We are a week away from the PLE WWE King of the Ring on Saturday, May 25th. With just a week away, we are down to four men in the King of the Ring tournament. Who will win the tournament and join the list as the 23rd ever King of the Ring winner?
Let’s take a look at each of the final four competitors and how they got to this point in the tournament. We will also take a look as why each superstar should win the King of the Ring tournament.
WWE King Of The Ring Final 4: Who Will Win?
Gunther’s Road to the Final 4:
The first competitor in the final four is the former Intercontinental Champion, Gunther. The first opponent for Gunther in the King of the Ring tournament was Sheamus. This match was the longest match in the tournament so far at 21 minutes and 5 seconds.
It was a back-and-forth match between the two superstars. It’s exactly what you expect a Sheamus/Gunther match to be: hard-hitting and no holding back. Sheamus would hit a knee to the face followed by a Brogue Kick. Gunther would kick out at two and then countered with a Half-Crab submission maneuver to make a former King of the Ring Winner Sheamus tap out.
The next opponent for Gunther was Kofi Kingston. Kingston was no match for Gunther, as the Ring General would manhandle Kofi throughout most of the match. The match ended with a Powerbomb by Gunther and then he followed it with a Boston Crab submission to make Kofi tap out.
Gunther will face Jey Uso in the semi-final of the King of the Ring Tournament on Monday night on Raw.
Why Gunther Should Win?
The longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion has made quite the impression since joining the main roster from NXT. At NXT UK, he was the longest-reigning NXT United Kingdom Champion with 870 days. He was the longest-reining Intercontinental champion as well with 666 days.
Gunther even broke the record for the longest time in a single Royal Rumble at 1 hour 11 minutes and 25 seconds. He was a dominant Intercontinental champion and winning the King of the Ring could propel him to the main event scene. Gunther could transition from the Ring General to the King of the Ring and possibly to World Champion in the future.
Let’s take a look at Gunther’s semi-final opponent for King of the Ring.
Jey Uso’s Road to the Final 4:
The surprise of the tournament has to be Jey Uso. He was not supposed to be in the tournament but took an injured Drew McIntyre’s spot instead. Uso’s first opponent was Finn Balor who thought he was not facing anyone that night.
Balor thought that, since his opponent McIntyre could not compete because of an injury, he would advance automatically. However, the General Manager of Raw Adam Pearce had a different idea. Throughout the match, Balor looked distracted and frustrated. Balor would go for a drop kick into the turnbuckle but Uso easily countered with a spear and a 1-2-3.
Uso’s second opponent was newcomer Ilja Dragunov. The newcomer from NXT had a strong showing in the King of the Ring tournament. Dragunov would hit an H-Bomb to Uso with his injured hand. When Dragunov went for the Torpedo Moscow, Jey Uso would counter with a spear and a frog splash for the win.
Why Jey Uso Should Win?
It’s safe to say there is no one more over with the WWE Universe than Jey Uso. The fans are behind him every step of the way. Uso recently had a setback by losing to the Current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Damien Priest at Backlash.
However, before that Jey Uso had a lot of momentum by his side, he has yet to make his mark as a singles star by winning a championship or a trophy and this is the perfect place to do it. Winning King of the Ring could also push Jey Uso like Gunther to main event status. This could establish Jey Uso as the main eventer he knows he could be.
Let’s take a look at a more established star in the King of the Ring Tournament.
Randy Orton’s Road to the Final 4:
The next superstar in the final four is Randy Orton. Orton’s first match in the King of the Ring tournament was against The Phenomenal AJ Styles. This match was the second-longest match in the tournament at 17 minutes and 14 seconds.
Both superstars know each other so well and were hitting counter after counter. One of the best matches in the tournament. Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Orton but somehow he kicked out. As Styles was going for the Styles Clash Orton countered with an RKO for the win.
Orton’s second-round opponent was none other than the newcomer from NXT Carmelo Hayes. Much respect to Hayes who put up a good showing against a veteran like Randy Orton. Hayes’ one mistake cost him the match, he slapped Orton in the back of the head to mock him.
This infuriated Orton and he dominated most of the match after that. Hayes would go for a springboard dive from the middle rope and Orton easily countered with an RKO Outta Nowhere to advance to the final four of the King of the Ring tournament.
Why Randy Orton Should Win?
Unlike the rest of the final four participants of the King of the Ring tournament, Randy Orton is already established. In fact, he is a living legend and one of the best to ever do it. So why is winning the King of the Ring important for Randy Orton?
It is because, if he wins the King of the Ring tournament, he would have won literally everything WWE has to offer. This win means Orton would win every single type of match, trophy, or championship, he has wrestled for. This would just add to his already legendary resume.
Orton is 44 and coming back from a two-year back injury and he has looked better than he has ever had before. Winning could push him into a storyline with WWE Undisputed World Champion, Cody Rhodes in the near future.
Randy Orton is set to face The Bloodline member, Tama Tonga on Friday night on Smackdown.
Tama Tonga’s Road to the Final 4:
The final member to make it to the final four is The Bloodline member, Tama Tonga. Tonga made quick work of Angelo Dawkins in the first round. The match was only 2 minutes and 28 seconds – the shortest of the King of the Ring tournament.
Throughout the match, The Bloodline tried to interfere. Dawkins’ partner, Montez Ford, would dive from the top rope to Solo Sikoa and Tonga Loa to even the odds. Dawkins would hit Sky High on Tonga but Tonga kicked out at two. Sikoa and Tonga Loa would beat up Montez which distracted Dawkins. Tama would hit his finisher for the win.
Tama Tonga’s second-round opponent in the King of the Ring tournament was LA Knight. This victory was a huge upset as Knight was the favorite to advance to the final four. LA Knight would dominate most of the match and at the last second Sikoa distracted Knight and Tonga hit his finisher for the win.
Why Tama Tonga Should Win?
Tonga recently just made his debut after WrestleMania. He is yet to be defeated in WWE so far. So, a King of the Ring victory would do wonders to his career.
Especially since he faces Orton in the semi-finals. If he defeats a legend like Orton and then wins by beating Gunther or Uso, Tonga would be seen as a main eventer and a huge threat in WWE. To win the King of the Ring and still be undefeated would skyrocket the career of Tama Tonga.
Who Will Win?
It’s tough to say who will win at the end of the day they are all different and all are deserving to win the King of the Ring. It’s interesting because each of these superstars have won their matches in the tournament differently.
Gunther has won both of his matches by tap out. Jey Uso has won both matches by countering a rushing attack by his opponents with a spear.
Orton has two come from behind victories with the RKO Outta Nowhere. Tama has won both matches thanks to Bloodline distractions.
Each has made it this far in their unique ways. Each superstar has what it takes to be the next King of the Ring, but who will it be? We will find out Saturday May 25th at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia.
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