The 2026 Men’s Crown Jewel Championship Match culminates years of storytelling between Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns, and the rest of The Bloodline. Zayn, the Undisputed WWE Champion, has felt belittled by Reigns and the rest of the WWE Universe by the fact that no one respects the hard work it took for him to become a two-time WWE Champion. Reigns, ‘The OTC’ and the World Heavyweight Champion, has told ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ he would be nothing without The Bloodline, while Zayn feels the complete opposite, saying he helped WWE make millions of dollars and get their partnership with Netflix. Both men let the harsh reality of how they felt out on Raw this past Monday.
Back in 2022, Zayn became known as the ‘Honorary Uce’ when he joined The Bloodline and then officially earned the family’s trust at Survivor Series: WarGames 2022 when he hit a low blow on his friend Kevin Owens and helped The Bloodline win the match. Reigns would face Owens for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship at the 2023 Royal Rumble. ‘The OTC’ would win the match, relentlessly beat down ‘KO’, and then order Zayn to hit his former friend with a steel chair. Unable to watch one of his best friends be beaten down any longer, ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ would blast Reigns in the back with the chair instead. Reigns would defeat Zayn at the 2023 Elimination Chamber premium live event; however, the first cracks in The Bloodline were shown when ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ and ‘KO’ defeated Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 39.
A few years of separation have seen Zayn become a two-time WWE Champion, while Reigns has lit it up as the World Heavyweight Champion in 2026. ‘The OTC’ called the WWE Championship the B-title because ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ is holding it, and he would be nothing today; Zayn wouldn’t be a champion today if it weren’t for his time in The Bloodline. Reigns stated the current WWE Champion was just “Johnny Knoxville’s b***h doing Jackass things” before Zayn joined The Bloodline, referring to Zayn’s matchup against Knoxville at WrestleMania 38. ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ fired back, saying that people remember and love to speak about the match, while no one even remembers Reigns main event match at WrestleMania 38 against Brock Lesnar. Zayn said the most memorable moment for Reigns over the past five years is when he was belted by that steel chair from ‘The Last Real Good Guy’.
This past episode of Raw showed Reigns focusing his attention on 946, who ambushed ‘The OTC’, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa. After the reveal that Cruz Montana has joined 946, the beatdown they provided, and everyone seemingly shocked that 946 has added another member, Zayn came out of nowhere and gave a Helluva Kick to Reigns, shouting to ‘The OTC’ that he took his eye off the ball. 946 may certainly play a part in the 2026 Men’s Crown Jewel Match and try to deter Reigns from winning. The Bloodline, such as The Usos, Sikoa, and potentially Jacob Fatu, or even Zilla Fatu, who may make his main roster debut following NXT Halloween Havoc 2026, may have to come out to even the odds against a calculated group like 946 and help Reigns get over on the former ‘Honorary Uce’.
Zayn could certainly shock the world once again and pin Reigns, which would be the first time ‘The OTC’ has been pinned ever since Bronson Reed defeated him during last year’s Crown Jewel event. However, that’s less than likely, as we would have to assume, with the sheer dominance Reigns presents, that he’ll be the one coming out on top. If Zayn were to win, it would have to be because of 946 getting involved; ‘The Last Real Good Guy’ is not pinning Reigns straight up. ‘The OTC’ should be coming out on top, winning the 2026 Men’s Crown Jewel Championship and adding another title to his long list of accolades.
