Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn: The Full History Before Crown Jewel
Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn meet at Crown Jewel on November 7 in Riyadh, World Heavyweight Champion against Undisputed WWE Champion, for the men's Crown Jewel Championship. Few pairings in WWE come with this much history. Zayn went from Reigns' most loyal follower to the man who helped bring The Bloodline down, then back to his side, and now to the other side of the ring.
Here is the full story of Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn, from a 15-second title match to the Honorary Uce, the chair shot and the road to Riyadh.
2021: a title shot that lasted seconds
Their first notable meeting came on the December 3, 2021 SmackDown. Zayn had won a battle royal to earn a shot at Reigns' Universal Championship, but Brock Lesnar attacked him before the bell, and Reigns won in about 15 seconds. At that point, Zayn was little more than an obstacle for The Tribal Chief.
2022: the Honorary Uce
After WrestleMania 38, Zayn started trying to win The Bloodline's favor. It became one of the most popular stories in WWE. On the May 27, 2022 SmackDown he was first called an "Honorary Uce", and on September 23, Reigns made it official. Jey Uso never trusted him, and their arguments were half the fun.
Zayn won Jey over at Survivor Series: WarGames on November 26, 2022, when he hit his best friend Kevin Owens with a low blow to help The Bloodline win. Even after surviving a "Tribal Court" at Raw is XXX in January 2023, the question was always the same: when would it all fall apart?
January 2023: the chair shot
It fell apart at the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2023. After Reigns beat Owens, he ordered Zayn to hit Owens with a chair. Zayn refused, then hit Reigns with the chair instead. The Bloodline turned on him, and Jey walked away. It is still one of the most memorable moments of the last decade.
February 2023: Elimination Chamber in Montreal
Three weeks later, Zayn got his title match at Elimination Chamber in front of his home crowd in Montreal. The crowd was electric, but Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. After the match, Owens ran out to save Zayn from a beatdown, and the two best friends were back together.
WrestleMania 39 and Night of Champions
Zayn and Owens beat The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 39 Night 1 on April 1, 2023.
Then came the payoff. At Night of Champions in Jeddah on May 27, 2023, Zayn and Owens defended the titles against Reigns and Solo Sikoa. Jimmy Uso turned on Reigns with two superkicks, and Zayn finished Solo with a Helluva Kick for the win. It was a rare defeat for Reigns and the start of The Bloodline's civil war.
2024: on the same side again
By late 2024 the story had come full circle. When Solo Sikoa's new Bloodline went after Reigns, Zayn joined Reigns, The Usos and CM Punk as the original Bloodline, and they won the WarGames match at Survivor Series on November 30, 2024. For a while, the Honorary Uce was family again.
2026: two champions on a collision course
Both men reached the top this year, by very different roads.
- Reigns won the 2026 Royal Rumble, beat CM Punk in the main event of WrestleMania 42 Night 2 to win the World Heavyweight Championship, and retained it against LA Knight at Money in the Bank on October 10.
- Zayn won his first world title in WWE at Night of Champions on June 27, beating Cody Rhodes and Gunther in a triple threat for the Undisputed WWE Championship, but lost it to a returning CM Punk nine days later. He turned on his best friend Kevin Owens in August, and on the September 11 SmackDown he beat Punk in a rematch to become champion for a second time.
The Crown Jewel match was made official on the October 12 Raw. A week later, they opened Raw arguing over whose title means more, until Penta walked out with his Money in the Bank briefcase. On October 26, Zayn complained that he had been left off Raw and ran down Reigns, and Adam Pearce made him defend his title against Je'Von Evans on the spot. Zayn won after Bron Breakker took out Penta, who had come out with a referee to cash in. Zayn has one more defense before Riyadh, against Trick Williams on the October 30 SmackDown.
Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn by the numbers
- Head to head on WWE TV and Premium Live Events, counting every match where they were on opposite sides: Reigns leads 4–1, according to our records. Zayn's only win is the tag team match at Night of Champions 2023.
- Roman Reigns in 2026: 7 wins, 0 losses, 6 of those wins at Premium Live Events.
- Sami Zayn in 2026: 11 wins, 29 losses and 1 draw, counting house shows. On TV and PLEs alone he is 9–11–1.
- Crown Jewel record: Reigns is 4–2 at Crown Jewel and has main evented it three times. This will be his seventh Crown Jewel.
Compare the two in more detail with our Compare tool: Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn, or see the whole history of the event in our Crown Jewel history feature.
Our take: who wins at Crown Jewel?
The story favors Reigns. He is unbeaten this year, WWE has spent months rebuilding him as the centerpiece of Raw, and he still has a WarGames match with The Bloodline against 946 three weeks later at Survivor Series. A loss in Riyadh would take the shine off that run.
Zayn's strength is that he works best when he is scrapping and scheming, and his recent wins have all come with help. Expect him to try every trick he has, with Penta's briefcase hanging over both men. But the most likely result is a Reigns win, with Zayn walking out still Undisputed WWE Champion, since his own title is not on the line.
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins the men's Crown Jewel Championship. See the full card and all of our picks in our Crown Jewel 2026 preview.
