Highlights

• Gunther is the top contender for King of the Ring, with his dominance in the ring setting him up for victory.
• IYO SKY, a former Women's Champion, has the skills to become the Queen of the Ring and elevate her career.
• LA Knight, WWE's latest megastar, could use a King of the Ring win to solidify his spot in the main event scene.

On the 6th of May edition of Raw, WWE began the 2024 iterations of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments, concluding in just two weeks on their next Saudi Arabian Premium Live Event. It has led to an increased focus on in-ring wrestling across the company’s weekly shows, and, between the ropes, many stars have put forward a strong case as to why they should be the ones to don the cape and crown when the dust settles.

Aside from a couple of matches that have been moved to live events, the first round of this year’s tournaments are now in the books, and fans are starting to pick out their favourites to come out as the overall winner on the 25th of May. So, let GIVEMESPORT guide you through the five best candidates to earn the crown for both the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments.

Gunther

Former Intercontinental Champion

To start, let’s look at many people’s favourite to emerge as 2024’s king: Gunther. The Ring General played a pivotal role in WWE during is 666-day reign as the Intercontinental Champion and, despite his loss to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40, it’s still extremely rare to see Imperium’s leader on the losing end of any match. Gunther is the favourite to win King of the Ring, because, well, who can beat him?

It would be hard to imagine the Austrian willing being dressed in a cape and crown for his victory, with it likely that the 36-year-old would ridicule the costume being awarded to him, but there’s no doubt that a tournament win would do wonders for his résumé, and may stand him in good stead for a future World Heavyweight Championship opportunity.

IYO SKY

Former Women's Champion

Speaking of former champions who are looking to find their next success, IYO SKY is coming into the tournament off the back of a 246-day reign as the WWE Women’s Champion. She played her role perfectly in the storyline which saw Bayley capture the title from her at WrestleMania 40, and now it may be time for SKY to establish herself on her new brand, getting switched to Monday Night Raw in the recent WWE Draft.

Purely from an in-ring standpoint, IYO is among the best that the company has to offer in terms of its women’s division, and, given that this is only the second Queen of the Ring tournament, adding her name to the list of winners would certainly do its bit in terms of adding prestige to the competition. Crowning The Genius of the Sky would be the perfect next step for the Damage CTRL member.

Ilja Dragunov

Former NXT Champion

Three weeks ago, Ilja Dragunov was still the NXT Champion. At one point, fans weren't sure if he’d ever appear on WWE’s development brand due to visa issues, but he has been crucial to the Tuesday night show since arriving there full-time in late 2022. Now, he’s faced with the prospect of starting life on the main roster.

Already defeating Ricochet in the first round, the Russian grabbed the attention of anyone who hasn’t seen his work on NXT through an incredible performance, and many anticipate it boiling down to Dragunov and GUNTHER on Raw’s side of the bracket. Earlier, we speculated that perhaps nobody could defeat the imposing Austrian, but Ilja already has a victory over GUNTHER on his record. If anyone could provide an upset, Raw’s recent acquisition might be someone to watch.

Tiffany Stratton

Former NXT Women's Champion

Having booked her place in the second round by beating Michin at a WWE live event, Tiffany Stratton is currently riding a huge wave of momentum. Arriving on the main roster in February, the 25-year-old has transitioned seamlessly into the SmackDown women’s division despite only having two years of in-ring experience and is someone that many fans are already earmarking for a WWE Women’s Championship reign in the not-so-distant future.

She has bags of potential and is only going to improve, so perhaps making Tiffany the second-ever winner of the Queen of the Ring could be what the moment looks back on in years to come as the moment which launched her into superstardom. Fresh superstars don’t always have the hype that Stratton currently does, it may be wise of WWE to capitalise on her current fanfare by giving her the prestigious accolade.

Tama Tonga

Former New Japan star

What better way to cement Tama Tonga as a major force in the eyes of the WWE Universe than to give him the King of the Ring? The company are currently trying to establish a new, more unstable version of The Bloodline headed up by Solo Sikoa, and crowning one of Solo’s chosen members as king would go a long way in telling viewers that this version of the group is just as dangerous as the last.

Plus, to add a bit of history to the mix, Tama wouldn’t be the only member of his family to don the cape and crown should he emerge victorious this year, as, despite not actually winning the tournament, his father Haku was awarded the king gimmick by Bobby Heenan in 1988 after the then ‘King’ Harley Race was struck down with an injury. Awarding Tonga the win would not only give him credence as a top guy, but also give The Bloodline another family-based string to pull off as their next iteration progresses.

Jade Cargill

Former AEW star

Jade Cargill is someone that WWE are extremely high on, poaching the 31-year-old at the end of her AEW contract in September and hyping her arrival like no other. She has around three years of experience in the ring and isn’t accustomed to particularly long contests, but her star power and ability to command an audience makes her perfect for the tournament setting and Queen of the Ring could be where she thrives.

Much like when we discussed the case for Gunther, Cargill has a similar question surrounding whether anyone could beat her. In All Elite Wrestling, Jade has a 60-match unbeaten streak, and it seems to be a priority for any company to present her as a dominant force, no matter where she’s signed. Her inclusion in the tournament was perhaps made with the idea of keeping her strong, having her run through the competition, and crowning her ‘Queen’ in just a few weeks' time.

Jey Uso

Singles star waiting for glory

Since leaving The Bloodline and embarking on a solo run, no one has gotten over with the audience quite like Jey Uso. His ‘Yeet’ catchphrase immediately prompts audience interaction, and the beat of his entrance music makes his arrival a spectacle in any arena, but, for all his popularity, he is yet to bring home the bacon in terms of success in the singles division.

He was screwed out of both the International and WWE Championship by his brother Jimmy, and only has a tag reign with Cody Rhodes since cutting ties with his former faction, so, if the company aren’t fully confident having Jey win a championship, maybe they could pull the trigger on him as the king. It could be the perfect accolade to reward his rise in popularity and add legitimacy to Jey Uso as a singles star.

Lyra Valkyria

Former NXT Women's Champion

After her recent arrival on Raw, the sky is the limit for Lyra Valkyria on the main roster. It wasn’t too long ago that the young Irishwoman was the NXT Women’s Champion, and it’s clear that the company see a lot of potential in her, as the 27-year-old defeated multi-time women’s champion Asuka in the first round of the tournament.

Plus, while a lot of the entries on this list talk about establishing a new star, Lyra already has previous with Raw’s current Women’s World Champion Becky Lynch, as Valkyria overcame her hero to win the developmental brand’s women’s title last October. There’s definitely a way to go, but crowning Valkyria queen may give her enough momentum to eventually revisit the feud with Lynch for an even bigger prize.

LA Knight

WWE's latest megastar

LA Knight is arguably WWE’s most popular performer today. Over the last year, his fanfare has skyrocketed, and, no matter where they go, fans across the world can’t get enough of the charismatic 41-year-old. When Money in the Bank came to London last year, those in attendance were practically begging Knight to grab the briefcase and start his quest for gold, and, despite losing two previous world title opportunities, King of the Ring could be the perfect reward for those waiting for Knight to find success.

The Megastar is known for his talking, so could you imagine if LA Knight’s victory promo is one that ages like that of an Austin 3:16? What if Knight uses the King of the Ring victory to finally ascend to the main event scene and begin to successfully challenge for the world titles that many think he should be competing for? The tournament has made stars in the past, and a large portion of the WWE audience will be hoping that this is LA’s time to elevate to the next level.

Nia Jax

Former Women's Champion

Many rolled their eyes when Nia Jax made her return to WWE last year, but it’s safe to say that she has excelled since coming back around eight months ago. She immediately became a threat to anyone’s title and perfectly played the heel role when she stepped up to then Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley in her home country of Australia. A Queen of the Ring victory would play well into WWE’s hands when it comes to presenting Nia as a detestable force on SmackDown.

Perhaps the biggest thing going against Jax in terms of Queen of the Ring is that her second-round matchup is against Jade Cargill, who, as we discussed earlier, is someone who is very unlikely to lose. If Nia is able to progress past Jade and become the first person to ever beat the former TBS Champion in WWE, she’d immediately become a favourite to win the whole thing and would have some seriously unstoppable momentum to carry her forward.