{"id":162672,"date":"2026-06-09T20:21:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T00:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=162672"},"modified":"2026-06-09T20:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T00:21:08","slug":"wwe-smackdown-predictions-6-12-26-drew-mcintyre-will-replace-jey-uso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/06\/09\/wwe-smackdown-predictions-6-12-26-drew-mcintyre-will-replace-jey-uso\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SmackDown Predictions (6\/12\/26) &#8211; Drew McIntyre Takes Jey Uso&#8217;s Spot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/06\/06\/wwe-smackdown-preview-6-12-26-king-and-queen-of-the-ring-1st-round-concludes\/\" target=\"_self\">WWE SmackDown Predictions<\/a> are here for June 12, 2026. <\/span><span>WWE is coming fresh off a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/letthemwrestle.com\/wwe-clash-in-italy-2026-review-highlights-grades-roman-reigns-neutered-jacob-fatu\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">historic Clash in Italy PLE<\/a><span>, where Roman Reigns neutered Jacob Fatu, Sol Ruca dethroned Becky Lynch, Brock Lesnar toppled Oba Femi, Rhea Ripley buried Jade Cargill, and Cody Rhodes bamboozled Gunther<\/span><span>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>They are now on the road to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/23\/wwe-summerslam-2026-predictions-full-match-card-after-wrestlemania-42\/\" target=\"_self\">SummerSlam in August<\/a>. Before they get there, WWE has booked the annual King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring Tournaments that will determine who contends for the world titles at SummerSlam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It is baffling that these round 1 matches are not singles matches. In fact, Oba Femi, Iyo Sky, Dominik Mysterio, Raquel Rodriguez, Je&#8217;Von Evans, and Liv Morgan have already advanced in their respective fatal four ways to the semifinals of the tournament. And, quite frankly, it is even more perplexing that Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker failed to advance and that WWE found it necessary to include their World Champion, Liv Morgan, in a tournament that determines a possible challenger for her title at SummerSlam.<\/p>\n<p>This week on WWE SmackDown at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, two matches in these tournaments have been scheduled: Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Royce Keys vs. Finn Balor in the KOTR Tournament and Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill in the QOTR Tournament. Gunther will also reveal the stipulation for his upcoming WWE Title match against Cody Rhodes on the June 19, 2026, SmackDown in Kansas City, Missouri. Here are this week&#8217;s WWE SmackDown Predictions.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SmackDown Predictions - Mark Justice\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/videoseries?list=PL4Cbox4S9rfP8S9n7AwSptkab9sy3yzdp\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>WWE SmackDown Predictions (6\/12\/26):<\/h2>\n<h2>Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Royce Keys vs. Finn Balor &#8211; King of the Ring 2026 &#8211; First Round<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_162647\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-162647\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11-8.webp\" alt=\"WWE SmackDown preview graphic for June 12, 2026.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1152\" class=\"size-full wp-image-162647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11-8.webp 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/11-8-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-162647\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A WWE SmackDown graphic featuring the King of the Ring Tournament. (Photo Credit: WWE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To wrap up the first round of the tournament, WWE put four babyfaces in a match without any heat. This already looks suspicious and makes it seem that a swerve is coming from a top heel.<\/p>\n<p>Granted, Finn Balor winning here would be good to solidify his trade to SmackDown. LA Knight winning here would also be good due to his ongoing feud with Bloodline and the backstage clout they have with Adam Pearce. Royce Keys could even turn heel by officially joining the MFTs after they have been trying to recruit him for weeks.<\/p>\n<p>However, Jey Uso, who is on a mission to make Roman Reigns proud by winning this tournament and battling Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title at SummerSlam, should be heinously attacked by Jacob Fatu backstage and replaced by the biggest Bloodline hater in the company, a returning Drew McIntyre.<\/p>\n<p>This makes sense because Fatu has some tension with Jey Uso, and McIntyre just finished filming his Highlander movie last week and was rumored to replace the injured Fatu in his title match with Reigns at Clash in Italy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 610px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"8afcbf7a9ed3fd6bf7763b62addc7cf8\" image-id=\"3He6AL4oNYpE\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3100px; aspect-ratio: 3100\/2325;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>This means that his return is imminent. If Oba Femi defeats Dirty Dominik Mysterio in the semifinals to advance to the finals on the other side of the bracket, he needs to battle a top heel on the other side of the bracket.<\/p>\n<p>McIntyre fits that role best, especially since he already planted seeds with Femi at John Cena&#8217;s Saturday Night Main Event in December, after ruining Femi&#8217;s main roster debut match against Cody Rhodes with a disqualification finish. If Brock screws Femi, McIntyre would be the best alternative to win it all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prediction: Drew McIntyre<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill &#8211; Queen of the Ring 2026 &#8211; First Round<\/h2>\n<p>Jade Cargill won Queen of the Ring last year, so she needs to solidify her spot with a victory in the first round. However, she won&#8217;t win the whole tournament again this year because she already lost twice to Rhea Ripley for the title she lost at WrestleMania.<\/p>\n<p>Also, it seems that she will be targeting the U.S. Title as a consolation prize after pinning Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown last week. Based on their track record, Cargill and Stratton are 1-1 in singles competition against each other, so they can finally break that tie for the title.<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte Flair is the self-proclaimed Queen who is better off staying away from the world title picture at SummerSlam. WWE keeps teasing a potential showdown between Flair and Ripley, but that feud came to a proper conclusion at WrestleMania 39.<\/p>\n<p>They need to move on from that and pursue fresher routes for both women this summer. Flair would be better off feuding with either Alexa Bliss in a tag team breakup or with Cargill herself in a marquee non-title match after screwing her out of the title picture at Clash in Italy.<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/zpX5hEKFTJw?si=ybFwvfcHTZZH_eRo\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Meanwhile, Sol Ruca and Lyra Valkyria already had an Intercontinental Title Match on Raw this week<\/a>. It would have been peculiar for Ruca to lose a match so soon after winning the IC Title from Becky Lynch. However, now that she has retained against Lyra, she can eat a loss here.<\/p>\n<p>However, as a champion, she should not eat the pin. That designation goes to Lyra Valkyria, who is relatively booked as the weakest after being relegated to the tag division with Bayley. With help from Michin and B-Fab, Cargill is pinning Lyra to win here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prediction: Jade Cargill<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>WWE SmackDown (6\/12\/26) \u2013 Matches &amp; Segments Announced:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>King of the Ring 2026 Tournament \u2013 Fatal 4-Way First Round: Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Royce Keys vs. Finn Balor<\/li>\n<li>Queen of the Ring 2026 Tournament \u2013 Fatal 4-Way First Round: Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill<\/li>\n<li>Gunther Names His Stipulation for His<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/06\/05\/big-time-undisputed-wwe-title-match-set-for-6-19-wwe-smackdown\/\" target=\"_self\">Undisputed WWE Title Match<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>If you\u2019re not down with just that and would like even\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/playlist?list=PL4Cbox4S9rfMy6pbVUu-qhcj_iq22yseo&amp;si=Jv6yF61A9Pm0JVq_\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">more WWE SmackDown Predictions<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0<\/span><span>Mark Justice<\/span><span>, check out more of his articles right here on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/author\/markjustice\/\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Sports (LWOS)<\/a>, on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/letthemwrestle.com\/author\/markjustice\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Let Them Wrestle (LTW)<\/a>, and subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@MarkTBKJustice1327\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">his popular YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WWE SmackDown Predictions are here for June 12, 2026. WWE is coming fresh off a\u00a0historic Clash in Italy PLE, where Roman Reigns neutered Jacob Fatu, Sol Ruca dethroned Becky Lynch, Brock Lesnar toppled Oba Femi, Rhea Ripley buried Jade Cargill, and Cody Rhodes bamboozled Gunther. They are now on the road to\u00a0SummerSlam in August. Before [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5747,"featured_media":162648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,2192,4,3],"tags":[8238,9744,9745],"class_list":["post-162672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-smackdown","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-gunther","tag-wwe-king-of-the-ring","tag-wwe-queen-of-the-ring"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5747"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162672"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162809,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162672\/revisions\/162809"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}