In a full-circle moment, a gift Cody Rhodes gave to Seth Rollins over a year ago ended up causing the Undisputed WWE Champion to lose on Saturday night.
Rollins used a watch Rhodes gave him after Wrestlemania 40 as a weapon at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, this weekend, playing a significant role in the finishing sequence of their main event bout for WWE Crown Jewel 2025.
The near 30-minute result crowned Rollins the 2025 Crown Jewel Men’s Champion, prevailing in a champion-versus-champion match. Neither wrestler’s main title was on the line in the bout.
Rollins threw everything at Rhodes early in the match, but it wasn’t enough to put him away. The undisputed champ kicked out of his own Cross Rhodes, a Pedigree and a Curbstomp before the 20-minute mark. A Spanish Fly off the top and a high-risk coast-to-coast head-butt also didn’t do enough to put him away.
Rollins also proved his toughness, enduring a top-rope Cross Rhodes for a near fall at one point. He also kicked out after taking a Cody Cutter and a Cross Rhodes earlier in the match as well.
Frustrated with his inability to end the fight, Rollins grabbed a Rolex watch he was gifted by Rhodes after helping him win at Wrestlemania 40 in 2024, which had been mentioned on a recent episode of Raw.
Seth Rollins brings up the watch that Cody Rhodes gave him at WrestleMania 40
"This is the watch you gave me at WrestleMania 40. I haven't worn it a single time since then, until tonight. And I need to know, Cody, was this real? Was this a real gift? Or was this a token… pic.twitter.com/d7IdmTHwOF
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) September 22, 2025
While he decided against utilizing the watch as a weapon during an earlier moment of the bout, he returned to the item late in the match. After the referee was struck down, Rollins escaped a Cross Rhodes by hitting Rhodes in the head with a watch.
Rollins then ended the bout with a pair of Curbstomps, including one from the middle rope.
Rollins allies Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker didn’t appear throughout the 30-minute match. They were instructed earlier in the night by Paul Heyman to stay back, forcing Rollins to fight for himself in the title bout: “Seth Rollins is better, or Cody Rhodes is better, and we’re going to find out tonight,” he told them.
Rhodes was trying to earn back-to-back Crown Jewel championships. He became the first-ever men’s Crown Jewel champ last year by beating Gunther in Saudi Arabia.
The result on Saturday got Rollins back into the win column after losing a mixed tag bout alongside Becky Lynch against CM Punk and AJ Lee at Wrestlepalooza last month.
Results
- Bronson Reed def. Roman Reigns (Australian Street Fight) (21:06)
- Stephanie Vaquer def. Tiffany Stratton (2025 Women’s Crown Jewel Championship) (10:06)
- John Cena def. AJ Styles (27:12)
- Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY def. Asuka & Kairi Sane (19:56)
- Seth Rollins def. Cody Rhodes (2025 Men’s Crown Jewel Championship) (29:43)
