WWE's Crown Jewel titles are back ... and they actually look interesting?

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After a slow few weeks in WWE world, this Saturday’s Crown Jewel card is looking mighty impressive, with John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley and Roman Reigns — four A-list names by anyone’s measure — all set to be in action as pro-wrestling returns to Perth, Australia.

As with last year, the show will feature matches to determine the men’s and women’s Crown Jewel titles. In case you've forgotten, those are the additional belts unveiled last year by Triple H in what most of us assumed at the time was a bit of a sop to the Saudis, who paid $50 million to host the previous installments of Crown Jewel.

The idea was simple: WWE’s biggest champions would battle against each other, with the winner getting what must be the ugliest championship belt in modern wrestling history. The belts themselves would then stay in Riyadh, while the champions took home ceremonial rings.

Last year’s matches were entertaining enough. There was a particularly memorable finish to the men’s match, after Rhodes managed to reverse one of Gunther’s famous sleeper holds into an improvised pinfall — allowing him to pick up a win in a way that left the door open for another match between the two men later on.

Since then, though, the Crown Jewel titles have hardly been mentioned.

In fairness, that might have always been the plan, given that they were always meant to be an annual fixture. At one point, I was pretty sure that those garish signet rings might make an appearance on the weekly shows, perhaps being used as a weapon, but that hasn’t happened either.

Then came the news that this year’s Crown Jewel PLE would be taking place in Australia, rather than Saudi Arabia. Triple H subsequently confirmed on September's Wrestlepalooza post-show that the eponymous titles will indeed be on the line once again, with the diamond-encrusted $1 million belts making their way from Riyadh to Perth.

Considering the current roster of champions in WWE, that means we’ll be seeing Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins on the men’s side, and Tiffany Stratton vs. Stephanie Vaquer on the women’s. Though American fans will have to wake up slightly earlier to see them live, given that Crown Jewel kicks off at 5 a.m. on the U.S. west coast.

Both matches are a big deal on names alone — and they have to be, considering the lack of in-story build to Saturday's double-header main event. But what makes them even more interesting is they’re less predictable than WWE's usual championship matches. There’s a genuine chance for each match to go either way. Likewise, both could help set up something even more interesting further down the line.

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Take Rhodes, for example. Barring a total swerve, it’s usually a safe bet that the Universal Championship isn’t going to change hands outside of stadium shows — meaning his PLE matches are usually pretty predictable affairs. Without the Universal Championship on the line, though, those assumptions go out of the window.

Maybe Rhodes will get the better of his former ally like he did against Gunther last year. On the other hand, maybe Rollins will further consolidate his power as WWE’s arch heel, working with Paul Heyman to pull off a major coup in Perth.

If anything, the latter would be the most interesting option, not least for Rhodes himself. We’ve seen in the past that WWE has struggled to tell compelling stories regarding his title reign. A defeat on Saturday would open up a massive psychological vulnerability in Rhodes' character for future opponents to probe.

Of course, it would also be another feather in the cap of Rollins, who has been moving from strength to strength since WrestleMania. Should he succeed in beating WWE's celebrated quarterback, it would raise big questions as to who can finally dethrone "The Visionary" in the long run.

It’s a slightly different story on the women’s side, where the divide between “Raw” and “SmackDown” feels much firmer. In fact, this is the first time Stephanie Vaquer and Tiffany Stratton have competed in the same match.

It comes at an opportune time for Stratton, whose booking has been more than a little shaky over the past six months. The fact WWE that has insisted on maintaining a near-umbilical link between her and Nia Jax hasn’t exactly helped on that front. That feud felt done and dusted back in February.

Vaquer is in a stronger position, still riding high on her acclaimed match with Iyo Sky at Wrestlepalooza. The Chilean star looks like one of the most competent wrestlers to arrive in WWE for years and it’s pretty clear she has the confidence of Triple H. At the same time, her character still feels half-formed, not helped by her slightly sporadic appearances on "Raw."

If the match is half as good as Vaquer’s last one, it should give both women a boost. Arguably, the Crown Jewel title feels like more of a prize here than it does on the men’s side. Seeing either woman holding up two belts would send a huge statement to the rest of the division — but probably more so for Vaquer, given she’s the newcomer.

All things considered, then, that's two very tantalizing contests to come. Given the whole Saudi link, Crown Jewel hasn’t been an easy show for fans to love. Even though this year's event is moving to Australia, the fact that it takes place in the shadow of the Saudi WrestleMania announcement isn't unnoticed.

These two matches aren’t going to change how fans feel about Crown Jewel on the whole — but they should at least make for an exciting Saturday morning.