WWE presented the King and Queen of the Ring premium live event on Saturday, May 25, live from the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia. The show featured the finals of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. Cody Rhodes clashed with Logan Paul. Becky Lynch battled Liv Morgan, while Sami Zayn defended his IC Title in a triple-threat match. Let’s review the show by looking at WWE King and Queen of the Ring 2024 Results, Grades, and Analysis.
Pre-Show: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell
Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defended their Women’s Tag Team Championships against the Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell teams on the pre-show. It was a short match just to get the crowd going before the mega action. The champions retained their titles.
Winners: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
Grades: C
Analysis: It was a good match to hype up the crowd. Both teams can deliver much if given a proper feud and match slot. Belair and Cargill are bonding well.
Becky Lynch vs Liv Morgan
The main show started with the Women’s World Championship match, where Becky Lynch defended her Title against Liv Morgan. They used an 8k camera for the entrances, and it looked cool. The match kicked off with classic waist-locks and takedowns. Lynch took down Morgan with a big boot and a shoulder tackle. At ringside, Lynch bounced Liv’s head on the apron and the barricade. Morgan soon returned and sent Becky back into the Ring.
Liv fought back with a clothesline. Morgan landed a basement dropkick for a two-count. Liv slapped Becky, who replied with a big boot. Lynch climbed the ropes, but Liv pulled her down to the mat. Both competitors wiped out each other with stereo clotheslines. The Man picked up speed and delivered quick clotheslines followed by a calf kick. Becky hit a Bexploder.
Morgan rolled out of the Ring, but Becky followed her with a baseball slide. Lynch landed a missile dropkick for a two-count. Liv bounced back with a springboard codebreaker off the middle rope for a near fall. Liv landed a missile dropkick of her own. Becky countered the Ob-Liv-ion into a DDT for a two-count. Liv hit a leaping knee strike for another near fall. The Man rocked Morgan with a slap. Lynch applied the cross-arm breaker. Liv turned it into a Ring of Saturn.
Becky rolled her and successfully applied the Dis-Arm-Her. Dominik Mysterio appeared at ringside. He aimed to stop Liv from taking the Mami Rhea Ripley’s Title. Liv escaped the submission and landed another codebreaker for a near fall. Becky delivered a superplex off the top rope. Dom slid a chair in the Ring towards Becky and distracted the referee. Instead, Morgan hit Lynch with a DDT on the chair. Liv followed it up with an Ob-Liv-ion for the win.
Winner: Liv Morgan
Grades: B
Analysis: A surprising result to start the King and Queen of the Ring PLE. Liv Morgan is your new Women’s World Champion, thanks to a distraction by Dominik Mysterio. This story will be fun to watch from here. The crowd made the match even better. The next week’s Raw episode will be exciting because it will unfold the story’s direction.
Sami Zayn vs Chad Gable vs Bronson Reed
Next up was the Triple Threat match for the Intercontinental Championship. Sami went right after his rival, Chad Gable. Reed took out Zayn. Bronson chased Gable at ringside, but Zayn floored him with a plancha. Back in the Ring, Zayn hit ten punches in the corner on Gable. The crowd counted in Arabic, which sounded great. Sami followed it up with an elbow strike off the second rope to Gable’s head. Reed then ran over Sami with a vicious clothesline and slammed Zayn onto Gable’s ankle. Sami landed awkwardly.
Gable landed a missile dropkick off the top of Sami and talked trash for a moment. Zayn replied with a back-body drop, sending Chad outside. Sami also sent Reed to the ringside area. Zayn laid out both of them with a somersault senton. Back inside, Reed caught Zayn at the top rope, but Sami countered it with a sunset flip powerbomb for a near fall. We witnessed a double move where Reed powerbombed Gable off the top rope, who hit a superplex on Sami.
Reed went for the moonsault, but Zayn moved out of the way. Gable landed a moonsault on Reed. Zayn saved the match at two-count. Zayn couldn’t lift Reed for the Blue Thunder Bomb. Instead, he delivered a tornado DDT. Gable broke the pinfall this time and applied an Ankle Lock on the champion. Reed arrived but got caught in an Ankle Lock by Gable. In the meantime, Sami got his own Ankle Lock on Gable. We witnessed a moment like a chain link of Ankle Locks.
Later, Zayn could finally deliver a Blue Thunder Bomb on Reed for a near fall. Reed sandwiched both his opponents in the corner. Bronson lifted them both simultaneously and delivered a stacked Samoan Drop. Reed was on fire, and he landed a suicide dive to the outside. Back in the Ring, Sami escaped the Tsunami. Gable delivered two rolling German Suplexes on Sami but failed in the third attempt. Zayn countered and hit a couple of German Suplexes.
Gable held Sami and Reed in a waistlock and hit a double-stacked German Suplex. Chad gave orders to Otis, who took Reed out at the ringside. Gable threw Zayn towards Otis, but the big Man didn’t attack the IC Champion. Gable slapped Otis and told him to wake up. Otis charged towards Sami, who moved out of the way, and Gable himself suffered a clothesline from Otis. Zayn returned to the Ring, where Reed stood up in the corner. Sami delivered a Helluva Kick for the victory.
Winner: Sami Zayn
Grades: A
Analysis: It was an amazing match. All three men showed their skills. Zayn retained the Title. The tensions among Alpha Academy members will continue to rise from here on. Reed’s future will be exciting to watch. There was no point in Sami losing the Title in Saudi Arabia. But where he will go from here will be intriguing to watch. On WWE Raw’s May 20 Episode, Otis apologized to Zayn, which means the story between Zayn and Gable is still on.
Nia Jax vs Lyra Valkyria
The final of the Queen of the Ring tournament saw Nia Jax taking on Lyra Valkyria. The winner will get a world title opportunity at SummerSlam. Lyra tried to use her quickness early on. She landed a missile dropkick to the outside. Lyra tried a sleeper hold, but Jax shoved her away. Nia landed an elbow drop for a two-count. Jax dominated for a while via a surfboard stretch and a cobra clutch to wear down her opponent.
Valkyria fought back with a jawbreaker, but Jax soon dropped her with a Samoan Drop for a near fall. At ringside, Lyra countered a wheelbarrow slam into a bulldog. Valkyria followed it up with a missile dropkick and a tornado DDT for a two-count. Nia landed another Samoan Drop and went for the Annihilator. Valkyria countered and hit a double stomp followed by a diving leg drop for a near fall.
In the end, Jax countered a sunset flip attempt from Lyra and dropped on her with an Annihilator. Nia pinned Lyra for the win. Triple H came into the Ring after the match. He congratulated Nia Jax and put the crown on her head.
Winner: Nia Jax
Grades: C
Analysis: Nia Jax is your Queen of the Ring and a challenger for the world championship at SummerSlam. The match itself was not too great, but it was not awful to watch, at least. Queen Nia will dominate SmackDown.
Randy Orton vs Gunther
Randy Orton and Gunther collided in the final of the King of the Ring tournament. The winner will get a world title opportunity at his respective brand at SummerSlam. The match started with headlocks and arm wrenches. Gunther didn’t hold back too long and delivered multiple vicious chops. Orton replied with ten punches and a couple of uppercuts. Soon, Gunther started targeting Randy’s surgically repaired back. Gunther hit a backbreaker for a two-count.
Gunther hit a scoop slam. Orton fought back with a vertical suplex. Gunther avoided the snap power slam and landed a brutal clothesline. Finally, Orton delivered the snap power slam and the draping DDT. Gunther avoided RKO and hit a scoop slam. The Ring General followed it up with a splash off the top rope for a near fall. Orton delivered an RKO out of nowhere. Gunther wisely rolled out to the apron to escape the pinfall.
At ringside, The Viper delivered two back suplexes onto the commentary table. Randy countered Gunther’s powerbomb into a back-body drop on the floor. Gunther targeted the knee and applied a single-leg crab. Orton got out of it and hit an RKO for a near fall. Gunther overpowered Randy and pinned him for a sudden victory. Orton’s shoulder was in the air, but the referee didn’t notice. Triple H gave Gunther his crown.
Winner: Gunther
Grades: B
Analysis: Gunther is your King of the Ring and has earned a world title match at SummerSlam. The abrupt finish of the match won’t be too nice for many. However, they made a valid call for not showing Randy as a weak superstar. It was a hard-hitting finale where Gunther won with a sloppy pin.
Cody Rhodes vs Logan Paul
The night’s main event was Cody Rhodes’s Undisputed WWE Championship defense against the United States Champion Logan Paul. Ibrahim Al Hajjaj did the introductions for this match. Cody and Logan started with takedowns, arm wrenches, and skirmishes. After holding Logan high for some time, Rhodes landed a gourd buster. Paul took out Rhodes with a plancha at ringside and assaulted him on the steps.
Paul delivered an Over Bomb and a gut-wrench suplex for a near fall. Paul followed it up with a standing moonsault for a two-count. Cody dragged Logan down to the mat with an arm drag from the top rope. The American Nightmare hit a Disaster Kick. Logan took a drink from a fan in the front row. He was Logan’s friend and started arguing with Cody. The referee was busy there. In the meantime, another buddy of Paul handed him the brass knuckles.
Logan used the brass knuckles to attack Cody’s midsection. Paul got into an argument with Michael Cole, which allowed Cody to deliver a suicide dive. Back in the Ring, Rhodes hit a snap power slam followed by a Bionic Elbow for a two-count. Cody applied the Figure Four Leglock. Logan escaped and rolled to the apron. Rhodes avoided the Buckshot Lariat and landed Cody Cutter for a near fall. Logan used Cody’s finisher, Cross Rhodes, on him for a near fall.
Logan attacked Cody on the commentary table and attempted a Pedigree. Cody escaped and jumped from a barricade to deliver a Cody Cutter onto the commentary desk. Later, Logan put Cody on the table. Paul climbed to the top rope and crushed Rhodes with a splash through the commentary table. In the Ring, Logan hit a frog splash off the top for a near fall. Paul was in disbelief.
Logan crashed into the referee. Cody hit a Vertibreaker, but there was no one to count. Cody checked on the referee. Logan took advantage of the situation and delivered a low blow. He went for brass knuckles again, but Ibrahim Al Hajjaj stopped him. Rhodes hit three Cross Rhodes for the win.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Grades: B+
Analysis: A fun main event match. Logan Paul delivers the best work in the Ring and is a complete package. Cody Rhodes retained his Title. It was a good one-off kind of a match.
Special Announcements During the Show
● Triple H announced that Drew McIntyre has been cleared to compete and will get his World Heavyweight Championship match against Damian Priest at Clash at the Castle.
● WWE announced they will be back in Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel PLE later this year on November 02.
● Becky Lynch said that she has a rematch clause in her contract and will talk to Adam Pearce. Lynch signaled to get the rematch as early as Monday Night Raw.
Final Word
Sadly, the WYATT 6 hasn’t debuted as predicted in our King and Queen of the Ring Predictions. We have to wait for their arrival. Overall, it was a great show. The crowd was so hot and buzzing. First, in France and now in Saudi Arabia, it is clear that the international crowd never disappoints. The triple-threat match for the Intercontinental Championship was the highlight of the night. We have our King and Queen of the Ring.
