Note: This article mentions developments from Friday’s WWE SmackDown episode in Bologna, Italy that has yet to air in the United States.
Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio and Raquel Rodriguez are heading to the semifinals of WWE’s respective King & Queen of the Ring tournaments.
Friday’s SmackDown in Bologna, Italy saw Mysterio and Rodriguez advance by winning fatal four-way matches. Mysterio defeated Damian Priest, Trick Williams and Bron Breakker on the men’s side, while Rodriguez defeated Kiana James, Jacy Jayne, and Bayley in the women’s division match.
In the Queen of the Ring semifinals, it will be Rodriguez vs. IYO SKY. The first round of the other side of the bracket will play out on Raw and SmackDown next week with Liv Morgan, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Chelsea Green, Sol Ruca, Lyra Valkyria, Charlotte Flair, and Jade Cargill still in contention.
Mysterio has a difficult path with Oba Femi as his semifinal opponent. Seth Rollins, Je’Von Evans, Talla Tonga, Ricky Saints, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Finn Balor are the competitors on the opposite side of the bracket.
Both tournament finals are happening at WWE Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on June 27. The winners earn World title shots at SummerSlam.
The most detailed look at the sale of New Japan, what happened, the glory days that Bushiroad built and why it came down and what led to the sale.
Business realities of Japanese wrestling today.
The reason for the surprising low sale price.
The shareholders lawsuit against Vince McMahon and the WWE Board of Directors is getting near. Judge Travis Laster orders sanctions against Nick Khan and Vince McMahon for destruction of evidence. Laster makes a ruling, and we look at it in detail, on how this changes the trial and the exact details of the destruction of evidence including when McMahon and company knew not to do it and ignored their own lawyers. Also we look at problems with the case.
AEW Double of Nothing coverage. Business notes, historical biggest gates in U.S. pro wrestling, three-time world champions by 30, how the PPV did, poll results, Mick Foley and more.
Did Ronda Rousey set a viewing audience record for MMA, plus coverage of Rousey vs. Carano, how everything goes forward, can things be sustained, can she fight, will she fight, her thoughts on AEW.
Scott Coker returns to MMA with a new promotion.
Marcel Barthel (Ludwig Kaiser) arrested.
A look at the career of Jerry Grey.
The most detailed look at the ratings for all the TV shows over the past two weeks.
Mistico injury update.
How CMLL is doing this year compared to last year.
Natalia Jiminez and J Balvin appear and are part of CMLL shows.
Wrestlers vs. media soccer game.
Grande vs. Grande match looked at.
Major return to Stardom.
Champion Carnival finals.
NOAH tag team tournament.
New Japan Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
Hana Kimura tribute show.
Phil Hickerson passes away.
WCW announcer is the final anchor as CBS News Radio closes its doors after 99 years.
Death of the Laguna version of Piloto Suicida.
Junior Hodge Trophy winner.
Advance ticket sales for all major events in AEW, WWE, TNA and other indies.
Pro wrestler/fighter on the Rousey-Carano undercard.
WWE stars purchase promotion.
Tony Khan media appearances.
More thoughts on how Paramount/Skydance can affect AEW.
What can affect the time slot of Collision in 2027.
Bracket for WWE Queen of the Ring 2026 tournament. (Image credit: WWE)
— Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about Raw, Ben Askren, Grande vs. Grande, Best of the Super Juniors and hopefully Ray Stevens.
— In the something I never thought would happen category, Ben Askren will return to the mat on 7/18 for an RAF match with former UFC champion Belal Muhammad on 7/18 in Milwaukee. Less than one year ago, Askren had a double lung transplant and was in a coma for more than one month. At the time it was said that he would never be able to compete in sports again. Askren said this was a one-time thing. RAF is freestyle wrestling rules and is legit competition. Askren announced this one-time return on today’s Ariel Helwani show.
— WWE King and Queen of the Ring started today. There was a lot of confusion. They are doing a series of four-way matches to advance which started on today’s show. Joe Tessitore last night started the confusion announcing a Penta vs. Oba Femi match for today on yesterday’s post show. It was actually to be Femi vs. Penta vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Carmelo Hayes. WWE today announced Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre, and then apparently there was a mistake in the sense either McIntyre is not in the tournament or will be announced later, as his name was later removed.
— Matches for Raw tonight which is already over and results are up on the site:
Penta vs. Oba Femi vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Solo Sikoa – King of the Ring qualifier
Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee vs. Ethan Page & Rusev
Iyo Sky vs. Lash Legend vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Giulia – Queen of the Ring qualifier
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
— Next week Raw will also be early, from Paris:
Rollins vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints – King of the Ring qualifier
Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green – Queen of the Ring qualifier
— Even with the highest ticket prices in UFC history, the 7/11 show with Conor McGregor returning against Max Holloway has very few tickets left. Those that remain range from $1,622 to $92,258.
— The NBA Finals start Wednesday with the Knicks vs. San Antonio. The Finals are expected to draw the biggest ratings for NBA Finals games in more than a decade.
Game one goes against Dynamite on Wednesday.
Game two goes against SmackDown on Friday.
Game three is the same day as Raw, but Raw will be over live before the game starts. However, when people in the U.S. traditionally watch Raw is when the game is going on.
Game four goes against Dynamite.
Game five, if needed, goes against Collision.
Game six goes against NXT, if needed.
Game seven goes against SmackDown, if needed.
— Based on deductive reasoning which has been confirmed as being accurate, AEW Grand Slam Mexico will either be 8/5 or 8/12. I don’t know which date yet but it should be announced somewhat soon.
— A judge ruled that BJ Penn is mentally fit to proceed to trial for criminal cases against him. Penn will be back in court on 8/28. Penn is accused of several counts of abuse of a family or household member and violating multiple restraining orders by Lorraine Shin, his mother, who Penn had claimed was killed and replaced by an imposter.
— CMLL tonight in Puebla has Mascara Dorada & Flip Gordon & Star Jr. vs. Difunto & Soberano Jr. & Zandokan Jr., plus Stigma & Xelhua vs. Los Calaveras Jr. I & II and Jarochita vs. Lady Frost.
— Brandon Thurston reported that the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit against WWE for moving their PPVs to ESPN Unlimited, telling people they were free and then actually costing most $30 (I think this lawsuit is a real stretch by the way), are moving to get discovery going. WWE has attempted to stall that out and they have filed an argument that WWE can’t be trusted to preserve evidence, citing last week’s ruling in the shareholders lawsuit. WWE is attempting to get the case moved to arbitration based on a clause in the ESPN Unlimited subscribers agreement that says issues have to be resolved through arbitration.
— If you have any questions about Ray Stevens or Stevens stories please send them to [email protected].
— We’re looking for your thoughts on Clash in Italy and the Saturday AAA show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected].
— Netflix has put up the Grande Kaiser vs. Grande Gable AAA mask vs. mask match from Saturday.
— Mistico appeared in the celebrity video announcing the members of Mexico’s World Cup men’s team that came out today.
— Best of the Super Juniors continues tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time:
A Block: Robbie X (8) vs. Daiki Nagai (0)
B Block: Kushida (4) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (6)
A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi (6) vs. Francesco Akira (8)
B Block: Daisuke Sasaki (6) vs. Sho (8)
A Block: Valiente Jr. (4) vs. Nick Wayne (8)
B Block: Robbie Eagles (8) vs. Jakob Austin Young (6)
A Block: Master Wato (10) vs. Jun Kasai (8)
B Block: Taiji Ishimori (8) vs. Hyo (6)
A Block: Titan (10) vs. Kosei Fujita (8)
B Block: Yoh (8) vs. El Desperado (10)
— I still haven’t seen the Stephanie Han vs. Holly Holm boxing match from Saturday. But had Holm won, she would be the first boxer in history to win a world title after being inducted into the Hall of Fame and the second-oldest (44) women’s world champion of all time. Almost everyone who saw it felt Holm was robbed of the decision. The fight was live on ESPN and ratings for this should come out tomorrow along with SmackDown and Raw ratings.
— Ram has expanded its sponsorship with WWE to include AAA. The Ram logo will appear on the mat and the big screens, and AAA wrestlers will be doing Ram marketing.
— The first Wednesday Arena Mexico Mitos del Ring show has top matches of Neon & Star Jr. vs. Averno & Euforia, Dragon de Fuego & Dragon Legendario & Dragon Rojo Jr. vs. Cobarde & Felino Jr. & El Hijo de Stuka Jr., and El Hijo de Blue Panther vs. Virus.
— UFC announced for 7/25 in Abu Dhabi:
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. – main event
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. David Martinez – co-main event
— Maple Leaf Wrestling TV tapings on 6/12 and 6/13 at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario feature Stu Grayson vs. Jonathan Gresham for the MLP title, plus Gisele Shaw, Billy Gunn, Rhino, Johnny TV, Dani Luna, Jay Lethal, Mascara Dorada, Bishop Dyer, Capitán Suicida, Evil Uno and more.
— Shoko Nakajima vs. Shotzi will be on Saturday’s MLW Fusion show for the women’s title.
— David Schultz turned 71 today. Brian Adias turned 66. Jackie Fulton turned 63. Ian Rotten turned 56. Scott Andrews turned 59. James Storm turned 49. Ross Von Erich turned 38. Big Bully Busick was born on this day in 1954. Diamond Lil was born on this day in 1944. Angie Minelli was born on this day in 1962 (who is the niece of Donna Christanello). Sylvester Ritter, aka Junkyard Dog, died 28 years ago today at 45. James Dudley died 22 years ago today at 94. Cal “Prince Pullins” died 20 years ago today at 72. Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics died 11 years ago today at 54. Rockin’ Rebel Chuck Williams died eight years ago today at 52. Melanie Pillman died four years ago today at 56. (thanks to Tony Richards and Ken Raftery)
— Arman Tsarukyan was reported in places as saying he’s fighting Charles Oliveira in September. He later said that was a misinterpretation and said that he may be doing that, but it was not final.
— MJF wrestled for WrestlePro yesterday in Rahway, NJ at the Rec Center, beating Pat Buck in the main event. He won via submission. Among those also on the show were Richard Holliday, Dan Maff, Mark Sterling, Jordan Oliver, Alec Price, Bear Bronson, Jay Lethal, Janai Kai and Max Caster. (thanks to Joseph Ruggiero)
It didn’t take Oba Femi very long to bounce back from his loss to Brock Lesnar at WWE Clash in Italy.
The 2026 King of the Ring tournament began on Raw today with Femi defeating Solo Sikoa, Penta, and Carmelo Hayes in a fatal four-way match to advance to the semifinals. His opponent in that round is set to be either Dominik Mysterio, Bron Breakker, Trick Williams, or Damian Priest.
Femi got the victory with a Fall From Grace on Sikoa. During the match, WWE teased that interference from Talla Tonga was going to remove Femi from contention — but Femi was able to return after Tonga had sent him into the crowd. He emerged from the barricade and took out Tonga, Hayes, and Penta before pinning Sikoa.
In a post-match promo, Femi addressed his loss to Lesnar from Sunday. He took Lesnar’s best shot and is still standing the next day. He reminded Lesnar that they are tied up at 1-1, and he’ll see Lesnar down the line.
King of the Ring is Femi’s immediate focus, though, with the tournament set to play out on Raw and SmackDown over the next few weeks in advance of the finals taking place at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on June 27. The Queen of the Ring finals are also being held at that PLE, with the winners earning World title shots at SummerSlam.
Femi, Dominik, Breakker, Williams, Priest, Seth Rollins, Je’Von Evans, Talla Tonga, Ricky Saints, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Finn Balor are the competitors still in the running to win King of the Ring.
WWE King of the Ring 2026 bracket (Image credit: WWE)
The King & Queen of the Ring tournaments begin on next week’s Raw.
On Monday, LA Knight came out for a promo and announced that next week, the King & Queen of the Ring tournaments would begin on Raw, which will take place in Turin just one day after Clash in Italy. It was mentioned that the winners of the tournament would earn a future title match. Participants for either tournament were not announced, but Knight made clear he would be throwing his hat in the ring, saying he wanted a shot at Roman Reigns and his title.
That brought out Jimmy Uso as the two argued about The Usos realigning themselves with Roman Reigns over the last several months. Jimmy said he understood why Knight had issues with the Bloodline and what they did in the past, but said it wasn’t like that anymore. Knight said if the family business became his business, he would make sure they go out of business.
Next week’s Raw on Netflix will start at a special time, 2 pm ET/11 am PT.
Who won last year’s tournaments?
Last year’s King and Queen of the Ring winners were Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill, respectively. Both earned title matches at SummerSlam: Rhodes went on to defeat John Cena for the WWE Championship, while Jade Cargill was unsuccessful against Tiffany Stratton.
After Clash in Italy, WWE’s next event will be Night of Champions on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 27. Recent King & Queen of the Ring winners dating back to 2021 have all been determined in Saudi Arabia.
The finals for the WWE King and Queen of the Ring tournaments are now set.
Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill advanced in the last semifinals matches of the tournament on Monday’s WWE Raw to punch their tickets to the tournament finals set for Saturday’s Night of Champions PLE.
Rhodes defeated Jey Uso in the Raw main event to advance to the finals, and faces Randy Orton on Saturday to crown a new King of the Ring.
Cargill defeated Roxanne Perez in a semifinals matchup on Monday’s Raw to move on, and will face Asuka in the finals at Night of Champions to crown a new Queen of the Ring.
The winners of the tournament finals will challenge for their brand’s top title at SummerSlam set for August 2 and August 3.
The Night of Champions lineup:
WWE Night of Champions, Saturday, June 28, 1 p.m. Eastern time —
Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena defends against CM Punk
King of the Ring finals: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
Queen of the Ring finals: Jade Cargill vs. Asuka
United States Champion Jacob Fatu defends against Solo Sikoa
It’s Wrestling Weekly with Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa.
AEW took their talents to the iconic Arena Mexico for a very noteworthy show and WWE has some fascinating semifinal matchups in their King and Queen of the Ring tournaments.
We’ll discuss AEW’s trip to Mexico as well as how we think those tournament matches in WWE are going to shake out.
The semifinals are now set for the WWE King and Queen of the Ring tournaments following Monday’s Raw episode.
Jey Uso advanced in the King of the Ring tournament with a victory over Sheamus, Bronson Reed, and Rusev in the main event of Monday’s WWE Raw to advance to the semifinals. In the Queen of the Ring tournament, the returning Asuka defeated Raquel Rodriguez, Ivy Nile, and Stephanie Vaquer on Raw to move on to the semis.
Uso will take on Cody Rhodes on next week’s Raw in the semifinals, with the other semifinal match — Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn — set for this Friday’s SmackDown.
Asuka will face Alexa Bliss in the Queen of the Ring semifinals on Friday’s SmackDown, with the Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez semifinal match official for next week’s Raw.
The finals of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments will take place at the Night of Champions PLE in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, June 28. The tournament winners will earn title shots at their brand’s top championship at SummerSlam.
WWE King of the Ring semifinals —
Friday, June 20 SmackDown: Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn
Monday, June 23 Raw: Cody Rhodes vs. Jey Uso
WWE Queen of the Ring semifinals —
Friday, June 20 SmackDown: Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss
Monday, June 23 Raw: Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez
Four wrestlers advanced to the semifinals round in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments on Friday’s WWE SmackDown.
In the King of the Ring tournament, Cody Rhodes advanced with a victory over Shinsuke Nakamura, Andrade, and Damian Priest in the show-closing bout on Friday’s episode. Earlier in the show, Randy Orton advanced with a victory over LA Knight, Aleister Black, and Carmelo Hayes.
Rhodes now awaits the winner of a Jey Uso vs. Sheamus vs. Rusev vs. Bronson Reed four-way set for Monday’s Raw in the semifinals, while Orton will take on Sami Zayn on next Friday’s SmackDown in the semis.
In the Queen of the Ring bracket, Alexa Bliss advanced to the semis with a victory over Charlotte Flair, Alba Fyre, and Candice LeRae on Friday’s show, while Jade Cargill punched her ticket to the next round by defeating Nia Jax, Michin, and Piper Niven on SmackDown.
Bliss’s semifinals bout will take place on next week’s SmackDown against the winner of Asuka vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ivy Nile set for Monday’s Raw. Cargill will face Roxanne Perez in the semifinals at a later date.
The King of the Ring lineup has now been finalized with Jey Uso taking the last spot in the tournament.
When the King of the Ring bracket was revealed on Raw earlier this week, there was one spot left open for a mystery entrant. WWE has now revealed Uso as that mystery competitor. He’ll face off against Bronson Reed, Sheamus, and Rusev in a first-round match on Raw this coming Monday.
Uso’s addition to the tournament comes after he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Gunther on Raw. WWE posted a video today where general manager Adam Pearce said he was saving the open spot in King of the Ring for the loser of that Gunther match.
If Uso wins King of the Ring, he’ll earn a World Heavyweight title rematch against Gunther at SummerSlam. Uso won the belt from Gunther at WrestleMania 41 and held it for just under two months before losing it back to him.
The King & Queen of the Ring tournament finals are both taking place in Saudi Arabia at Night of Champions on June 28.
Sami Zayn has already advanced to the semifinals. Two more wrestlers will secure their semifinal spots when the tournament continues on SmackDown tonight.
The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments will continue on next week’s WWE Raw with first round matches.
In the King of the Ring bracket, Sheamus, Rusev, Bronson Reed, and a mystery opponent will square off in a first round matchup, with the winner advancing to the semifinals.
In the Queen of the Ring tournament, the returning Asuka will face Stephanie Vaquer, Raquel Rodriguez, and Ivy Nile in a first round match with a spot in the semifinals at stake.
Next week’s King of the Ring first round winner will move on to the semifinals to face the winner of a Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Damian Priest vs. Andrade four-way set for an upcoming SmackDown.
Next week’s Queen of the Ring first round winner will advance to face the winner of a Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green vs. Candice LeRae four-way also set for an upcoming SmackDown.
Sami Zayn and Roxanne Perez became the first semifinalists with their victories in the first round on Monday’s WWE Raw episode.
The eventual King and Queen of the Ring winners will earn title shots at their brand’s World titles at SummerSlam on August 2 and August 3. The King and Queen of the Ring finals are set for Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, June 28.
Next week’s WWE Raw lineup:
WWE Raw, Monday, June 16 —
King of the Ring first round: Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed vs. Rusev vs. a mystery opponent
Queen of the Ring first round: Asuka vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ivy Nile
Two wrestlers have advanced to the semifinals of the WWE King and Queen of the Ring tournaments.
Sami Zayn became the first wrestler to move on to the semifinals with a victory in a four-way opening round match on Monday’s WWE Raw, defeating Bron Breakker, Penta, and Dominik Mysterio to move on.
Roxanne Perez became the first Queen of the Ring semifinalist with a victory over Rhea Ripley, Kairi Sane, and Liv Morgan on Monday’s Raw.
Zayn will face the winner of a Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. Aleister Black vs. Carmelo Hayes four-way from the SmackDown brand in the semifinals at a later date.
Perez moves on to face the winner of Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax vs. Michin vs. Piper Niven from SmackDown in the semifinals.
WWE has put out a video addressing the controversial way its King of the Ring tournament ended.
On Saturday, Gunther was crowned King of the Ring by defeating Randy Orton in the tournament finals. The match appeared to go as intended — except for a botched finish where Orton accidentally had his shoulder up while being pinned.
Orton was selling storyline knee and back injuries throughout his match against Gunther. He hit an RKO near the end of the match but couldn’t get leverage on the cover due to his hurt knee. Gunther then trapped Orton in a crucifix pin. The referee counted to three, but Orton’s shoulder was clearly up.
After the show, WWE uploaded an interview with Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressing the way Gunther vs. Orton ended. Levesque said the referee’s decision is final and Gunther is King of the Ring, but he’s sure Gunther will want to face Orton again in the future to prove that he’s the better man.
“Coming back here and seeing it back, I saw exactly what you saw. I saw what everybody saw. I saw what everybody is talking about. Didn’t really even seem controversial to me, just seemed like Randy Orton’s shoulder wasn’t down,” Levesque said. “But I’m going to say this: the referee’s decision is final. Gunther is your King of the Ring.
“That being said, especially after what I saw tonight, I certainly want to see that again. I think Randy Orton deserves to have another shot at that. And I think, if I know anything about Gunther, he will want to have another shot at that to take the controversy out — to take the asterisk off of the page where it says King of the Ring for him. I think he will want to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is better than Randy Orton.”
Levesque didn’t say when that potential Gunther vs. Orton match would be taking place. He noted that it will be “a moment or two” until Orton is ready to step back into the ring with Gunther.
“Having seen Randy back here, he’s pretty banged up,” Levesque said. “Both his knee and his back. I think it’s going to be a moment or two before he is ready to step back into the ring with Gunther. But when he is, let’s go.”
By winning King of the Ring, Gunther receives a World Heavyweight Championship shot at SummerSlam. He will challenge either Damian Priest or Drew McIntyre for the title. Priest is defending against McIntyre at Clash at the Castle in Scotland next month.
Queen of the Ring winner Nia Jax is also getting a SummerSlam title shot, challenging for the WWE Women’s Championship. Levesque appeared at King & Queen of the Ring and presented both Gunther and Jax with their crowns.
Gunther became WWE royalty with a victory over Randy Orton on Saturday.
At WWE King & Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia, Gunther defeated Orton in the King of the Ring tournament finals. It was Gunther and Orton’s first time ever facing each other one-on-one. Gunther kicked out of an RKO and then used a crucifix pin to beat Orton.
Orton accidentally had his shoulder up while being pinned by Gunther. After the show, WWE put out a video with Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressing the controversial finish. Levesque said the referee’s decision is final and Gunther is King of the Ring. But Levesque is sure Gunther will want to face Orton again in the future to prove he’s the better man.
Orton was selling storyline knee and back injuries throughout the match. That played into the finish with Orton not being able to plant his injured leg on the mat and get leverage after hitting the RKO. There was also a moment earlier in the bout where Orton gave Gunther an RKO but was too hurt to immediately go for the pin.
As the King of the Ring winner, Gunther receives a World Heavyweight Championship shot at SummerSlam this August. Damian Priest is the current champion but has a title defense against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle next month.
Levesque presented Gunther with the King of the Ring crown after he defeated Orton. Gunther then cut a promo vowing to become World Heavyweight Champion.
"At SummerSlam, I'm gonna become the World Heavyweight Champion"
Gunther is WWE’s first King of the Ring since Xavier Woods won the tournament in 2021. Gunther’s run in this year’s tournament included wins against Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Jey Uso, and Orton.
The finals are set for the WWE King & Queen of the Ring tournaments.
Randy Orton defeated Tama Tonga in a semifinal bout on Friday to win the SmackDown King of the Ring bracket and advance to Saturday’s tournament finals. Orton will take on Gunther, with the winner receiving a World Heavyweight or Undisputed WWE title match at SummerSlam.
Also on SmackDown, Nia Jax defeated Bianca Belair to win the SmackDown Queen of the Ring bracket and advance to Saturday’s tournament finals. Jax will take on Raw finalist Lyra Valkyria with a Women’s World or WWE Women’s title shot a SummerSlam hanging in the balance.
Saturday’s WWE King & Queen of the Ring PLE streams live on Peacock/WWE Network. The pre-show streams free and begins at 11 a.m. Eastern time on Peacock, WWE Network, and WWE’s social media and YouTube channels. The main card kicks off at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
The lineup:
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Logan Paul
Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn defends against Chad Gabe & Bronson Reed in a triple threat
Women’s World Champion Becky Lynch defends against Liv Morgan
King of the Ring tournament finals: Randy Orton vs. Gunther
Queen of the Ring tournament finals: Nia Jax vs. Lyra Valkyria
Pre-show: Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill defend against Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae
Four wrestlers advanced in the King & Queen of the Ring tournaments on Friday’s WWE SmackDown with the SmackDown bracket semifinals set for next week.
Randy Orton defeated Carmelo Hayes on Friday’s SmackDown to advance to next week’s King of the Ring semifinals bout. He will face Tama Tonga in the SmackDown semifinals after Tonga defeated LA Knight on this week’s show to advance.
Bianca Belair defeated Tiffany Stratton on this week’s episode to advance to the Queen of the Ring semifinals where she will take on Nia Jax after Jax defeated Belair’s tag partner Jade Cargill by disqualification on Friday to advance.
The winners of next week’s matches will advance to the tournament finals set for the King & Queen of the Ring PLE on Saturday, May 25.
Raw’s representatives in the tournament finals will be decided on the Monday, May 20 episode where Gunther faces Jey Uso in the King of the Ring tournament, while IYO SKY will take on Lyra Valkyria in the Queen of the Ring tournament.
Two additional segments for next Friday’s SmackDown were also teased during this week’s show.
AJ Styles announced his intention to meet with SmackDown GM Nick Aldis on next week’s episode to discuss his in-ring future after losing an Undisputed WWE title match to Cody Rhodes at Backlash, then losing a King of the Ring tournament bout to Orton.
Women’s Champion Bayley also issued a challenge to Chelsea Green to meet her in the ring next week in a backstage segment on Friday.
The lineup for the Friday, May 24 WWE SmackDown:
King of the Ring semifinals: Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga
Queen of the Ring semifinals: Bianca Belair vs. Nia Jax
