• ESPN’s Rating For WWE Crown Jewel & Worst Rated Match Revealed
WWE kicked off its partnership with ESPN last month at the Wrestlepalooza Premium Live Event. The show was expected to be a major spectacle, but ended up being underwhelming. ESPN writer Andreas Hale criticized the event and gave it a C grade, which sparked a lot of discourse online.
Many fans were eagerly waiting for Hale’s review of today’s Crown Jewel PLE. His review is now out, and he has given it a B.
Here’s what he wrote about the event:
“A show that stumbled out of the gate with a relatively tame street fight and a far too brief fight between women’s champions was rescued by an absolutely stellar match between Cena and Styles that put an excellent bookend to their rivalry.
Rollins finally getting his comeuppance against Rhodes — by any means necessary — and the women’s tag match were both strong and anchored a memorable bounce-back for WWE after a middling Wrestlepalooza.”
Hale enjoyed John Cena vs. AJ Styles the most, giving it an A. Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY vs. The Kabuki Warriors and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes both earned a B.
Roman Reigns and Bronson Reed’s Australian Street Fight received a C, while the lowest-rated match on the card was Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs. WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, which received a C-.
• WWE Higher-Ups To Give RAW Star A 2nd Chance Due To His Look
RAW Superstar Austin Theory joined the WWE main roster in 2020. It seemed like Vince McMahon had big plans for him, as he was aligned with Seth Rollins for a short period after arriving on RAW.
When Triple H took over as the Chief Content Officer in 2022, there didn’t appear to be any significant plans for Theory. Despite that, The Game booked him to defeat John Cena at WrestleMania 39, a victory that hinted at a major push that ultimately never happened.
Now, it seems like WWE is ready to give the former United States Champion a second chance. According to the Wrestling Observer, higher-ups like his look and see him as a “star”, even if he hasn’t fully connected with the fans yet.
Theory is rumored to return from injury and join The Vision and Brock Lesnar for the Men’s WarGames Match at Survivor Series this year. His inclusion in such a high-profile match indicates that WWE plans to elevate him from mid-card status to a main event performer once he’s back.
Fightful Select also confirmed that he’s being considered as one of the options to join World Heavyweight and 2025 Men’s Crown Jewel Champion Seth Rollins’ team at Survivor Series.
Before getting injured, Theory was working alongside Grayson Waller in A-Town Down Under. He did not wrestle on the main roster since May this year.
• The Undertaker Reacts To John Cena’s Tribute At Crown Jewel
WWE Crown Jewel 2025 featured the final encounter between John Cena and AJ Styles. The two men put on a classic match that included multiple tributes to their past rivals.
One of the legends Cena and Styles paid homage to during the match was The Undertaker. John Cena hit AJ Styles with a Chokeslam during the bout and used the Tombstone Piledriver at the very end to pay tribute to The Phenom.
John Cena defeats AJ Styles with the Tombstone Piledriver and the Attitude Adjustmentpic.twitter.com/eXSsQymnCP
— WrestleFeed (@WrestleFeedApp) October 11, 2025
The Undertaker took to X to praise the match and thank Cena and Styles. He tweeted:
“Thank you @JohnCena and thank you @AJStylesOrg. A masterclass and beautiful tribute to wrestling.
The #WWEUniverse said it…but that was AWESOME!”
The Deadman defeated John Cena at WrestleMania 34 and had the final match of his career against Styles in the main event of WrestleMania 36 – Night 1.
Below is the complete list of wrestlers Cena and Styles paid tribute to:
– The Undertaker
– Chris Jericho
– Randy Orton
– Bray Wyatt
– Shawn Michaels
– Sting
– The Miz
– Samoa Joe
– Rusev
– Christopher Daniels
– Frankie Kazarian
Honorable Mentions: Rey Mysterio (John set AJ up for a 619, but Styles clotheslined Cena) and Triple H (they almost hit a Pedigree)
Below are the complete results from Crown Jewel:
– Bronson Reed def. Roman Reigns in an Australian Street Fight
Bron Breakker interfered in the match and The Usos made the save. Jey Uso accidentally speared Roman through a table, that cost The OTC the match.
– Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer def. WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton to win the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship
– John Cena def. AJ Styles
– Rhiyo (Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY) def. The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane)
– World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins def. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to become the Men’s Crown Jewel Champion
During the ending moments of the match, Rollins punched Rhodes with the Rolex watch that Cody gifted him, after the referee was knocked out. Rollins then hit a Stomp, followed by a Stomp from the second rope for the win.
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