Those two words popped in my head after Seth Rollins pieced Cody Rhodes over the heads with that fabled Rolex. The territory smartly seeded Cody’s gift to Seth into this story early, making us all aware how important that watch is to both men but especially Seth. It signified how they put their differences aside for one common cause at WrestleMania XL. It also showed placated his ego and soothed his insecurities; it said that, at least he thought, Cody believed he was the best. The jewelry symbolized Seth’s leadership above all else, making clear that he was the guy to lead this company into that promised land he’s always going on and on about.
And for a moment, it looked like Seth wrestled with all of those thoughts at once when he picked up the watch but declined to use it.
What made this match work for me was the outside stakes. I really don’t care which of them gets that gaudy Crown Jewel championship. The backstage action is the juice. This match meant more because of The Vision. Paul Heyman made it clear on Raw and prior to this match that a loss might make Seth’s vision a little blurry. I’m surprised he didn’t pull out a mob cliche because he all but told Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed to send Seth on a long walk off a short pier if he loses the match. Paul E. even told them that to stand down if Seth looks to the locker room and begs them for help. “This is a meritocracy,” said The Oracle. If Seth can’t defeat Cody, by hook or by crook, then he doesn’t deserve to lead any group, much less one with ECW’s former majordomo. That put huge stakes on this thing that just didn’t exist when it was simply champion against champion for the sake of it.
So when Seth kicked out of a Cross Rhodes from the top rope, I knew he was winning. I knew this was a story about a desperate man testing his limits on equally desperate measures. Besides kicking out of that move, he kicked out of a Cody Cutter, he executed a hellacious coast-to-coast move that put his shoulder at risk, and he showed the moxie (no pun, I promise) that I usually attribute to Cody. Seth was the one with the never say die attitude because he knew this was it. That championship on his shoulder would morph into a paperweight if he lost this battle to a guy that’s sonned him so often he’s great grandsonned him. Seth rocking gear from every one of those sonnings was a nice touch too as it showed just how much this whole thing ate at his soul.
The drama made this match. And Seth looking at the watch, picking it up, then putting it back down added to that drama. Once he got really desperate, he decided winning the match meant more than a watch. Even a Rolex.
A fitting conclusion to this chapter of an increasingly compelling story between two guys who are a lot more alike than either of them acknowledge. Cody walks away from this win with his head held somewhat high, or as high as one can hold their head after getting hit with a Rolex and two stomps. He didn’t need this win though; Seth did. What happens in The Vision now? Sure, Seth got the W but this thing revealed fissures between he and Paul.
Time will tell how all that plays out. For at least one day though, Seth can see clearly now because the rain is gone.
Based on an important lesson from my childhood, Roman Reigns must know what a crumpet is because he understands Cricket. Or maybe he’s a Casey Jones enthusiast and just wanted to use a Cricket bat because it’s a bat. Just needed to get that out my system!
Roman used that bat during the Australian Street Fight, which opened the show to the crowd’s delight. And it was all Roman in the beginning before it was Bronson’s turn to punish. But the major issues started when Bron Breakker leapt out of the crowd and speared Roman while the Tribal Chief ran full speed towards Bronson. The match evolved into a two on one scenario with The Vision putting Roman flat on his back with their version of a Shield Bomb through the announce table. Now, remember when Roman told The Usos to let him handle this on his own? Yeah, well, they didn’t listen. They hit the ring and provided some help but everything went south when Jey accidentally speared Roman through a table.
This is exactly what Roman worried about. Well, part of it. After Bronson pinned Roman, becoming one of the few men to score a singles victory over WWE’s king since his reign started in the dark times, The Vision celebrated while Bloodline-ish sat befuddled in the ring. Roman chastised them for showing up when he didn’t ask for it, but then things turned interesting. He expressed his love for both Jimmy & Jey, but said he doesn’t want to see them “until Christmas.” I almost spit out my water at that line. Not because I disliked it but because those are some cold words to tell anyone, let alone family. He also complained that people around the world think he “can’t do sh*t” on his own. Then he said this isn’t back in the day; the Bloodline stuff doesn’t work now but if it is to work, it will only work one way. My assumption is that that one way is Jimmy & Jey obeying any order Roman gives, like when he told them not to interfere in this match.
Roman walked out on his cousins, followed by an angry Jey walking out on his brother. Jey said Roman is always going to do him no matter what, so why stick around?
Is there still juice in The Bloodline saga? All three men are in different positions, especially Roman’s former right-hand man who is more concerned with putting gold around his waist than keeping gold around Roman’s. Roman is getting back into mob boss mode if he’s not already ensconced in it. How do Jimmy & Jey react to that? Jey looks like he’s had it up to here but he’s looked like that before. As has Jimmy. Running the story back the same way bores me but with a few new wrinkles, it might prove worth a revisit.
Maybe you can go home again.
- I’m paid for how I use words. But I don’t have anything thoughtful to add about John Cena vs. AJ Styles. It was awesome. Their match became a loving ode to former opponents and to pro wrestling history. In other hands and in a different context, a match with wrestlers using other wrestlers’ signature moves and finishers might not work. But these two are special and with both men looking retirement in its eyes, it just worked. They showed what made them into the wrestlers they are and homaged everyone who helped them get to this point. Even AJ’s attire, along with Cena’s lovingly handwritten intro for him, honored the past. This is just another reminder that we wasted a few months with the Cena heel turn rather than doing this. Well, truthfully, anything other than that would’ve worked for me. But I digress. Besides reaffirming how much I’ll miss
Christopher SmithJohn Cena, it also made me realize how much I’ll miss AJ when his time is up in 2026. Well done, gents. - I wondered if this was the moment Kairi Sane finally abandoned this toxic relationship with Asuka. She’s clearly loyal to The Empress and I understand why. But that loyalty can’t abide disrespect. This sadly wasn’t the moment, but Kairi certainly suffered as a result of said loyalty, and she’ll get nothing from it but a hell of a brow beating that may give away to an actual beating. During the closing moments of an awesome tag match where Rhea Ripley got a hero’s ovation in her hometown, got the hot tag, but still ceded the spotlight to IYO SKY, it was Kairi who most affected the action. With she and Asuka stranding on the apron, Mami loaded a big boot in the chamber. Knowing its trajectory, Kairi pushed Asuka out of harms way and took the bullet. That essentially knocked Asuka out of the match for the ending, leaving a dazed and confused Kairi all by her lonesome. Rhea hit Kairi with a Rip Tide, tagged in IYO for an Over the Moonsault, and that was all she wrote. This was a very physical match, which I always adore. But it wasn’t physical just for the sake of it; that was part of this story between three women joined at the hip and another doing her best to save her friend from a fate worse than death. With all that emotion, a simple “wrestling” match doesn’t work.
- I really expected a dustier finish than this. I predicted Stephanie Vaquer vs. Tiffany Stratton might find a way to make both women look good despite Stephanie’s victory. That’s not what we got here, although Tiffany didn’t look terrible in defeat. It was a clean finish that put both women on the same level but that La Primera is a tad better on this day. This was my favorite sequence as it showed Tiffany’s agility and power in one chain, but also narratively expressed Stephanie’s determination. My only complaint is it needed something more than just that championship. It was the one match on the card that was just about Crown Jewel’s crown jewel. I suppose that’s necessary but when everyone else has a lot to sink their teeth into, it’s odd to not do the same with these two.
Crown Jewel was a fun show, with Cena vs. AJ standing out. AJ was right about them leaving it all in the ring and putting on something magical. That aside, we got a show that moved some stories along, possibly closed one, and put another brick in Stephanie Vaquer’s foundation as the next Chosen One. Oh, and the crowd was nuts, as they usually are Down Under.
My one complaint? No Crocodile Dundee in that Street Fight. I promised I’d flip furniture if he didn’t show, so know that I did politely turn over a rug in my kitchen before putting it back in place. I’m not a heathen.
What say you, Cage Siders?
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