Gunther vs. Finn Balor at Crown Jewel 2026: history, build and what to expect

Gunther and Finn Balor have been circling each other on SmackDown for weeks, and everything points to a singles match at Crown Jewel 2026 on Saturday, November 7, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As of Tuesday, November 3, though, WWE has not officially added the match to the card. Here is what has happened between the two men so far, how this story was built, and what to watch for.

The short version: they have rarely met one on one. Most of their history comes from 2024, when Balor kept getting involved in Gunther's World Heavyweight Championship matches, and from a handful of multi-man matches in 2026.

Is Gunther vs. Balor confirmed for Crown Jewel?

Not yet. WWE.com currently lists four matches for Crown Jewel: Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn in a Champion vs. Champion match, Chelsea Green vs. Liv Morgan in another Champion vs. Champion match, Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match, and The Vision (Bron Breakker and Austin Theory) defending the World Tag Team Championship against Penta and Je'Von Evans.

The signs for a fifth match are strong. Posters showing Balor next to Gunther were photographed at the event site in Riyadh in late October. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Gunther vs. Balor was on the original Crown Jewel lineup, and that if it does not happen, it would be down to a late change in plans. Until WWE announces it, treat the match as expected rather than official.

How the Crown Jewel story was built

The current feud runs through Danhausen. On the October 9 SmackDown, Balor stepped in to stop Gunther from attacking Danhausen, and it cost him.

The big moment came on the Halloween episode of SmackDown on October 30, which Danhausen hosted. Danhausen was about to reveal the "very evil experiment" he had teased for months when Gunther attacked him and put him through a table. With Gunther ready to do it again, Danhausen put a curse on him, the lights went out, and a heartbeat filled the arena. Balor rose from a gurney as The Demon. Gunther hit him with his belt, which did nothing. The Demon dropkicked Gunther through a table, laid him on the announce desk, and hit the Coup de Grace off a ladder through it. Balor and Danhausen closed the show together in the ring.

The next step is set for this Friday's SmackDown, the Crown Jewel go-home show, which WWE taped on Monday, November 2, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. According to spoilers from Fightful, Gunther opens the show saying he was not scared on Halloween. He says Balor's career is barely holding on and that Balor disgraced himself by siding with Danhausen, then calls him out. Balor answers, they brawl, and Balor runs Gunther off. The spoilers did not include a Crown Jewel announcement.

Every time they have crossed paths

Here is every meeting and major run-in we could confirm. We found no record of a televised singles match between them during their NXT or NXT UK years.

• Raw, July 29, 2024 (singles match): Gunther, the 2024 King of the Ring, beat Balor in the main event. Balor went for the Coup de Grace, Gunther moved, and his sleeper hold made Balor pass out. Gunther kept the hold on after the bell until Damian Priest ran in and brawled with him until Raw went off the air.
• SummerSlam 2024: Balor was not in the match, but he decided it. He turned on Priest, his Judgment Day partner, during Priest's World Heavyweight Championship defense, and Gunther won the title.
• Survivor Series: WarGames, November 30, 2024: In Priest's rematch, Balor hit a double stomp off the steps onto Priest at ringside. Gunther kicked Balor in the face for his trouble, then went on to retain.
• Saturday Night's Main Event, December 14, 2024 (Triple Threat): Balor demanded a title shot, attacked Gunther on Raw, and got one. Priest was added after he and Balor fought on the go-home Raw. Gunther sent Priest into the steel steps and powerbombed Balor for the pin to keep the World Heavyweight Championship.
• SummerSlam Sunday, August 2, 2026 (Fatal 4-Way): Gunther, Balor, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens fought to become No. 1 contender to the Undisputed WWE Title. Balor broke up Gunther's sleeper on Zayn with a Coup de Grace, and the returning Owens won.
• SmackDown, September 25, 2026 (Triple Threat): In a Money in the Bank qualifier with CM Punk, Gunther had Punk in the sleeper when Balor hit him with the Coup de Grace. Punk recovered first and pinned Gunther.
• SmackDown, October 2026: Balor and Gunther were part of a group that confronted Sami Zayn on October 2. Then came the Danhausen save on October 9 and The Demon's return on October 30.

So the record is simple. Gunther is 2-0 against Balor in matches they both worked where one of them took the fall, both in 2024. In 2026, Balor has cost Gunther twice in multi-man matches.

Where both men are in their careers

Gunther has one of the strongest résumés on the roster. He held the NXT UK Championship for 870 days and the Intercontinental Championship for 666 days, the longest reign in that title's history. He won the 2024 King of the Ring and has held the World Heavyweight Championship twice. He also retired Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles, and beat Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 42.

Since moving to SmackDown after WrestleMania, his run has cooled. He lost to Cody Rhodes at Clash in Italy and again in a rematch on SmackDown, came up short in the SummerSlam Fatal 4-Way, and missed out on Money in the Bank. A win in Riyadh would stop that slide.

Balor was the first Universal Champion, winning the title at SummerSlam 2016 before a shoulder injury forced him to give it up. He is a two-time NXT Champion and has held the Intercontinental, United States and tag team titles. After being kicked out of The Judgment Day, he moved to SmackDown and has spent 2026 as a fan favourite. The Demon, the character he used against Edge at WrestleMania 39, is usually saved for big occasions, so bringing it back for this feud says something about how WWE sees it.

For more context on past events in Saudi Arabia, see our Crown Jewel history and our Crown Jewel 2024 retro review. The other side of the card is covered in our Raw results for November 2.

What is at stake

No title is involved. This match is about direction. For Gunther, it is a chance to get back to the level he held from 2024 to early 2026. For Balor, it is a chance to show that his career is not, in Gunther's words, barely holding on, and to give The Demon a win on a big stage.

In 2023, Gunther told Nick Talbot of the San Antonio Express-News: "I always wanted to wrestle Finn Balor." He has had two wins over him since, but never in a long, featured singles match on a premium live event.

Our view

This is our opinion. If the match is made, The Demon should win. WWE did not bring the character back on Halloween, with a ladder and an announce table, to have it lose four days later. Gunther can survive a loss, and a strong showing would still help him. The bigger worry is the build. Outside of one wild segment and one brawl, these two have had very little time together on TV, so the match itself will have to do most of the work. Both men are able to carry that.