At WWE Crown Jewel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 2, 2024, a new pair of championships will be introduced—the Crown Jewel Championships. However, these titles won’t become part of WWE’s regular lineup. Instead, they are set to be one-show-only belts, exclusively awarded at the Crown Jewel event.
Announced by Triple H at WWE Bad Blood, the Crown Jewel Championships will see top champions compete for these new titles. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will take on World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER, while Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan faces Women’s Champion Nia Jax. Each champion’s own respective titles will not be on the line, but the winners will be crowned as the first-ever Crown Jewel Champions.
As Joey Votes explained on WrestleVotes Radio on SportsKeeda’s Backstage Pass Patreon, these championships are designed solely for the Saudi event and are not intended to be defended on regular WWE programming. “They may appear the week after as raws in Saudi Arabia,” he noted, “but they are currently scheduled not to be full-time television titles.” Instead, they resemble one-time trophies, similar to past special events like Braun Strowman’s Greatest Royal Rumble victory in 2018. Technically, Strowman is still the champion, although no one views him as such.
While the Crown Jewel Championships are being presented as high-profile honors, their future beyond the Saudi shows is uncertain. It doesn’t sound like they will be making regular appearances on WWE programming, nor will they be defended by the winners. These are not championships that can be won after they are aware.
Everything you need to know about this year’s Crown Jewel.
WWE’s partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) plays a key role in the future of these titles. Their significance will likely remain confined to Crown Jewel and whether they are part of a future Saudi event or not isn’t clear. This may become an annual event, but it’s unlikely that the reigning winners will be defending them at the events given that so much can change with WWE storylines in any given calendar year.
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray compared the new championships to a King of the Ring trophy, adding, “This is going to be unique for Saudi.” Much like a tournament that has one winner, the difference between this and King of the Ring is that the winner of KOTR sometimes refers to themselves as King or Queen. That probably won’t be happening with these championships.
h/t to wrestlingnews.com for the transcription
