Sami Zayn’s Crown Jewel Upset: Can He Beat Roman Reigns?

WWE Crown Jewel 2026 preview and predictions: Can Sami Zayn actually pull this off?

With no shortage of controversy in the build-up, WWE is moving forward with its annual Crown Jewel event Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The event features two champion vs. champion clashes, a last man standing match and a tag-team title bout.

Crown Jewel has the potential to shake things up just weeks before Survivor Series: WarGames.

That isn't even factoring in both Money in the Bank briefcases, which are still waiting to be cashed in.

The show will air at 12:00 PM EST from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As of now, the card has four announced matches, featuring both Crown Jewel Title matches, a Last Man Standing match, and a Tag Team Title match.

There has been speculation that Gunther vs. Finn Balor could be added, but that has not been announced.

THE MAIN EVENT: ROMAN REIGNS VS. SAMI ZAYN

The headline match pits Roman Reigns against Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

This is a renewal of a rivalry that has simmered for years.

Sami Zayn addressed critics ahead of the match in a Crown Jewel Countdown interview posted by WWE.

He told Cathy Kelley that Reigns has doubts going into Saturday, too.

“I know there’s that self-doubt because he’s human,” Zayn said.

“He’s human. I don’t care if you’re the Tribal Chief. I don’t care how much success you’ve had. You’re still a human being.”

Zayn said he knows Reigns cannot enter the ring without any self-doubt.

“You cannot tell me that you’re going into the ring with a WWE Champion and there’s zero self-doubt,” Zayn said.

“I know there’s self-doubt there. He can play it however he wants. I don’t care. I know there’s self-doubt.”

But Zayn also said he has a crazy amount of confidence.

“I’ll tell you, I am telling you there’s self-doubt, but there’s also a crazy amount of confidence,” Zayn said.

“And I’m operating at a higher level now than I ever have been. So yes, absolutely, I think I can beat him.”

Zayn said the difference between him and Reigns is that he has always been open about his self-doubt.

“I think he tries to carry himself a certain way,” Zayn said.

“I think he tries to project a certain dominance, which has worked very well for himself. I’m in the same position and I have that confidence. I have a crazy amount of self-confidence.”

Zayn also fired back at those who doubted he would even make it to Crown Jewel.

“All these people trying to step to me. I tell them right in their face, all these people that have come and talked this big game about how I might not even make it to Crown Jewel,” Zayn said.

“Who’s standing here right now going into Crown Jewel? I will chew these people up. I will spit them out because that’s what I’ve done for 20 years.”

Zayn made a bold claim about his career.

“No one, no one in the history of this business has done more with less than I have,” Zayn said.

“No one. And it’s not even close, okay? It’s not even close.”

He said the darkness he has faced would have broken anyone else.

“The darkness that I have faced, any other man would’ve succumbed to it,” Zayn said.

“Part of the reason why I am one of one is because anyone else would’ve succumbed to it. I chewed it up, spit it out, and I walked out with this on the other side.”

Zayn also addressed fans who have turned on him.

He said some fans need to be spoonfed and told someone is the greatest before they believe it.

“Maybe that’s what people respond to because the way some of these fans have turned their backs on me over the years, because I thought they would get it, but they don’t,” Zayn said.

“They need to be spoonfed and told, ‘I’m the greatest.’ And then they go, ‘Oh yeah, I guess he’s the greatest.’ I don’t do that. It’s just not in my nature.”

Zayn said he wears his heart on his sleeve, but at the end of the day, he knows how good he is.

THE CROWN JEWEL CONTROVERSY

The decision to hold Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia has drawn criticism.

This is the second major Saudi event since WWE ramped up its partnership with the Kingdom at the beginning of last year.

Critics have pointed to the location as a source of controversy.

One Uncrowned analyst called the decision “much more controversial” than the call WWE made to run the original Crown Jewel in 2018 in the wake of Jamal Khashoggi's killing.

That analyst said that while the 2018 event defied a growing international boycott campaign, it did not put the company in an active warzone or defy official travel advisories.

Another analyst called the decision “stupid and unnecessary, yet entirely unsurprising.”

That analyst said he had not wasted too much energy on the debate because WWE has been treading water for so long.

“It’s just annoying, and you hope for everyone’s safety above all else,” the analyst said.

“I still wish we would see a majority of the roster stick up for themselves and say no to these kinds of things as a collective unit.”

THE OTHER MATCHES ON THE CARD

The Vision (Bron Breakker & Austin Theory) defend the World Tag Team Championship against Penta & Je'Von Evans.

Analysts expect this match to be the end of The Vision as currently constituted.

One prediction called the faction uninteresting and not helping anyone involved.

The expectation is that Penta & Je'Von Evans will win the titles, with Breakker taking the pin due to incompetence from Theory or another Vision member.

That could lead to Breakker spearing the other members of the group and going his separate way.

It could also lead to him reuniting with an impressed Paul Heyman.

For Penta and Evans, the win would put titles around their waist and allow WWE to showcase them without the Money in the Bank briefcase constantly being the center of everything Penta does.

If WWE does not have plans for Penta to cash in soon, the last thing anyone wants is a bunch of failed cash-ins.

It would also help further boost the stock of Evans, who is already a rising star.