WWE Crown Jewel Championship will be an interesting booking development

At WWE Bad Blood, Triple H had an announcement that was a surprise to many. He introduced the Crown Jewel Championship, an annual championship that pits the Men’s and Women’s champions from SmackDown and Monday Night Raw against each other in a one-on-one match. The response has been mixed at best, but this is an interesting development with four weeks leading up to the next PLE in Saudi Arabia.

The Crown Jewel Championship is an annual match that brings the four champions together on the PLE. The winner will not defend the belt outside of the Crown Jewel PLE. Think of it as the Super Bowl where the two champions are carrying the NFC and AFC Championships into the match. Does this development potentially devalue their titles? That’s a question that some are already asking. It will be a test to see how WWE books this show and protects the champions both coming into it and when the matches begin.

Survivor Series had something similar for years, as SmackDown and Raw would battle for “Brand Supremacy.” In the end, everyone not only knew which show would come out ahead, but it was clear that they were battling for nothing. There were no stakes. This development creates some stakes around the championship, and even more as Triple H hinted.

Another point to look at is it is now much more difficult to predict who will come out on top. If the matches were booked today, it would pit GUNTHER against Cody Rhodes and Nia Jax against Liv Morgan. At first glance, GUNTHER and Jax would be the favorites heading into that match due to how strong they are booked during their current runs. GUNTHER versus Rhodes would be closer, but GUNTHER is being booked as the top champion that beats back all comers, while Rhodes has been presented as a smidge weaker in some ways. The women’s division is clearer cut in which champion has more momentum.

WWE is continuing to attempt new gimmicks and changes to the show after decades of doing the same tired thing over and over. The Crown Jewel Championship is one of those new steps. These next few weeks will be something to watch as fans are paying close attention to see if this is a new gimmick worth caring about.