WWE Crown Jewel takes place on November 4 in Saudi Arabia, with fans around the world able to watch at 10 am PT and 1 pm ET. This timing likely excludes the recently announced pre-show match that sees Sami Zayn go one-on-one with JD McDonagh, meaning fans may want to settle in a little earlier, with Roman Reign's Undisputed WWE Universal Championship title defense against LA Knight likely ending the PLE. While there's plenty of discussion and speculation as to which way the showcase will go, given the number of championships on the line, we thought it would be interesting to see how these matches would be simulated within WWE 2K23's MyGM Mode.

Of course, these are not real "predictions" for the show. WWE 2K23 penalizes match-ups between characters if they don't fit into the Bruiser vs. Fighter, Cruiser vs. Giant, Specialist spectrum, and the in-game Triple H would want at least one Hell in a Cell match in all of this. Ultimately, Crown Jewel may only have one match that isn't a straightforward Singles match, but it should still prove to be an emotional show. Discussing the real-world set-ups heading into each match, as well as who ultimately comes out the winner, is interesting nonetheless.

As of this writing, the confirmed match lineup for WWE Crown Jewel is as follows:

  • Pre-Show Match: Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh
  • Seth "Freakin" Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Championship
  • Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Rodriquez - Fatal Five-way match for the Women's World Championship
  • Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Logan Paul for the WWE United States Championship
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest
  • John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa
  • Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair for the WWE Women's Championship
  • Roman Reigns (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. LA Knight for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

Due to limitations with WWE 2K23, not all of these matches could be replicated within these exact parameters. Here's how the matches simulated by WWE 2K23's MyGM Mode differ from the real-world matches lined up for Crown Jewel.

- The matches were split between Raw and SmackDown on a random PLE.

- Every match had maximum rivalries with the sole exception of Cody Rhodes and Damian Priest, which ended prematurely.

- Nia Jax is not available in WWE 2K23, nor are Fatal Five-Way matches in MyGM Mode. Therefore, this match was set up as a fatal four-way with her exclusion and therefore cannot be considered the most accurate prediction.

-Paul Heyman and the Bloodline were not able to aid the Tribal Chief in his match against LA Knight.

-In case there are last-minute changes or additions, this was done to reflect the Crown Jewel match card as known on November 1.

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Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh

Pre-Show Match

Sami Zayn vs. JD

What to Know Going Into this WWE Crown Jewel Match

Sami Zayn has been feuding with The Judgment Day for quite some time, with this pre-show match being set up following an invigorating promo on the October 30 episode Raw. Despite being without Kevin Owens, Zayn promised to keep fighting The Judgment Day at every turn for his "name is Rebellion!" Meanwhile, while McDonagh is not an official member of The Judgment Day and currently serves more as a want-to-be member and whipping boy, he faces off against Zayn in a pre-show match to lead into Crown Jewel.

WWE 2K23 Predictions

  • Sami Zayn wins, and truth be told, the WWE match has all the makings to be more highly rated than the game gives it.

WWE Crown Jewel Real-World Predictions

This WWE 2K23 prediction seems likely, as a win by Sami here moves forward both their current storylines. A win for Sami means he's proving he can continue to fight The Judgment Day, even as a solo competitor, and lives up to his recent promos. A solid representation here could lead to feuds and single-competition gold in the future. Meanwhile, The Judgment Day certainly wouldn't be happy with JD McDonagh, continuing his meta role in the WWE faction.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

World Heavyweight Championship

wwe crown jewel seth drew

What to Know Going Into this WWE Crown Jewel Match

Ever since Seth Rollins took on the first, fighting champion mantle of the World Heavyweight Championship, he has accepted every challenge to enter the ring with him. Following a brutal rivalry with Shinsuke Nakamura, one where Rollins' back was constantly targeted due to "injuries," Drew McIntyre would challenge Rollins. It's pretty simple: Rollins has gold, McIntyre wants it, and he wants it on the right terms, setting the match for Crown Jewel. The time between hasn't been as brutal or as vicious as Rollins vs. Nakamura, though there have been some questions about McIntyre's association with Rhea Ripley and The Judgment Day and a few good promos leading into it.

WWE 2K23 Predictions

  • Seth Rollins retains his championship.

WWE Crown Jewel Real-World Predictions

The simulation predicts WWE 2K23's Seth Rollins emerging as the victor, which is a pretty fair and safe bet. Rollins has done a lot of work to build the prestige of the World Heavyweight Championship, and whenever he drops it, it's going to need a little more heat than Rollins and McIntyre have now. Depending on if this turns into a series of matches or if McIntyre does end up teaming up with The Judgment Day, it seems like a pretty safe prediction that, whatever happens at Crown Jewel, Rollins and McIntyre are not done with each other after just one PLE.

On top of that, one has to consider the possibility of Damian Priest cashing in his Money in the Bank contract. While it seems unlikely given he has a match with Cody Rhodes, one likely to take place before this match, stranger things have happened.

Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Rodriquez

Women's World Championship

crown jewel mami match

What to Know Going Into this WWE Crown Jewel Match

At WWE Payback, Rhea Ripley would retain the Women's World Championship against Raquel Rodriquez. A later rematch would be interrupted by a returning Nia Jax, who attacked both Ripley and Rodriquez. Jax would also interfere with a match involving Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler, seemingly sowing discord wherever she could. This would result in a few other brawls before Raw General Manager Adam Peace declared the Fatal Five-Way match at Crown Jewel. As aforementioned, Jax is not in WWE 2K23, so this cannot be considered a real prediction. However, we still simulated the match with the other wrestlers.

WWE 2K23 Predictions

  • Zoey Stark beats the other characters, though this simulation is again with caveats.*

WWE Crown Jewel Real-World Predictions

In the biggest surprise of the night, Zoey Stark emerges as the victor and new Women's World Champion following this match. However, this feels unlikely—Rhea Ripley, by all predictions, is likely to retain her title. It's a good match set-up, impossible odds, to show that Rhea Ripley can stand on her own without The Judgment Day. It also cements her power and role within WWE, given she is currently, arguably the most popular female superstar on the roster. It's a stacked odds match to make her look even better. That said, The Judgment Day has shown a few cracks over the past few weeks, and it seems likely that the dissolution of the group, whenever it comes, may deal with a member losing gold. Whether that's Ripley and whether that's as early as Crown Jewel remains to be seen.

Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul

WWE United States Championship

crown jewel logan paul rey mysterio

What to Know Going Into this WWE Crown Jewel Match

Following his boxing victory on October 14, the ever-cocky Logan Paul called out Rey Mysterio for the WWE United States Championship. Mysterio responded on social media, telling Paul that he knows where to find him: every Friday on SmackDown. A promo, a challenge, and some antics between Paul and Dirty Dom Mysterio would result in Rey accepting the Crown Jewel match. It's as simple as Rollins and McIntyre: Rey has gold, Logan Paul wants it. However, perhaps the most interesting possible result of this—aside from the WWE United States Championship—could be a reignited feud between Dirty Dom and his father or more antics between Dirty Dom and Paul, given their success as heels.

WWE 2K23 Predictions

  • Logan Paul beats Rey Mysterio to become WWE United States Champion.

WWE Crown Jewel Real-World Predictions

This one could honestly go in any direction. Mysterio's title lends authority to the LWO, but Mysterio's storied career means he doesn't need to hold it long. Meanwhile, if Logan Paul is returning for a while, then putting some gold on the heel could be a smart decision for future storylines. Longtime fans of WWE may want Mysterio to retain, while the many detractors of Logan Paul don't want him to get the gold, but this match feels more like a coin toss given possible story directions.

Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest

Singles Match

crown jewel damien priest

What to Know Going Into this WWE Crown Jewel Match

The Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw, a claim backed by the amount of gold around the waists of its members. This has led to plenty of matches between members of The Judgment Day and wrestlers like Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and even Jey Uso. Many predictions on WarGames at Survivor Series (assuming it happens) is The Judgment Day and McDonagh plus the aforementioned four. Rhodes and Uso recently took the Undisputed WWE tag team championship belts from Damian Priest and Finn Balor, but the two were able to reclaim it, building some heart between Rhodes and Priest.

This led to some intense promos where Priest called Rhodes a failure, subtly mocking his loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, which clearly fired Rhodes up. Rhodes, in a recent promo, said that he's back on his path (meaning, likely, to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship), that his path goes right through Priest, and that Priest's story is a "walk-behinder." Rhodes mocks the leadership cracks (of course, it's Rhea Ripley) of The Judgment Day, telling Priest he walks behind Ripley, he walks behind Balor, and he walks behind even Mysterio.

This is not a match for gold, but a match for pride.

WWE 2K23 Predictions

WWE Crown Jewel Real-World Predictions

This prediction seems incredibly unlikely. Not only is Cody Rhodes the top babyface in all of WWE right now, but a victory here could be used to set up Rhodes' attention turn from The Judgment Day back to The Bloodline. Meanwhile, win or lose, The Judgment Day's cracks have begun to show. Priest's time to use the briefcase is also dwindling, and it's perhaps time for the ever-present wrath of The Judgment Day to focus on a few other folks.

John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa

Singles Match

crown jewel john cena solo sikoa

What to Know Going Into this WWE Crown Jewel Match

Cena has done a lot of work to endorse LA Knight, who faces Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel, but many would argue Knight doesn't even need it. LA Knight's rise in popularity with the WWE has been astronomical, and a match against Roman Reigns just makes sense. However, that leaves Cena squaring off with The Bloodline's enforcer Solo Sikoa. During a recent episode of SmackDown, Cena cut a promo discussing how he hadn't won a televised singles match since 2018 which is far too long for the superstar. He issued an open challenge, Sikoa accepted, there was a brawl, and the match was made official.

WWE 2K23 Predictions

  • In what would be a huge upset, WWE 2K23 predicts Solo Sikoa beating Cena.

WWE Crown Jewel Real-World Predictions

There are a few things a victory over Cena could do for Sikoa and Cena is incredibly humble to accept another loss, but it does seem incredibly unlikely. That five-year streak between televised singles win is a bit of a stain on Cena's career, and it makes sense for Cena to score the victory here since he's not a full-timer.

Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair

WWE Women's Championship

bianca-belair-iyo-sky-crown-jewel

What to Know Going Into this WWE Crown Jewel Match

Bianca Belair won back her WWE Women's Championship title at SummerSlam, but she immediately lost it to Iyo Sky who cashed in her Money in the Bank contract. Belair would depart the show for about two months due to a "knee injury," but her return came right after Sky's successful defense against Charlotte Flair, with the returning superstar saving Flair from an attack by Sky and Bayley. Belair's rematch for the title was announced shortly thereafter after she spoke to new SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis about this match.

WWE 2K23 Predictions

  • Belair becomes the new WWE Women's Champion.

WWE Crown Jewel Real-World Predictions

This is another tough one. On the one hand, it doesn't seem Sky's held the title long enough to drop it to Belair, and it's an area where a multi-PLE feud could come in handy. Sky effectively stole the belt, and Belair wants it back. It's a good driving force. On the other hand, Belair's popularity cannot be denied. Sky seems to be the likely winner for now, but a Belair victory would not be a surprise either.

Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion

crown jewel tribal chief la knight

What to Know Going Into this WWE Crown Jewel Match, YEAH.

Because of LA Knight's natural popularity, it seems clear that WWE Creative wants to give him a push. With support from Cena, LA Knight faced off with Roman Reigns, signed his contract for the match, and at one point even walked by Reigns without even acknowledging him. A few brawls, promos, and so forth later, The Megastar vs. The Tribal Chief sells itself.

WWE 2K23 Predictions

WWE Crown Jewel Real-World Predictions

Everyone knows Reigns isn't dropping the title to LA Knight, and if he were to, it would probably be one of the biggest surprises in WWE history. It would disturb so many other storylines that are connected to Reigns that WWE would effectively be in chaos. That said, LA Knight is still in the ring with Reigns, and whether Reigns wins clean or dirty, it's a big move for the Megastar. What WWE does with him afterward remains to be seen, but WWE 2K23 is likely correct in Reigns retaining the belt.