Speculation Mounts Over Possible Title Changes Before WWE Crown Jewel

WWE’s Crown Jewel premium live event is scheduled for Saturday, November 7, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the show is expected to feature marquee champion-versus-champion matchups pitting Raw’s top titleholders against SmackDown’s. With the event drawing closer, speculation is building over whether some of those championships could change hands on weekly television before the stars even touch down in Saudi Arabia.

The WWE Women’s Championship picture got murkier on the October 12 episode of Raw, when Chelsea Green confronted Liv Morgan and The Judgment Day in a segment widely seen as teasing a WWE Women’s Championship versus WWE Women’s World Championship showdown at Crown Jewel. Green ended up losing a non-title match to Roxanne Perez that night, opening the door for speculation that Perez could be next in line for a title shot — and potentially walk away as the new Women’s Champion before Crown Jewel even arrives.

Then there’s Tiffany Stratton, who cashed in nothing yet but holds all the leverage after winning the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match over Lash Legend, Perez, Jacy Jayne, Sol Ruca and Lola Vice. Conventional wisdom points to Stratton eventually cashing in on her ally Chelsea Green, but there’s a case for WWE zigging instead of zagging — a cash-in on Liv Morgan’s Women’s World Championship would free Stratton up to chase Green specifically for the Crown Jewel Championship in Riyadh, a twist that would reshuffle the entire women’s title picture heading into the show.

On the men’s side, all eyes are on Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn, who has fended off a parade of contenders on SmackDown. CM Punk, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor and GUNTHER have all been floated as next challengers, but Men’s Money in the Bank holder Penta still looms as the wild card. A cash-in victory over Zayn would hand Penta the Undisputed WWE Championship and, with it, a high-profile rematch against Roman Reigns on the Crown Jewel card in Saudi Arabia.

None of this is confirmed — these are educated possibilities based on how WWE has been laying out its storylines heading into the show, not locked-in plans. But that’s exactly what makes the next few weeks of Raw and SmackDown worth watching closely. WWE has leaned heavily on Money in the Bank cash-ins and surprise title changes to build urgency before its biggest premium live events, and Crown Jewel’s champion-versus-champion format gives the company extra incentive to shake up both the Raw and SmackDown title scenes before November 7.

If Perez, Stratton or Penta do cash in or capture gold in the coming weeks, it would dramatically alter who walks into Riyadh as champion — and who leaves as the inaugural or returning Crown Jewel titleholder. For now, fans will have to keep an eye on the next few episodes of Raw and SmackDown to see which, if any, of these scenarios actually play out.