Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown from Cincinnati kicked off with a direct confrontation between Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Paul Heyman’s faction, The Vision. The segment set the stage for the night’s main event and continued to build storylines heading toward the Crown Jewel premium live event.
The show opened with Cody Rhodes making his entrance to address the crowd. Before he could speak, he was interrupted by Paul Heyman, who appeared at ringside with Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. As the trio surrounded the ring, Randy Orton appeared from off-camera to stand by Rhodes’ side.
Heyman revealed that their appearance was not for Rhodes, but for Orton, who he claimed had not been returning his calls, texts, or e-mails. Heyman stated that he knew Orton would appear if they cornered Rhodes. “That was a spoiler and not a prediction,” Heyman said.
Heyman then attempted to create friction between Rhodes and Orton ahead of their main event tag team match against Reed and Breakker. He predicted their loss and suggested it would cause Orton to question their alliance. Heyman suggested that after their loss, Orton would begin to believe he could be a better champion than Rhodes and would also question where Rhodes was when Orton had needed him in the past.
He concluded his address with a final declaration. He then said the partnership couldn’t last, and that wasn’t a prediction, it’s a prophecy.
Other matches announced for the Crown Jewel event include another Champion vs. Champion match between Raw’s Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer and SmackDown’s WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton. Also on the card, John Cena will face AJ Styles, and the team of Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky will take on The Kabuki Warriors.
WWE Crown Jewel Match Card
Here are the matches scheduled for WWE Crown Jewel:
- Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins – Singles match for the WWE Crown Jewel Championship
- Stephanie Vaquer vs. Tiffany Stratton – Singles match for the WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship
- John Cena vs. AJ Styles – Singles match
- Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs. The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) – Tag team match
