Roman Reigns WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Opponent

WWE

Today it was finally confirmed that WWE Crown Jewel will be once again taking place in 2026, with the Saudi Arabia PLE heading to Riyadh on November 7.

The past two Crown Jewel PLEs have been headlined by a champion vs. champion match, pitting the holders of the Undisputed WWE Title and World Heavyweight Title against each other.

While nothing is confirmed as of yet, most would expect that to also be the case this year, and if it is, most would also expect ‘The OTC’ Roman Reigns to be involved.

Despite taking on Penta on September 14 and potentially LA Knight at Money in the Bank, Roman Reigns will still be favored to remain holding the big gold belt by the time November 7 gets here.

With that future scenario in mind, here are three potential opponents for Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel 2026:

CM Punk

In what would be a rematch from WrestleMania 42, CM Punk, as of right now would be the front-runner to meet Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel 2026.

‘The Best in the World’ is, after all, the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion, However, as seen on SmackDown lately, he is certainly not lacking viable challengers aiming to dethrone him for that prize.

Punk was moments away from dropping the belt to Kevin Owens, and had it not been for some interference from Sami Zayn, he wouldn’t still be champion right now.

Despite riding his luck, Punk is arguably still the number one or two top star on SmackDown, and a match with Reigns would tick all the boxes for WWE in terms of box office appeal. Also, given how well received Reigns vs. Punk was back at WrestleMania, few fans would likely have any complaints about the pair running it back on November 7.

Sami Zayn

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk may have the most drawing power, but when it comes to telling a good story, the clear choice would be Reigns vs. Sami Zayn.

Zayn has been doing his utmost to disrupt any and all plans Nick Aldis has for the Undisputed WWE Title until he gets what he feels he’s rightfully owed: a rematch against CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Title.

The way Sami is going, it seems he’ll ever get suspended, or be granted that match; just so Aldis and CM Punk can put any claims of “injustice” to bed once and for all.

Zayn defeating Punk would make for the most interesting way to continue his story on SmackDown, but it would also open up the door for a match between The Bloodline’s Tribal Chief and his former underling. Reuniting this version of Zayn with The Bloodline would be must-see TV, and make Crown Jewel’s main event seem more significant than just a one-off attraction match.

Cody Rhodes

Back at Clash in Italy 2026, it appeared as if WWE were planting the seeds for a third instalment in the rivalry between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, when the pair shared a tense interaction backstage.

While there had been rumors about Reigns vs. Rhodes III being the plan for WrestleMania 42, it seems like WWE could finally pull the trigger on the match at Crown Jewel instead.

That would of course require Rhodes becoming a four-time Undisputed WWE Champion between now and then; something that appears somewhat unlikely given that ‘The American Nightmare’ is currently enveloped in a feud with former mentor Randy Orton.

With two months still to go between now and then however, there’s plenty of time Rhodes to wrap that story up before challenging for the gold and finishing off his trilogy with ‘The OTC.’

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• wwe
• Roman Reigns
• Crown Jewel

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