For the first time since 2021, WWE is set to crown a sire of the squared circle. WWE’s King of the Ring tournament officially kicked off this past Monday on WWE Monday Night Raw, as three of the red brand’s four first round matches took place. Jey Uso defeated Finn Balor, Ilja Dragunov put away Ricochet, and Gunther got a submission victory over Sheamus to advance to the second round. The final first round contest, Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio, will happen on a WWE live event this week. Those aforementioned eight men make up the WWE Raw field, as the WWE SmackDown matches will commence this Friday.
Videos by ComicBook.com
WWE’s Full King of the Ring Bracket Revealed
The blue brand’s representatives have been announced.
During WWE Monday Night Raw aftershow Raw Talk, WWE’s broadcast team revealed the eight men from WWE SmackDown that will compete in the King of the Ring tournament, as well as what their first round matches will be.
- AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
- Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes
- LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar
- Bobby Lashley vs. Tama Tonga
The majority of the WWE SmackDown field is first-time King of the Ring competitors, those being AJ Styles, Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight, Santos Escobar, and Tama Tonga. Both Randy Orton and Bobby Lashley competed in the 2006 tournament, with Orton falling to Kurt Angle in the first round and Lashley losing the final to that year’s winner, Booker T.
The most experienced of the group is Baron Corbin, as he won King of the Ring in 2019. He defeated The Miz, Cedric Alexander, Ricochet and Samoa Joe, and Chad Gable en route to the crown.
Both Hayes and Knight should be considered heavy favorites in their first round contests. Hayes is a fresh main roster call up and has a big bar to live up to, as he was one of WWE SmackDown‘s first round selections in this year’s WWE Draft. Knight gets the edge over Escobar thanks to his recent high-profile wins.
Styles vs. Orton and Lashley vs. Tonga are a bit more unpredictable. Orton has been heavily protected since returning from injury in November 2023, as he has not suffered a singles loss in his seven one-on-one matches during this comeback. Styles is coming off a headlining loss at WWE Backlash to WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, indicating that he is looking to regain some steam. The same philosophy goes for Lashley and Tonga. Lashley is looking to reclaim main event status while Tonga, having only debuted last month, is too early in his run to be suffering defeats.
The tournament concludes at WWE King and Queen of the Ring on Saturday, May 25th.
