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 top men's and women's competitors in the company.

World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns battles 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 the matches on next year's card look like, and why might fans expect those specific Superstars to be involved?

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

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 30-man match and set himself up for a World Heavyweight Championship Match 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.

Who he battles is the question.

Over on the SmackDown side, things are less obvious. Any number of Superstars could conceivably 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, like Trick Williams.

Cody Rhodes, though, makes sense, as he is WWE's QB1, and it is only a matter of time before he regains the company's top prize. Beyond that, he has unfinished business with Femi dating back to December of 2025 that could be revisited to justify the match.

At Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13 of last year, Femi represented NXT in a match against Rhodes. In it, the up-and-coming force of nature proved himself by hanging with the American Nightmare. The match did not have a decisive finish, though, as McIntyre interfered to cause a disqualification.

With Femi theoretically elevated as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion by next October, a story in which he seeks to beat the one man he has shared the ring with but has not yet conquered essentially writes itself.

That Rhodes would have the opportunity at that point to become the first two-time men's Crown Jewel Champion adds luster.

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 get her main-roster ready for her inevitable call-up. The result was two matches at NXT Halloween Havoc and No Mercy that shocked 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 it in, but all signs point to her eventually turning heel and betraying Chelsea Green when the time finally comes.

With Tiffy Time 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 women's world title in WWE since 2024, a streak that has to end at some point. The Man 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 bring into the world of WWE, with a chance to add "Crown Jewel Champion" to what is already one of the most impressive resumes in women's wrestling history.