A notable argument has been made regarding the booking of the upcoming Crown Jewel Championship match between Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Media personality Sam Roberts, speaking on Notsam Wrestling, contended that Rollins should be booked to win the non-title contest.
Roberts stated that a victory for Rollins would provide a significant boost to his heel faction, The Vision. He explained that a pinfall over Rhodes would introduce a new, credible wrinkle to the storyline, especially given their history and the fact that the world titles are not on the line.
“We’ve seen Cody Rhodes beat Seth Rollins in three huge pay-per-view matches. They were Cody’s first three pay-per-view matches when he returned to the WWE. I think especially because the WWE Championship is not on the line, if you are going champion versus champion for that Crown Jewel belt, instead of putting two Crown Jewel belts on Cody, I think if you have Seth beat Cody Rhodes, if you have Seth Rollins pin Cody Rhodes, then all of a sudden there’s a new wrinkle on this Vision thing. All of a sudden, the idea of Seth being the guy is, well, it’s at least up for conversation.”
The champion versus champion bout will be contested exclusively for the Crown Jewel Championship belt. The match is the second in the title’s history, which was established in 2024 with an inaugural contest between Cody Rhodes and Gunther.
Roberts’ commentary on character motivation and match outcomes joins a broader discussion around the creative direction for the Crown Jewel event. Earlier on September 29, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray offered his own booking critique for the match between John Cena and AJ Styles. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Ray argued the face versus face encounter requires a mid-match heel turn from one competitor, identifying Styles as the ideal candidate to create a more compelling angle. The focus on character alignment is particularly relevant as Cena, who is on a farewell tour scheduled to end in December, had his first heel turn in over two decades earlier this year.