Full 2024 King And Queen Of The Ring Predictions Including Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul And Gunther

King Of The Ring is back, both literally and symbolically. Since its inaugural tournament in 1985, the event has been held sporadically, sometimes happening in back-to-back years and sometimes not happening for upwards of a half decade. That inconsistency has also extended to the winners, as WWE has given the honor to all-time legends like Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Macho Man Randy Savage, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle and Triple H, while also crowning popular mid-card performers like Billy Gunn, William Regal, Xavier Woods, Baron Corbin, Mabel and Tito Santana. 

Over the last decade or so, the tournament has seemingly trended more in the mid-card direction, but Triple H looks like he’s changing that. This year’s version was stacked with popular performers in both the men’s and women’s draws including Gunther, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, LA Knight, Rey Mysterio, Sheamus, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Nia Jax, Iyo Sky and Tiffany Stratton. Many of the matches were also given extended TV time and video packages were consistently put together to really try and magnify the importance.

As a result, the crown now feel as elevated as it did during its glory days, and the finals are arguably the most anticipated they’ve been in a long time. Throw in three other fun matches, all with championship gold on the line, and 2024’s King And Queen Of The Ring feels much bigger than I ever would have guessed. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia should be in for a treat.

Before we get into the predictions, here’s a look at how things have gone for me in this soothsayer game…

Bianca Belair And Jade Cargill Vs Candice LeRae And Indi Hartwell 

We all know Bianca and Jade are going to win this pre-show match, but I'm never going to complain about WWE finding a way to get these women on a premium live event card. They are absolute stars, and working alongside Candice and Indi who are both super capable in the ring, they should be able to put on a show that reminds fans why they have the potential to be the most dominant tag team in the history of the women's division.

I'd like to see some fun coordinated moves, and I'd like to see these two continue to project a star aura. If the plan is to have them break-up in spectacular fashion sometime down the road, the more WWE can really sell them together, the more that implosion will have deeper, emotional meaning.

Predicted Winners: Bianca and Jade.

Gunther Vs Randy Orton

When I originally published these predictions, I had Gunther winning. He's been arguably the most protected star on WWE's entire roster, and it was his announcement that he would be entering King Of The Ring that first had fans excited about WWE taking the tournament more seriously. But after much debate, I've decided to jump in on Saturday morning, a few hours before the PPV, and swap to Randy Orton.

Why? Well, Triple H announced the winner of King Of The Ring will be getting a shot a title shot at SummerSlam, and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense for Randy to win. We don't know for sure that whoever wins will face the champion aligned with their brand, but for the sake of argument, I think that's the most likely. That means we're either going to get Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes or we're going to get Gunther versus either Damian Priest or Drew McIntyre, depending on who wins at Clash At The Castle.

Well, Cody Rhodes desperately needs something to do until The Rock and Roman Reigns come back, and he could put on a banging build with Randy Orton if they were given a few months to cook. On the other hand, Damian Priest, Drew McIntyre and CM Punk are really cooking with their story already. If you inject Gunther into that title picture, it's just going to be chaos.

I expect Gunther to be heavily protected in this match. Maybe he'll get injured or there will be some kind of disqualification or maybe there will be interference from whoever his next feud will be (Ilya? Brock Lesnar?), but after much debate, I think whatever happens, he is going to lose and Orton will officially claim one of the only WWE honors he hasn't won in his illustrious career.

Predicted Winner: Randy Orton

Lyra Valkyria Vs Nia Jax For The Queen Of The Ring Crown

Most fans were left shocked when Lyra Valkyria defeated Iyo Sky in the semi-finals. She’s only been on the main roster for about a month, and while she was very well-liked by fans during her time in NXT, she didn’t exactly hit the main roster with Bron Breakker hype. Clearly they want to push her hard and see how far she can run though. I get it. She brings a new energy the women’s division has been lacking.

That being said, Queen Of The Ring feels like a big overreach here. Her mic skills need improvement and whatever is going on between her and Becky hasn’t had much buzz to it at all. Many members of the crowd grumbled and seemed audibly annoyed when she beat Iyo Sky, and I just think there are too many good women right now to see her rewarded so quickly.

Meanwhile, Nia Jax has been crushing it since she returned. She's consistently impressed fans with her improved ring performance, and in my opinion, it's time WWE pays her back for some of the high profile losses she's taken. Plus, she just makes the most sense as an opponent for Bayley at SummerSlam.

Predicted Winner: Nia Jax

Chad Gable Vs Sami Zayn (Champion) Vs Bronson Reed For The Intercontinental Championship

My feelings on this match have changed quite a bit over the last several weeks. Initially, I was convinced Chad Gable was going to win. He had a ton of momentum after his heel turn, and this seemed like a great way to solidify this idea in his mind that he needed to be ruthless in order to move forward, but I don’t think that’s the story they’re telling anymore. Instead, I think Chad Gable’s plans are going to be thwarted by Otis, who is going to let him down in a key moment and/ or even betray him. 

I think that will lead to him disbanding The Alpha Academy officially and instead joining forces with The Creed Brothers to form a new stable of elite amateur wrestlers. They’ll be what Otis, Tozawa and Maxxine can’t, and that'll be the catalyst for both Gable and The Creed Brothers to rise higher than they have at any point in their careers. 

So, that leaves Bronson Reed and Sami Zayn. I like Bronson a lot. He’s really good in the ring and rapidly improving on the microphone. I think he’s going to win some singles championships in his future, but I just don’t think he’s been built up enough here to justify winning. This feels like the Sami Zayn and Chad Gable story, which is why I think Zayn is going to win again, which will drive Gable to evolve his character again.

Predicted Winner: Sami Zayn

Becky Lynch (Champion) Vs Liv Morgan For The Women’s World Championship

Under normal conditions, Becky Lynch would be a huge favorite against Liv Morgan. She’s obviously a first ballot Hall of Famer who has main evented WrestleMania, and Liv Morgan, while extremely popular, hasn’t had quite that same level of success, apart from a shorter title run after cashing in Money In The Bank on Ronda Rousey. Lynch has also only held the title for a several weeks so there’s no obvious necessity for change.

These aren’t normal circumstances though. Becky Lynch’s contract is reportedly up not long after the PPV. In addition, Morgan is the one who injured Rhea Ripley, which means there’s a strong likelihood these two will feud as soon as Rhea gets back. There have also been heavy hints on recent Raw episodes that Morgan may be having an affair with the injured Dominik Mysterio, which has the potential to be an all-time fantastic storyline.

I get the concerns some fans have about Liv Morgan. She needs to sound more authentic on the microphone. She’s very small compared to the bigger women on the roster. All of that is valid, but she also has a star quality about her. Her visual look and entrance are terrific. She’s very skilled and capable in the ring. Now is the time to throw her in the deep end and see if she can swim because the storyline is there, and a certain segment of the fanbase is really behind her. 

Predicted Winner: Liv Morgan

Cody Rhodes (Champion) Vs Logan Paul For The Undisputed WWE Championship

There was some doubt in my mind when it seemed like Logan Paul’s United States Championship was going to be on the line too, but now that that’s off the table, it’s hard to imagine Cody Rhodes losing the belt here. I suppose it’s possible he could get disqualified or something weird like that, but I’d be shocked if he didn’t win this match. He needs to establish himself as a steady champion, and a loss isn’t going to hurt Logan Paul since I’m sure he’ll figure out a way to explain it away anyway.

Of everything on the card, this almost certainly has the most obvious outcome (apart from Bianca and Jade's match), but it could also wind up being the best actual match. Logan Paul has been doing nothing but putting on bangers since he showed up in WWE, and Cody Rhodes is still one of the best in-ring workers the company has, particularly in long matches. This thing is going to cook, and best case scenario for Logan Paul, he comes out of it with all of us thinking maybe someday he could be WWE’s top guy.

Predicted Winner: Cody Rhodes

You can catch The 2024 King And Queen Of The Ring live Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday May 25th. It'll stream for free with a Peacock subscription in The United States.