Seth Rollins is looking to defeat Cody Rhodes for the first time. (Credit: Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images)
WWE via Getty Images
WWE Crown Jewel 2025 will attempt to deliver what WrestlePalooza didn’t, and that’s some legitimate surprises.
Prior to WWE’s debut on ESPN, WWE CCO Triple H promised that the company would deliver major surprises to kick off WWE’s ESPN era. But unless you count Stephanie McMahon finding out she was getting inducted into the Hall of Fame, that, well, simply didn’t happen. WrestlePalooza was largely devoid of shocking moments and widely panned by critics for its underwhelming performance.
At Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia, WWE gets its chance at a re-do at the final stop on the road to November’s Survivor Series. That will be easier said than done, though, with the show built largely around two potentially meaningless Crown Jewel title matches on what is yet another small, five-match card.
WWE needs to get back on track with a strong PLE in Australia, and it can do that by booking some of these surprises at WWE Crown Jewel 2025.
John Cena’s Next Challenger Steps Up After Win Over AJ Styles
After WWE Crown Jewel, John Cena has just four scheduled appearances left, with his next PLE stop coming at November’s Survivor Series.
WWE has reportedly discussed booking Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio in one of Cena’s remaining appearances, and that bout makes a ton of sense for Survivor Series in Mysterio’s hometown of San Diego. Of course, Cena’s scheduled post-Crown Jewel break from WWE means that the creative team only has one shot at kicking off that rivalry on the grand stage of a PLE on ESPN.
The best way to build to that match, if it does happen, is for Mysterio and The Judgment Day to show up at WWE Crown Jewel in Perth. That’s where Cena is going to face and likely defeat AJ Styles in their last-ever match, but with Cena’s limited schedule, the company is going to have to transition right into his next rivalry.
Mysterio is the ideal Survivor Series opponent for Cena, but whether it’s him or not, expect Cena’s next feud to kick off at WWE Crown Jewel with a post-victory attack on the 17-time world champion.
Tiffany Stratton Turns Heel After Losing To Stephanie Vaquer
Something has been missing from Tiffany Stratton’s WWE Women’s Championship reign, and it’s hard to really put a finger on what’s going wrong.
After all, Stratton has beaten the likes of Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair, Trish Stratus and Jade Cargill seemingly without gaining much from it. One possible explanation for Stratton’s lackluster championship run is that she’s a more natural heel, which has made her babyface stint fall somewhat flat.
Crown Jewel, however, presents WWE with the perfect opportunity to remedy that. Stratton will be facing Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer, one of WWE’s most beloved babyfaces, in a dream match she’s likely going to lose. That loss could, and perhaps should be, start the ignition of a much-needed heel turn.
Stratton has done all she can as a fan favorite, and if WWE wants her to regain her momentum, there is no better way for her to do it than a shocking heel turn after a loss to Vaquer at WWE Crown Jewel.
Bronson Reed Beats Roman Reigns Clean At WWE Crown Jewel
Roman Reigns already beat Bronson Reed one-on-one at WWE Clash in Paris in a booking decision that seemed to set the stage for Reigns vs. Bron Breakker.
Instead, Reigns and Reed will clash again at Crown Jewel in an Australian Street Fight in Reed’s home country. While Reigns rarely loses, WWE has an obvious “out” here with the Street Fight stipulation that could give Reed a cheap win on a night when he will almost certainly receive a babyface reaction as the hometown hero.
Sure, a tainted win for Reed is better than a loss, but WWE badly needs more credible singles heels on Raw and Reed is right on the cusp of becoming exactly that. Reed, however, lacks a signature singles win as a member of The Vision, where he’s clearly portrayed as the group’s No. 3 behind Breakker and Seth Rollins.
If WWE wants Reed to enter that upper echelon of villains, he needs to beat Reigns cleanly at WWE Crown Jewel. But let’s be honest: that would be a shocker.
Randy Orton Turns Heel Cody Rhodes At WWE Crown Jewel
WWE SmackDown is clearly lacking in the heel department, with Drew McIntyre at the top and then a massive dropoff to everyone else.
Although Randy Orton remains immensely popular as a beloved legend, he’s the best candidate on the blue brand to turn heel and take over McIntyre’s spot. WWE may be holding off on Orton’s seemingly inevitable heel turn until closer to WrestleMania season, but can the creative team really wait that long?
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes desperately needs another credible opponent or two at the top of the card, and given his history with Orton, “The Viper” is the best choice for that spot. It’s likely a matter of when, not if, that heel turn happens, and after WWE dropped the ball on McIntyre vs. Rhodes at WrestlePalooza, Crown Jewel is a shot at a re-do.
Orton should cost Rhodes his match against Rollins at WWE Crown Jewel, not just accidentally but purposely. That will pave the way for an epic WWE title rivalry on SmackDown to carry the blue brand through the fall.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2025/10/10/wwe-crown-jewel-2025-potential-surprises-and-returns/
