WWE King and Queen of the Ring Review (5-25-24)
By: Xavier Jones
Headline Photo Credit: WWE
On the afternoon of May 25, WWE took their show on the road to the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the King and Queen of the Ring PLE. Several championships were on the line also the crowning of a new King and Queen of the ring. The match card for the evening was of the following:
WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match (Pre-Show):
Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell
WWE Women’s World Championship:
Becky Lynch vs Liv Morgan
Intercontinental Championship:
Sami Zayn vs Chad Gable vs Bronson Reed
Queen of the Ring Tournament Final:
Lyra Valkyria vs Nia Jax
King of the Ring Tournament Final:
Gunther vs Randy Orton
Undisputed WWE Championship:
Cody Rhodes vs Logan Paul
During the WWE King and Queen of the Ring pre-show, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill were set to defend their tag team titles against Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. The champs were able to retain their titles after hitting a double-team finishing maneuver for the three count. And still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. The next match to follow is the opening match for the King and Queen of the Ring PLE, the WWE Women’s World Championship match between Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan.
Becky Lynch starts the match in control and brings the fight to Liv Morgan. Becky goes to the top rope but is soon cut down by Liv Morgan. Liv methodically starts to apply and keep the pressure on Becky. The action picks up between both competitors as they exchange maneuvers and counter maneuvers. Lynch connects with a missile dropkick from the top rope for a near fall. Liv Morgan then connects with Code Breaker for a near fall on the champion. Lynch and Morgan both counter each other’s finisher for a pair of near falls. With Liv Morgan in Becky’s Disarmer submission move, Dominik Mysterio appears ringside and causes a distraction which leads to Lynch releasing the submission move. Dirty Dom then slides a chair into the ring for Becky to use, but Liv Morgan hits Becky with a DDT onto the chair. Finally, Liv hits Lynch with her ObLivion finisher for the 3 count. And the new WWE Women’s World Champion, Liv Morgan! The next match is the triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship.
The Intercontinental champion, Sami Zayn, starts this triple-threat match by attacking Chad Gable. However, Bronson Reed puts an end to that and takes down both competitors. Chad Gable can neutralize Zayn and then hits Reed with a missile dropkick from the top rope. Sami makes it to his feet and sends both challengers to the outside. Then, Zayn flies over the ropes to take out Gable and Reed. All the competitors make it back in the ring and after a missed moonsault by Bronson Reed, Chad Gable can hit a moonsault of his own on Reed for the pin. Sami Zayn breaks up the pin attempt. Gable then locks in the ankle lock on each opponent but to no avail. Zayn would then hit Bronson Reed with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two-count. Afterward, Chad Gable was able to German Suppler both men at the same time to take control of the action. Later, Otis, Gable’s tag team partner, mistakenly takes out Chad Gable. Finally, Sami Zayn was able to connect with a Helluva Kick on Reed in the corner and get the 3 count. And still Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn! The next match is the Queen of the Ring Tournament Final between Lyra Valkyria and Nia Jax.
Lyra Valkyria uses her speed against Nia Jax, but Jax uses her power to neutralize and slow down the pace. Nia’s strength and power were on full display and giving Valkyria some problems but it didn’t stop her from trying. Every time Lyra Valkyria gained some offensive momentum, it seemed like Jax was always a step ahead. A misstep by Nia Jax gives Lyra a chance to change up the pace of the match. Lyra Valkyria goes for a powerbomb but is countered by Nia’s finishing maneuver and gains the three count. And your new WWE Queen of the Ring, Nia Jax! Triple H comes out to the ring and presents Nia Jax with the crown. In the process, she also earned a WWE Women’s World Championship match at this year’s Summer Slam PLE. The next match is the King of the Ring Tournament Final between, Gunther and Randy Orton.
Gunther and Randy Orton begin the matchup feeling each other out because this would be their first-ever encounter. After some back-and-forth action, Orton takes Gunther down with a shoulder tackle and then follows that up with a side headlock. Gunther starts to chop Orton and it seems like it only makes him angry. However, Gunther begins to target Randy Orton’s injured body and pick apart the Apex Predator. Gunther, the Ring General, is living up to the nickname by grounding and punishing Randy Orton. Orton musters up some offense and hits Gunther with a suplex in the center of the ring. Orton would go on to hit his signature DDT, but he’s still feeling the impact of his injuries. Randy hits Gunther with an RKO, but he is too slow to make the pin attempt. After three back body drops on the announce table by Orton to Gunther, Orton’s body continues to slow him down because of the countless impacts. Gunther then targets the knee of Randy Orton and puts him in a Half Boston Crab trying to submit the Viper. Orton somehow breaks out of the submission move and manages to hit another RKO. While going for the pin attempt, Gunther kicks out at two and manages to roll Orton up for the 3 count. And the new WWE King of the Ring, Gunther! Again, Triple H makes his way to the ring and presents Gunther with a crown. In addition, Gunther has earned a WWE World Championship match at Summer Slam. The next and final match of the evening is for the Undisputed WWE Championship between Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul.
The match starts in a feeling-out period. After an exchange of punches between the two, Cody Rhodes would then hit Logan Paul with a slingshot suplex. Logan Paul takes control of the match, using some unique offense to keep Rhodes off guard. Rhodes begins to battle back, but he’s slowed down due to favoring his rib area. After some outside interference by someone in Paul’s entourage, the distraction gave him time to hit Cody in the midsection with some brass knuckles. Later, Cody hit Logan Paul with the Bionic Elbow for a near fall. The American Nightmare hit the Cody Cutter on Logan Paul for another near fall. Logan Paul would then hit Rhodes with a Cross Rhodes for a two-count. Cody then hits another Cody Cutter on Paul on the announce table. After putting Rhodes through the table with a Frog Splash, he would then hit another Frog Splash in the ring for a close two count. The referee gets knocked down, and Logan Paul goes to use the brass knuckles again but is stopped. Cody Rhodes would then hit Logan Paul with a trifecta of Cross Rhodes for the 3 count and win. And still Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes!
The next PLE event for WWE is Clash at the Castle on June 15th at 2 pm. This event will be taking place in Scotland.
