Roman Returns to Raw | Sami, The 946 & Crown Jewel — The 2 Count Tuesday 10/20/26

Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn opened Monday's Raw in San Diego face to face, World Heavyweight Champion against Undisputed WWE Champion, ahead of their champion vs. champion match at Crown Jewel in Riyadh on Nov. 7 (prowrestling.net, Wrestling Inc). JDFromNY liked the dynamic but says it sold WarGames and Survivor Series more than Crown Jewel. Coach doesn't see Sami on Roman's level. Then Reigns told Jackie Redmond he was leaving and drove off, only to stand tall with the Bloodline against The 946 at the end of the night. JD says it made Roman look like he doesn't care about his family; Coach wanted a 946 huddle backstage to tie it together. Both want The 946, now with Carmelo Hayes and led by Royce Keys, to get an actual story. Coach also takes aim at the video from Carmelo Hayes and Kelani Jordan's wedding that showed Solo Sikoa celebrating with the man who just hit him with a crowbar (Fightful).

SmackDown gets the "nothing burger" treatment: Cody Rhodes beat Baron Corbin by DQ when Randy Orton interfered, and Paige beat Nikki Bella (Sacnilk). JD wants the Orton story to finally go somewhere; Coach says Cody needs layers and a heel turn. Crown Jewel is still going ahead after the deadly strikes on Riyadh's airport, with the US advisory at Level 3, "Reconsider Travel" (The National, Briefly). Coach thinks it's really about protecting WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh. In AEW, Adam Copeland announced on Dynamite that he'll retire in 2027 (Wrestling Inc), and Ilja Dragunov arrived at WrestleDream, where Will Ospreay retained in Clockwork Carnage (Wrestle Purists). Paul Heyman's Heyman Hustle TV has a roundtable with Cody Rhodes, Charlotte Flair and O'Shea Jackson Jr. hosted by Jacob Heyman (Fightful), and WWE advertised Sami Zayn vs. Cody Rhodes for the title in San Diego as a post-Raw match (Heavy).

The Kick Out: did Roman help Raw or hurt it? JD says he isn't there enough to care; Coach would take the title off him and make him a special attraction. Coach says he was told WrestleMania 43 is Cody vs. CM Punk and Oba Femi vs. Roman Reigns, matching early reports of WWE's discussions (Fightful). Super Chats cover fears over Crown Jewel, the San Diego crowd and Coach's biggest career segment, LA Knight and Bron Breakker's scary fall at the Hawaii live event (411Mania), Reigns saying live events no longer make sense for him (Wrestling Inc), and whether Triple H is going through the motions.

Housekeeping: This episode is sponsored by BlueChew GOLD (promo code 2COUNT). JD is live tonight at 8:30 PM ET with the Solid Monster on Tuesday Night Titans for a WrestleDream breakdown; find him at @JDfromNY206. All BTT video and audio is at one link: bttstudios.tv. The 2 Count is live every Tuesday at 11:30 AM ET.

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome to the fastest show in wrestling
01:28 Topic 1: Roman and Sami open Raw
04:56 Topic 2: Roman leaves the building
08:16 Topic 3: Royce Keys and The 946
12:00 Topic 4: Carmelo's wedding video
15:53 Topic 5: Is SmackDown a nothing burger?
20:27 Topic 6: Crown Jewel is still on
25:06 Topic 7: Adam Copeland will retire in 2027
28:17 Topic 8: WrestleDream and Ilja Dragunov
30:55 Topic 9: Heyman Hustle TV
34:27 Topic 10: The post-Raw dark match
38:50 The Kick Out: did Roman help Raw?
45:34 Super Chats: Crown Jewel fears
49:14 Super Chats: the San Diego crowd
51:04 Super Chats: LA Knight and Bron Breakker's fall
58:51 Super Chats: is Triple H going through the motions?
1:02:25 JD's plugs and sign-off

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