Roman Reigns faces Sami Zayn at WWE Crown Jewel on Nov. 7 at Riyadh Season Stadium in Saudi Arabia. Reigns won the World Heavyweight Championship from CM Punk at WrestleMania 42 Night 2 on April 19. Zayn won the Undisputed WWE Championship in a triple threat on June 27, lost it to Punk on July 6, and regained it on the Sept. 11 SmackDown. WWE confirmed the match on Oct. 12, and the winner takes the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship. The two met face to face on the Oct. 19 Raw, and the Reigns-Zayn history dates to 2022.
Zayn aligned with Reigns and The Usos, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso, in spring 2022. For months, Zayn trailed the faction and took attacks meant for Reigns and The Usos. Solo Sikoa joined The Bloodline at Clash at the Castle in September 2022. On the Sept. 23, 2022, episode of SmackDown, Reigns ordered Zayn to remove a Bloodline shirt.
Jey tore the shirt off, and Reigns presented Zayn with a new one reading “Honorary Uce.” Zayn put it on, acknowledged Reigns as the Tribal Chief, and the two embraced in the ring. Jey did not look happy with the decision.
The Bloodline headlined Survivor Series: WarGames on Nov. 26, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston. Reigns, Jey, Jimmy, Sikoa, and Zayn faced Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch. Jey entered the event suspicious, having overheard Owens urge Zayn to turn on the group.
Late in the match, Owens hit Reigns with a Stunner, and Zayn grabbed the referee’s arm to stop the count. Zayn followed with a low blow and a Helluva Kick to Owens, a longtime friend. Jey hit a splash and pinned Owens for the win. After the bell, Jey accepted Zayn as a member of The Bloodline.
Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Owens at the Royal Rumble on Jan. 28, 2023, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Jimmy, Jey, and Sikoa attacked Owens after the match. Reigns handed a steel chair to Zayn and demanded a shot on Owens. A moment of hesitation drew several slaps.
Zayn swung the chair into Reigns instead. Jimmy, Sikoa, and Reigns beat Zayn down. Jey did not take part, left the ring, and walked up the ramp. Zayn’s time in The Bloodline was over.
Zayn attacked Reigns from behind on the following SmackDown and demanded a title match. Reigns accepted and promised to hurt Zayn in front of family and a home crowd. The bout went to Elimination Chamber on Feb. 18, 2023, at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Jimmy interfered during the match and attacked Zayn. Paul Heyman later produced a steel chair for Reigns, and Jey came to the ring but did not strike Zayn. Zayn charged for a Spear, Reigns moved, and Jey took the hit instead. Reigns struck Zayn with the chair and scored the pin after a Spear to retain.
Owens ran in after the bell, hit Stunners on Reigns and Jimmy, and put the latter through a table with a pop-up powerbomb. Zayn added a Helluva Kick to Reigns. Owens and Zayn shared a staredown before Owens left the ring.
Reigns and The Usos lost a six-man tag team match to Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga at Crown Jewel on Nov. 2, 2024, in Riyadh. Zayn ran in during the post-match attack and helped fight off Sikoa’s group. Reigns went for a Superman Punch on Sikoa, as Zayn threw a Helluva Kick. Sikoa moved, and the kick hit Reigns.
On the Nov. 8 SmackDown, Zayn told Reigns the kick was an accident. Later that night, Sikoa attacked Reigns and waved Zayn into the ring, only to take a kick to the face. Reigns, Zayn, Jey, and Jimmy stood together to close the show.
The reunited group added Punk as the fifth member for Survivor Series: WarGames on Nov. 30, 2024, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The team beat Sikoa, Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Bronson Reed. Reigns pinned Sikoa after a double superkick from The Usos, a Helluva Kick from Zayn, a GTS from Punk, and a Spear.
Every big moment in this story comes down to trust. Zayn earned the shirt by taking bullets for Reigns, then proved loyalty with a low blow to best friend Owens inside WarGames. One chair shot in San Antonio wiped all of it out. Montreal went to Reigns, but only with a chair and help from Jimmy and Heyman.
The 2024 reunion patched things up, and the kick in Riyadh got written off as an accident. Crown Jewel brings the pair back to Saudi Arabia with gold on both sides. Zayn is no longer the honorary member chasing approval. Reigns now faces a rival holding a prize of equal weight.
History sits with Reigns after Montreal. Momentum sits with Zayn after two title wins in less than three months. Fair play never lasts long in this rivalry. One man leaves Riyadh with the Crown Jewel Championship, and the other flies home with a grudge.
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