Who Will Be in Next Year's WWE Crown Jewel Champion vs. Champion Matches?

WWE returns to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday for its annual Crown Jewel premium live event, headlined by two champion vs. champion contests featuring the company's men's and women's world champions.

World heavyweight champion Roman Reigns battles undisputed WWE champion Sami Zayn, while women's world champion Liv Morgan squares off with WWE women's champion Chelsea Green for the right to call themselves Crown Jewel champions.

Looking ahead, what might next year's champion vs. champion matches look like, and why might fans expect those particular Superstars to be involved?

Find out in this way-too-early preview of the 2027 event.

World Heavyweight Champion Oba Femi vs. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes

If all goes according to plan, Oba Femi should continue to steamroll the competition through the Royal Rumble, where he will win the men's match and set himself up for a World Heavyweight Championship contest against Roman Reigns.

A win at WrestleMania 43 will solidify him as WWE's new face and the beacon for the company's future. While it is possible he could lose that title in some controversial fashion by the time next November rolls around, it seems like a safe bet that The Ruler would roll into Riyadh and compete in the champion vs. champion event.

Things are less obvious on SmackDown. Any number of Superstars could be champion by next year. CM Punk, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Randy Orton and a returning Drew McIntyre are all viable options.

It could even be a young star, such as Trick Williams.

Cody Rhodes makes sense, though, as he is WWE's QB1 and a natural candidate to regain the company's top prize. Beyond that, he has unfinished business with Femi dating back to December 2025 that could be revisited to build toward a rematch.

At Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13 last year, Femi represented NXT in a match against Rhodes. The up-and-coming force of nature proved himself by hanging with The American Nightmare, but McIntyre's interference handed Rhodes a disqualification victory and left their rivalry without a decisive resolution.

With Femi theoretically reigning as world heavyweight champion by next year's Crown Jewel, a story in which he seeks to beat a man he has shared the ring with but has not yet conquered essentially writes itself.

The possibility of Rhodes becoming the first two-time men's Crown Jewel champion would add further luster, depending on this year's result.

Women's World Champion Becky Lynch vs. WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton

In the fall of 2023, Becky Lynch was instrumental in helping to elevate Tiffany Stratton's game and prepare her for her inevitable main-roster call-up. The result was two matches—on the Sept. 12 edition of NXT and at No Mercy—that pleasantly surprised fans with their excellence.

They have been (mostly) kept separate since, something that should change in time for next year's show.

Stratton is the reigning Ms. Money in the Bank for the second time in her career. She has yet to cash in, but all signs point to her eventually turning heel and betraying Chelsea Green when the time finally comes.

With Tiffy positioned as a top villain on the SmackDown women's roster, it would be plausible that she would be in a position to be the WWE women's champion by this time next year, even if she loses it and regains it along the way.

Lynch has not held a world title in WWE since 2024, a streak that has to end at some point. She has come close recently, challenging for the gold but falling short in matches against Liv Morgan.

A triumph sooner rather than later and a strong run with the gold through next fall would set her on a collision course with the woman she helped prepare for the main roster—and give her a chance to add "women's Crown Jewel champion" to what is already one of the most impressive resumes in women's wrestling history.

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