The WWE King of the Ring 2026 Tournament featured sixteen contestants in fatal four-way matches for the quarterfinals. The fatal four ways scheduled were as follows: Oba Femi vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Penta vs. Carmelo Hayes; Seth Rollins vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Ricky Saints vs. Talla Tonga; Bron Breakker vs. Damian Priest vs. Dirty Dom vs. Trick Williams; LA Knight vs. Finn Balor vs. Royce Keys vs. Jey Uso.
The biggest storyline in this tournament seems to be Vision and Bloodline shenanigans, but here’s the problem. The final four in this tournament are: Oba Femi, Dirty Dominik Mysterio, Je’Von Evans, and Main Event Jey Uso.
The petulant sighs in the arena were valid because superstars like Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, LA Knight, and Finn Balor, who have ample credibility to be considered for a world title opportunity in the main event of SummerSlam, were bypassed for glorified mid-carders, who have insufficient momentum for said consideration. It does not take a rocket scientist to ascertain the multitude of fallacies in this booking.
There are many administrative higher powers in the WWE, as well as brainwashed fans who will pretentiously enounce to the world that they should “trust the process and let things play out.”
However, they are being disingenuous because long-term booking should be paramount in professional wrestling, and it is constantly being ignored. While WWE should be vilified for their cheap money grabs, those same fans continue to pay these exorbitant ticket prices and justify their preposterous marketing strategies.
Bron Breakker, Seth Rollins, LA Knight, and Finn Balor Got Robbed
WWE insulted the intelligence of the fans when it went from having five top contenders in this tournament to only having one. They sacrificed matches like Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins vs. LA Knight or Finn Balor to give the fans Oba Femi vs. Dirty Dom and Je’Von Evans vs. Jey Uso in the semifinals.
Now, the only hope in this tournament is Oba Femi. And, the fact that there’s a chance that Lesnar could screw Femi in this tournament already foreshadows a pernicious future for the main event of SummerSlam.
The issues here aren’t nuanced, but here’s an analogy to help you understand this dilemma. During the holidays, when someone has an emblazoned Christmas Tree with ostentatious baubles in their household, they will sensibly put the best-looking ornaments in the front of the tree in order to enhance the ambiance of the living room and ensure the atmosphere is festive and sublime.
That way, when their family and friends come over for dinner, they feel the warmth of the hospitality and feel like “at home” away from home.
WWE did not advance its best talent past round 1, which limited the excitement fans could have experienced. Granted, WWE should be taking risks on new stars, eliciting fresh feuds, and keeping things unpredictable so that the fans are on the edge of their seats.
However, for something as prestigious as the KOTR Tournament that guarantees the main event of SummerSlam, that mentality should not come at the expense of the credibility of their megastars and rising stars that they gradually established.
Je’Von Evans, Dirty Dom, and Jey Uso Are Completely Miscast
Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins should have still been in this tournament due to their long-term storyline in The Vision. Now, that storyline is not only plagued with injuries but also plagued with inefficiencies. LA Knight and Finn Balor should have still been in this tournament due to their strong backing from the fanbase.
Now, the disgruntled fans refused to remain phlegmatic in response to such asinine booking decisions and galvanized them towards mass dislikes on YouTube as they began to lose hope in the stars they support.
Meanwhile, Je’Von Evans has failed many title opportunities in the mid-card and has no business being considered for the main event of SummerSlam. Dominik Mysterio recently lost the IC Title to Penta and still needs time to regain momentum before being in the main event of SummerSlam.
Jey Uso is a spineless subordinate in The Bloodline after butchering his push in the main event scene due to his over-reliance on the “Yeet” catchphrase. Why give him another chance when WWE has not even given LA Knight a chance?
Most fans do not want to see Jey Uso fulfill Roman Reigns’ dream of him winning this tournament to dethrone Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title at SummerSlam.
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Jey Uso for the WWE Championship is not a marquee match with a sustainable storyline worthy of the main event of SummerSlam. If WWE wanted someone from The Bloodline to win this tournament so badly, it should have been Jacob Fatu, who was wrongfully neutered by Reigns in the past couple of months and was long overdue for a push.
Oba Femi Winning is the Only Right Choice for the King of the Ring 2026 Tournament
Finally, when it comes to Oba Femi, he already slayed The Beast on the biggest stage, and WWE had the perfect opportunity to launch this man into the stratosphere due to the momentum from that win, credibility as a former world champion in NXT, and strong backing from the fanbase.
Lesnar even took off his boots and gloves in the ring to symbolize his retirement. That emotional moment was actually an effective way to turn him babyface and give him an opportunity to possibly win back the fans on his way out the door.
Instead of booking him to battle top heels like Breakker or Gunther in dream matches on the road to SummerSlam, WWE distastefully made that emotional retirement moment a ruse to turn him heel again in a rematch with Oba Femi, who is already popular with the fanbase as a top face.
Hence, that rematch with Lesnar at Clash in Italy was unnecessary. It was easy to surmise that Lesnar got his lick back to set up a trilogy, but that loss for Oba Femi took away from his aura and nullified the impact of his ‘Mania 42 victory.
Oba Femi should have used his momentum from slaying The Beast to win this tournament and challenge Reigns, who called him out after ‘Mania 42. Reigns essentially said that Femi is not special because Reigns has defeated Lesnar multiple times in his career.
If Femi has to pull double duty and retire Lesnar on Night 1 before battling Reigns on Night 2, at SummerSlam, he must unquestionably become King of the Ring in 2026. Not Je’Von Evans. Not Dominik Mysterio. And certainly, not “Walking Catchphrase” Jey Uso.
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