WWE King and Queen of the Ring Review - May 25, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill def. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell

I know LeRae "injured" Belair's leg during their Queen of the Ring first-round match two weeks ago, but WWE should've bothered to explain what exactly LeRae and Hartwell did to earn this opportunity when we just had a number one contender's Fatal 4-Way tag team match on Monday's Raw. Nonetheless, this was a nice match. It didn't go needlessly long, the crowd was into it, and both teams showed up some innovative offense. I hope Belair and Cargill are able to run through at least a few teams before we get to the next step of their storyline.

Liv Morgan def. Becky Lynch to Win the Women's World Championship

Lynch and Morgan always work well together and this was no exception. It was a very entertaining opener, even if there were some shaky spots. Not only was I happy Morgan won the title, I also liked how they created a cliffhanger with Dominik Mysterio "accidentally" aiding Morgan to victory. We'll see if they end up aligning, but they have my interest and Morgan becoming champ was absolutely the right call.

Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn def. Bronson Reed and Chad Gable in a Triple Threat Match

I feel bad that Reed continues to be the fall guy in these scenarios because he deserves better than that, but he had a strong showing much like Zayn and Gable. This was a terrific Triple Threat and my favorite match of the night. The stuff with Gable and Otis at ringside was well done as it should get us one step closer to them going their separate ways so Gable can recruit The Creed Brothers. I really wanted Gable to capture the title, but perhaps he still can and at least he wasn't pinned.

Nia Jax def. Lyra Valkyria in the Queen of the Ring Finals

It's awesome to see Valkyria booked so well her first month on the main roster. She got this far in the tournament that she didn't need to win the whole thing. They had a good match that told a solid story with the David vs. Goliath dynamic. Jax looked like she killed Valkyria with that finish, so props to her and Valkyria for the execution on that. I've never been the biggest Nia Jax fan, but she's exceeded my expectations since returning to the company and I wouldn't have an issue with her unseating Bayley as WWE Women's Champion at SummerSlam.

Gunther def. Randy Orton in the King of the Ring Finals

Much like Belair in Queen of the Ring, Orton has been selling a knee injury throughout this tournament and thus I knew we were in for a storytelling masterpiece with these two. Sure enough, they delivered an excellent match and the attention to detail was fantastic, specifically in the closing minutes. My only nitpick was the sloppy finish with Orton's shoulder being up during the three count. It was clearly a botch, so hopefully they address it on TV and possibly have them run it back.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes def. United States Champion Logan Paul (United States Championship Was Not Defended)

Despite the outcome being extremely predictable with the U.S. title not being up for grabs, this was still a top-notch main event. Granted, it was riddled with interference and shenanigans, but I didn't have an issue with most of it because it at least added to the idea that Paul could possibly win. They worked really well together and that frog splash from Paul to Rhodes through the commentary shot (specifically the way it was filmed) was a thing of beauty. I assume this was a one and done for Rhodes vs. Paul (and it should be), so who's next for Rhodes?

Overall Show

Similar to Backlash, I loved how this was just under three hours (not counting the pre-show that was two hours for some reason) and only five matches (on the main card). That's the perfect formula in my opinion. Less is more! I thoroughly enjoyed this event and it ended up being newsworthy with the crowning of a new King or the Ring and Queen of the Ring, Morgan capturing the Women's World Championship, and some progression with the Alpha Academy angle.

SEE MORE: WWE PLE Reviews