Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn have a long history with each other, and at WWE Crown Jewel 2026the two men wrote another chapter in their history as they battled for the WWE Men’s Crown Jewel Championship. Zayn wanted Reigns’ respect and to be taken seriously, and after a hard fought match, Zayn earned Reigns’ respect, but it was “OTC” who walked away with the win.
Reigns seemed to get the better of the emotional process, but Zayn continued to toss Reigns out of the ring to gain control, which he would hold for the rest of the match. Reigns would fire back, but Zayn cut him off and attempted a Suplex, which Reigns was able to counter in his favor to hit one of his own. Reigns would continue the onslaught as the crowd took over and went for a Superplex Zayn, but it took too long to get to the top and Zayn took advantage by flipping out and hitting a Sunset Flip Powerbomb for a two count.
Zayn failed to follow up with the Blue Thunder Bomb as Reigns hit the Uranage and looked to follow up with the Superman Punch, but Zayn ended up landing the Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Zayn hit a Tope Con Hilo to the outside to keep the momentum going, but as he rolled Reigns back into the ring for a Frog Splash, Reigns rolled out of the way and quickly followed up with a Superman Punch that only got a two count. An exchange of strikes led to Reigns hitting a corner Lariat, but when Zayn quickly hit a Helluva Kick, Reigns jumped up and hit another Superman Punch. Reigns went for the Spear, but as he prepared himself, Zayn landed a Helluva Kick that only got a nearfall.
Referee Chad Patton was on the sidelines eating a Superman Punch as Zayn rolled out of the way, and with the official down, Zayn hit an Exploder Suplex and another Helluva Kick. Charles Robinson ran in for the count but Zayn couldn’t finish the job and out of frustration he hit the Helluva Kick on Robinson. Zayn wanted to take the low road and use the title belt for help, but Reigns hit another Superman Punch and a Spear, only for Zayn to kick out again. After an exchange of strikes where Zayn was looking at his feet, the two men traded Superman punches that still failed to put Zayn down, leading to Reigns telling Zayn that he actually respects him. Reigns followed up with one final Spear to win and become the 2026 WWE Men’s Crown Jewel Champion.
After the match, Zayn demanded that Reigns shake his hand to prove that he truly respected him, but Reigns chose not to and instead hugged Zayn before telling Saudi Arabia to recognize him.
