond bragging rights and brand supremacy.

Rhodes will have the chance to walk away with the gold for the second straight year after successfully retaining his Undisputed WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre at Wrestlepalooza. Seth Rollins is the current World Heavyweight champion and it's unlikely he'll have to defend his title before then.

Rhodes and Rollins have had a handful of run-ins throughout 2025, so it's a match many months and even years in the making. Of course, Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 by beating Rollins, and throughout their heated feud, Rollins never once reigned supreme over Rhodes.

That included an instant classic inside Hell in a Cell where Rhodes somehow found a way to win despite being legitimately injured going into it.

By rekindling their rivalry at Crown Jewel, the longtime foes can settle their score once and for all and begin building momentum toward whatever will be in store for them for Survivor Series season.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Stephanie Vaquer (Women's Crown Jewel Championship)

Similar to the men, Raw and SmackDown's top female champions will also wage war at Crown Jewel to determine the second-ever Women's Crown Jewel champion.

It was confirmed at Wrestlepalooza that Stephanie Vaquer will represent the red brand following her win over Iyo Sky that clinched her the Women's World Championship. Vaquer is fresh off arriving on the main roster and has quickly captured the admiration of the audience.

Sky regaining the gold would have been the safer bet, but WWE going all in on Vaquer works just as well. Her opponent for Crown Jewel isn't set in stone, however, as reigning WWE Women's champion Tiffany Stratton will first have to retain her title in a Triple Threat against Nia Jax and Jade Cargill on the September 26 edition of SmackDown.

Both women are fresh faces and would have plenty to gain from emerging victorious in their high-stakes battle at Crown Jewel. Stratton has been champ for a lot longer and has been virtually unstoppable since the onset of 2025, while Vaquer has yet to be beaten one-on-one since joining the Raw roster.

This match could easily go either way and should be nothing short of a spectacle when the bell rings.

Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Jey Uso and LA Knight, two of the most beloved babyfaces on Raw, have been at odds for weeks and may be on a collision course toward Crown Jewel.

In addition to failing to form a united front against The Vision since before Clash in Paris, Uso and Knight have taken turns laying each other to close the show recently on Raw. Knight then served as special guest referee for The Usos' tag team match against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed at Wrestlepalooza, which The Usos lost.

Regardless of whether either of them turn heel, a singles match should be in order, and saving it for Crown Jewel would ensure it gets maximum exposure and prominent placement.

Both are underdogs, but Uso at least won the men's Royal Rumble match earlier in the year followed by the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41. Knight needs something significant to get him back on track, and a decisive win over a fellow fan favorite could accomplish that.

Before they can put their differences aside to combat The Vision, Uso and Knight must first duke it out and find out who the superior Superstar is.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs. Kabuki Warriors

Iyo Sky may not have left Wrestlepalooza a two-time Women's World champion, but that doesn't necessarily mean she will be without direction for long.

In fact, her loss to Stephanie Vaquer seamlessly sets her up for the long-anticipated program between her and Asuka.

For weeks, Asuka has been noticeably disapproving of Sky's actions with their fellow Damage CTRL stablemate Kairi Sane being caught in the middle. Although Asuka has yet to cement her heel turn, all signs point to her officially severing ties with Sky sooner rather than later.

Once she does, Sane can choose to side with Asuka while Rhea Ripley comes to the aid of Sky. Ripley and Sky have developed a mutual respect for each other that should amount to them teaming up take on The Kabuki Warriors.

What will make the match more meaningful is that Crown Jewel will emanate from Ripley's native Australia, so similar to Elimination Chamber 2024 (WWE's last PLE in the country), she should be represented in some form or fashion.

From there, Ripley and Asuka can set their sights back on the Women's World title with Ripley ultimately seeking to avenge her many losses to Sky.

John Cena vs. Bronson Reed

John Cena has been in rare form since SummerSlam, both in the ring and on the mic.

His matches with Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul and Sami Zayn were all above-average, but the same can't be said for his Wrestlepalooza outing against Brock Lesnar. It was glorified flurry of finishers and an inferior version of their SummerSlam 2014 main-event.

Lesnar eviscerated Cena with multiple F5s, secured the victory and attacked the referee for good measure. There was no post-match angle to reveal where either of them are headed, but it has been announced that the next match on Cena's farewell tour will take place at Crown Jewel.

Outside of an unnecessary rematch, there isn't an obvious opponent for Cena at the event, but with the way he's been built up as a dominant threat as of late, Bronson Reed would be the perfect person for the spot, especially with Heyman reuniting with Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza and Heyman being aligned with Reed through The Vision.

Not only did Reed pin Jey Uso to win the tag team match at Wrestlepalooza, he's also an Australia native and thus it'd be booking malpractice for him to be left off the card entirely. A grudge match with Roman Reigns would be logical if Reigns returns before then, but Reed vs. Cena would be an equally-massive opportunity for him in his home country.

Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee (Women's Intercontinental Championship)

WWE has managed to keep the CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins rivalry both fresh and fun for the better part of the past two years, but this latest chapter should be all about Becky Lynch and AJ Lee.

Lee showed signs of ring rust during the mixed tag team match at Wrestlepalooza but had the crowd behind her throughout before tapping out Lynch for the victory. Punk and Rollins will continue feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship, but with Rollins confirmed to be facing Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel, Lee and Lynch should take center stage at the event when they collide for the Women's Intercontinental Championship.

It's been well over a decade since Lee last competed in a singles match, but if there's anyone who could bring the best out of her, it's The Man. Lynch has done an exceptional job of elevating the Women's Intercontinental title this far and defending against Lee on a premium live event would make it that much more coveted.

It isn't imperative that the three-time Divas champion leave the new champ at this stage of their storyline, but the bout alone will be an exciting attraction for the event.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.