The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments will both kick off on this week’s WWE Raw. The XL Center crowd in Hartford, CT will need to put on a big performance to rival the French crowd from Saturday’s Backlash PLE.
Eight matches have been announced across the King and Queen of the Ring tournament opening round. Enjoy our preview of this tournament kicking off with our WWE Raw preview.
The final of the 2024 King and Queen of the Ring will take place during a PLE from Saudi Arabia on May 25.
WWE Raw (5/6/24) Match Card
- King of the Ring: Gunther vs. Sheamus
- King of the Ring: Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor
- King of the Ring: Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio
- King of the Ring: Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov
- Queen of the Ring: Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile
- Queen of the Ring: Shayna Bazsler vs. Zelina Vega
- Queen of the Ring: Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka
- Queen of the Ring: Iyo Sky vs. Natalya
King of the Ring (General)
“The Ring General” Gunther is looking to become the King of the Ring.
The single elimination format suits Gunther’s style and persona perfectly. He went 666 days undefeated as Intercontinental Champion. But Gunther only has to win four matches to win the prestigious tournament.
His opening-round opponent is Sheamus. The familiar Irish foe will pose a major threat to Gunther.
Drew McIntyre, his biggest threat from the WWE Raw bracket, faces Finn Balor. Gunther and McIntyre will hope to win the King of the Ring and cash that in for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship, this summer.
The next two PLEs emanate from Scotland and Germany. McIntyre and Gunther would both love to challenge for WWE Raw’s biggest prize at these massive European shows.
We will also get our first look at new WWE Raw superstar Ilja Dragunov as he faces new WWE Speed Champion Ricochet. Rey Mysterio will face Kofi Kingston in the other King of the Ring opening round match.
WWE SmackDown stars LA Knight, Santos Escobar and Carmelo Hayes are also in the tournament.
Next up for Gunther: The King Of The Ring! #WWE #WWERaw #WWEDraft pic.twitter.com/fQpj5Y7Qys
— USA Network (@USANetwork) April 30, 2024
Queen of the Ring
The favorites for the Queen of the Ring tournament seem a little harder to pick. Iyo Sky will want to get back to winning ways after losing the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40. She faces Natalya.
We get our first look at Lyra Valkyria who takes on an Asuka who will also want to get over losing gold. Asuka lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair at Backlash.
Shayna Baszler takes on former Queen Crowns tournament winner Zelina Vega. Zoey Stark and Ivy Nile continue their rivalry with the other first-round match.
Who will seize their destiny and becoming the 2024 KING and QUEEN of the RING in WWE?
We've got some huge news on the first round matches taking place on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/PYzhlKS7Di
— WWE (@WWE) May 4, 2024
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