Logan Paul has continued to make a name for himself in the combat sports world. Following his boxing match against Bellator MMA fighter Dillon Danis over the weekend, Paul made it clear what’s next for him.
Paul set his sights on the WWE United States Championship and revealed that he plans to challenge Rey Mysterio for that title in the near future.
“My true passion, y’all already know, I’m a WWE superstar. So, I’m moving back to the WWE,” Paul said in the postfight interview. “There are some championships that I want to get. I’ve got my eye on something. I got my eye on someone. I’m an American boy, and I want that U.S. title. Rey Mysterio, I already beat you once brother, and I’m coming for that U.S. championship.”
It didn’t take long for Mysterio to respond.
“I was like, ‘What did he just say? No way,’ and I had to rewind it to make sure. He did, he called me out,” Mysterio said on “The MMA Hour” on Monday. “I’m like, ‘Okay. I’m not hard to find. You can find me every Friday night on SmackDown.’ I can’t wait to see what he has to say.”
WWE then announced Paul would be on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown for a “face-to-face” confrontation with Mysterio. The segment will likely set up a championship match between the two at WWE’s Crown Jewel event, scheduled for Nov. 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Can @LoganPaul back his words up this Friday on #SmackDown? pic.twitter.com/INbPmh7xHn
— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2023 Paul made his in-ring debut for WWE at WrestleMania 38 back in April 2022 and has since competed in seven matches. His first attempt at winning gold in WWE came at the 2022 Crown Jewel event when he failed to beat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. He then went on to enter the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble, face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 39, compete in this year’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match and beat Ricochet at SummerSlam 2023.
The year is nearly over, but there’s still plenty of work to be in done in the WWE universe. The wrestling promotion continues to roll on toward Survivor Series to close 2023 and Royal Rumble to open 2024, but first they head back to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for this year’s Crown Jewel. As per usual, the event is loaded up with some of the promotion’s top stars as five titles will be at stake come Saturday night.
The action features prominent storylines from the Bloodline and Judgement Day factions. Undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns is back in action when he defends his crown against red-hot contender LA Knight. Bloodline enforcer Solo Sikoa is in singles action when he takes on legend John Cena.
Judgement Day leader Rhea Ripley will have to hold off four challengers to her crown when she takes on Nia Jax, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler and Raquel Rodriguez in a fatal five-way match. And Damian Priest looks to end his ongoing rivalry and feud with Cody Rhodes when they tussle in singles action.
The card appears to be complete in advance of WWE’s 10th event in Saudi Arabia.
Take a look below at the confirmed matches for Crown Jewel, which streams live on Peacock with the main card starting at 1 p.m. ET.
2023 WWE Crown Jewel matches Undisputed WWE Universal Championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. LA Knight: Knight is WWE’s biggest success story this year. Saddled with a terribly male modeling manager gimmick upon his main roster debut, Knight has flourished since reverting to his NXT persona. Knight is getting some of the loudest crowd reactions these days and he teamed with John Cena to defeat Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa at Fastlane. Knight shined in a verbal altercation with Reigns on SmackDown and will now officially face him at Crown Jewel.
World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre: After Rollins’ grueling win over Shinsuke Nakamura at Fastlane, McIntyre made it clear that he intended to take the title from Rollins. McIntyre did make it clear, however, that he wasn’t interested in sneak attacks or fights prior to the match and that he wanted Rollins as close to his best as possible, resulting in a match being made for Crown Jewel. McIntyre did not save Rollins from an attack by Money in the Bank contract holder Damian Priest but did stop Priest from cashing in on Rollins. So, it remains possible that Priest ends up factoring into this match.
Women’s World Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Zoey Stark: All five women have been mixing it up with various matches and attacks in recent weeks, all while trying to lay claim to being “the baddest woman in WWE.” A “fatal five-way” made sense for an unusual bout filled with WWE’s most physically powerful women.
John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa: Cena is itching to win on his own merit. The 16-time world champion shared an epiphany with fans on the Sept. 20 episode of SmackDown: he hadn’t won a singles match in more than 2,000 days. Cena said he contemplated retirement but was determined to prove he can hold his own. The surefire Hall of Famer put out an open challenge that was answered by Sikoa. A brawl broke out before the match could officially take place, but was formally booked for Crown Jewel.
WWE Women’s Championship — Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair: Belair revealed on the Oct. 27 episode of SmackDown that she was granted a rematch against Iyo Sky for the WWE women’s championship at Crown Jewel. Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Belair moments after Belair defeated Asuka to win the title at SummerSlam on Aug. 5.
United States Championship — Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Logan Paul: Paul called Mysterio out after defeating Dillon Danis in a crossover boxing fight. Mysterio issued a response, saying Paul knows where to find him. Mysterio welcomed Paul to challenge for Mysterio’s U.S. championship at Crown Jewel. Paul accepted and the foes shook hands. The big question is whether WWE puts a championship around the social media influencer’s waist.
Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest: Priest still holds the Money in the Bank briefcase but has been held back from his desire to cash in by Rhea Ripley on multiple occasions. With nothing else going on for Crown Jewel, Rhodes and Priest made for a sensible pairing, especially after multiple clashes over the undisputed WWE tag team titles.
Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh (Kick-off show): Zayn has been a persistent thorn in the side of Judgement Day. He will get a chance to deal further blows to the group in a battle with Judgement Day’s fringe member, McDonagh.
WWE returns to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for the 2023 edition of Crown Jewel. As usual, the promotion is bringing plenty of big matches to the event, including five championship bouts.
Roman Reigns will defend the undisputed WWE universal championship in the night’s main event, putting his belt on the line against LA Knight. It will be Reigns’ first title defense since facing Jey Uso at SummerSlam in August.
The other top men’s title will also be on the line when Seth Rollins defends the world heavyweight championship against Drew McIntyre. Rollins has been incredibly active since earning the title, including a pair of headlining roles against Shinsuke Nakamura. Now, he welcomes a greater test in the imposing Scot.
The top women in the promotion will also be in action on Saturday night. Women’s world champion Rhea Ripley will face off with four challengers all vying for her title in a fatal-five way match. Ripley will take on Nia Jax, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler and Raquel Rodriguez. Meanwhile, WWE women’s champion Iyo Sky puts her title on the line against former champ Bianca Belair. Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Belair at SummerSlam to claim the championship, so Belair is looking for a bit of revenge after dropping the belt under less-than-ideal circumstances.
Let’s take a look at who the CBS Sports experts are picking to win each match at WWE Crown Jewel, which streams live on Peacock at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday with a kickoff show beginning one hour before.
2023 WWE Crown Jewel card, predictions Undisputed WWE Universal Championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. LA Knight
It’s great to see Knight get the opportunity to main event a pay-per-view, with WWE finally stepping on the gas and taking advantage of him getting over huge with the fans. Still, Knight doesn’t really fit in the “bigger story” of Reigns and The Bloodline to where it feels this would be where WWE would take the title off of him. It’s also worth noting that Reigns’ lengthy run with the belt is starting to approach Hulk Hogan’s longest title reign of 1,474 days. With how much focus has been put on the historic nature of Reigns’ title reign, and with him currently not set for another match until the Royal Rumble, it feels like it’s a bit too obvious that he’s going to come out on top here. Pick: Roman Reigns retains the title — Brent Brookhouse (also Shakiel Mahjouri)
World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
The world heavyweight championship needs a facelift. Rollins has done a solid job as the first champion since WWE revived the title. The stories had effort, superstars were spotlighted and great matches were produced. But the plots had holes, elevations didn’t stick and Gunther is putting on a better workhorse championship reign with the intercontinental title. McIntyre is overdue for a world title and is one of the more compelling characters on Raw as a tweener bordering on villain. A McIntyre title run could produce fresh feuds with guys like Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes, who are eternally trapped in a stale feud with the Judgement Day, culminating with Jey Uso winning the title at WrestleMania. Pick: Drew McIntyre wins the title — Mahjouri
There’s plenty of logic in McIntyre winning the belt and presenting a fresh face as champion. However, the shadow of Money in the Bank contract holder Damian Priest looms over this match. WWE has gotten into something of a rut with Judgment Day “running Raw” and the only real step to freshen things up for the group is to break them up or to have Priest cash in and take the big belt. Priest could cash in after Rollins retains and is left broken down after a brutal match, but put me down for Priest cashing in mid-match to add a bit of drama before winning the belt to give Crown Jewel its usual “big moment.” Pick: Damian Priest cashes in and wins the title — Brookhouse
Women’s World Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Zoey Stark vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Raquel Rodriguez
WWE did an interesting thing with this match, tossing five women in the ring all gunning for both the title and the status of “baddest woman in WWE.” Jax has been a wrecking ball since making her return and would make the most sense as the victor should any of the challengers take the belt. Stark’s momentum was basically dead once she split from Trish Stratus, which was a misstep in that it wasted months of effort to establish her. Rodriguez still doesn’t feel like she has clicked with the crowd. And Baszler is fantastic but WWE hasn’t felt very committed to her place at the top of the card outside of her feud with Ronda Rousey. Given Ripley’s momentum and how much she’s getting out of being champion, it doesn’t feel like Crown Jewel marks the end of her reign. Pick: Rhea Ripley retains the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
United States Championship — Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Logan Paul
Against all odds, Paul has proven himself a natural in the ring. He’s athletic and his personality just “works” as a natural heel. He also used the stage of his real boxing match with Dillon Danis to promote a match with Mysterio. The luchador is a legend and it’s been nice to see him get another run with a belt but this is WWE’s chance to put a belt on Paul, which everyone knows they want to do. It will be a bit rough for SmackDown if their two top men’s titles are held by part-time talents, but Paul could put in a bit more time on TV ahead of major events like Survivor Series, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. Pick: Logan Paul wins the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest
With the exception of Ripley, WWE continues to flip-flop between booking Judgement Day as a dominant force and feeders to Raw’s top faces. Rhodes is an A+ player on Raw but could use a strong victory. Priest’s status as Money in the Bank winner and undisputed tag team champion is likely padding enough in the company’s eyes to have him take a loss. Pick: Cody Rhodes wins — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa
Cena has been very generous during his recent stint with the company and it seems Crown Jewel might be the last we see of him for a while. The ongoing story revolves around Cena’s self-doubt having not won a singles match in five years. I doubt WWE extends this story for an indefinite period of time. These Saudi Arabia events generally don’t feature a ton of development and are more of a shiny showcase than a cornerstone event. Giving Cena the win is the simple play. Pick: John Cena wins — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
WWE Women’s Championship — Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair
Sky’s reign has been fine but unspectacular. It’s entirely possible that WWE puts the belt back on the reliable Belair, but I think her newfound edge would benefit from her getting screwed out of the title again. Belair is trending in a similar direction to McIntyre’s character and she’ll need all the bitter motivation she can muster to fully embrace her character tweak. Pick: Iyo Sky retains the title — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)
Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh (Kickoff Match)
McDonagh is continuing to struggle to gain acceptance from Judgment Day while Zayn lost his tag partner and best friend Kevin Owens to SmackDown. Both men need a win in storyline, but Zayn needs a win in reality because he’s the bigger player of the two. The first match on a Saudi show usually is very by-the-numbers to warm the crowd up. That means putting Zayn over in a very straightforward way. Pick: Sami Zayn wins — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)
LA Knight has had the biggest rise of 2023 but dethroning Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel on Saturday is a nearly insurmountable task. Riyadh hosts the meeting between the longest-reigning undisputed champion in WWE history and the promotion’s hottest act today.
Reigns and The Bloodline are one of the most dominant forces in professional wrestling history. Knight has the full backing of WWE fans as he looks to do the unthinkable. Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes, and Jey Uso all failed to overcome Reigns, but Knight is brimming with confidence in pursuit of the biggest moment of his 20-year career.
WWE is rolling out the red carpet for some major stars for their latest trip to Saudi Arabia. John Cena searches for a singles win that has eluded him for five years against The Bloodline’s enforcer Solo Sikoa. It may very well be the last appearance of Cena’s current stint with the company. Plus, Internet star Logan Paul returns to WWE in pursuit of Rey Mysterio’s United States championship.
The top women in the promotion will also be in action on Saturday night. Women’s world champion Rhea Ripley will face off with four challengers all vying for her title in a fatal-five way match. Ripley will take on Nia Jax, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler and Raquel Rodriguez. Meanwhile, WWE women’s champion Iyo Sky puts her title on the line against former champ Bianca Belair. Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Belair at SummerSlam to claim the championship, so Belair is looking for a bit of revenge after dropping the belt under less-than-ideal circumstances.
Below is how you can catch all the action on Saturday night.
Watch 2023 WWE Crown Jewel Date: Nov. 4, 2023 Location: Mohammed Abdu Arena — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Start time: 1 p.m. ET (Noon ET kickoff show) Watch live: Peacock
2023 WWE Crown Jewel match card Undisputed WWE Universal Championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. LA Knight World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa Women’s World Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Rodriguez WWE Women’s Championship — Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair United States Championship — Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Logan Paul Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh (Kickoff match)
Logan Paul has claimed his first championship as a WWE superstar. Paul, equipped with brass knuckles, punched his ticket to the United States title with an underhanded win over Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Seeing Paul compete in a WWE ring is no longer a pleasant surprise. Paul’s athleticism, natural acumen and ability to produce highlight-reel moments is old noise at this point. But Paul took the next step in his evolution as a WWE superstar by winning a title. Paul had to resort to sneaky tactics to overcome his vastly more experienced foe. Paul ate a 619 — Mysterio’s finish moving — but retaliated with a brass knuckle shot to the face mid-air to score the match-winning pinfall.
SOCIAL MEDIA MEGA MOMENT!@LoganPaul defeats @reymysterio to become the NEW @WWE United States Champion at #WWECrownJewel! pic.twitter.com/tKmtL3sPyj
— WWE (@WWE) November 4, 2023 Paul has impressed in all eight of his WWE matches. Paul made his debut at WrestleMania 38 last year, defeating Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio in a tag team match with The Miz. Paul went on to challenge Roman Reigns for the undisputed WWE universal championship at Crown Jewel in 2022, took part in the Royal Rumble, battled Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 39, participated in Money in the Bank and most recently defeated Ricochet by similar means.
The build to Mysterio vs. Paul started in the aftermath of Paul’s maligned professional boxing match against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Dillon Danis. Paul called out Mysterio for a U.S. championship match.
Some WILD offense from @LoganPaul in this #USTitle Match at #WWECrownJewel! pic.twitter.com/b5sNqy0kp5
