WWE King and Queen of the Ring 2024 predictions: Uncle Howdy returns

The 2024 WWE King and Queen of the Ring PLE is the first of its kind, combining a once-prestigious male-only tournament with a new female-led version.

The King of the Ring tournament was born in 1985 with humble beginnings before becoming one of the most popular pay-per-views in WWE — even rivaling the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam in popularity.

Many Hall of Fame wrestlers have held the King of the Ring crown, including the likes of ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Booker T, Triple H, and Bret Hart, to name a few.

However, the Queen of the Ring tournament was only held once in 2021, and at the time, it was called by a completely different name — simply known as the ‘Queen’s Crown.’

Zelina Vega, a popular member of the LWO faction, is the sole winner of the female crown, having defeated Toni Storm, Carmella, and Doudrop to snatch the crown.

In 2024, both the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments will occupy their own premium live event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the final round of each taking place on May 25.

Dexerto Sports has five predictions for the upcoming WWE PLE, with winner picks for the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments.

Nia Jax takes the Queen of the Ring crown

The former NXT prized prospect never found footing in the company on her first run, as WWE would part ways with Nia Jax in 2021 before bringing her back only two years later.

Since returning to the WWE, Jax has been a revelation as a brute heel in the women’s division. She craves heat from the crowd and knows exactly how to get it.

The larger-than-life Jax is much improved on the microphone and has elevated her game inside the ring, cutting out many of the botches that haunted previous points of her professional wrestling journey.

As such, of the two women still standing in the Queen of the Ring tournament, Jax deserves to wear the crown after putting in substantial work on her character.

On the flip side, Lyra Valkyria has only been on the main roster for a month’s time, so placing the crown on her could be seen as pushing the new superstar to the top of the card too quickly.

Instead, it should be Jax that reigns supreme. She’s the most dominant force in the women’s division — sans Jade Cargill — and a Queen of the Ring victory would only solidify it.

We believe she will get the job done, much to the dismay of those in attendance. Jax, sitting on the throne amid a chorus of boos, is the best way to boost her character.

Sami Zayn retains Intercontinental title, but Chad Gable rivalry continues

In a highly-anticipated triple-threat match for the Intercontinental Championship, Sami Zayn puts his title on the line against Chad Gable and Bronson Reed.

Reed, a dominant force on Raw, has tunnel vision regarding the Intercontinental strap. He’s been all about business by avoiding the trash talk between Zayn and Gable.

As impressive as Reed has been in the ring in recent weeks, I fear he is merely in the match to further the Zayn and Gable rivalry.

Including Reed allows Zayn or Gable to win the match without the other taking a pin and watering down their ongoing feud.

I see Zayn retaining his title at the King and Queen of the Ring PLE, but Gable should look impressive throughout the match.

After Zayn’s historic upset at WrestleMania 40 over Gunther, WWE has built up his rivalry with Gable remarkably well in the weeks since.

From Gable embarrassing and assaulting Zayn in front of his wife to the other run-ins recently, it’s clear that this story is far from over.

With Zayn likely pinning Reed, it keeps Gable looking strong and allows for a potential one-on-one match at Money in the Bank between the two hated rivals.

It delays Gable’s massive push that WWE has been working toward, but holding off for one more PLE would only add more fuel to the fire of their feud.

All in all, this is merely the beginning of a Zayn-Gable rivalry that is expected to last for the better part of the WWE’s summer slate.

Becky Lynch keeps the seat warm for Rhea Ripley

Rhea Ripley, leader of the Judgment Day faction, had arguably the best 2023 of any wrestler on the roster, highlighted by a victory over Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 40.

Alas, thanks to a backstage assault by rival Liv Morgan, Ripley suffered a significant shoulder injury that forced her to relinquish the belt only weeks after defending it vs Lynch.

As fate would have it, Lynch wound up winning the belt anyway, taking over for Ripley as the main event player on Monday Night Raw in the women’s division.

It didn’t take long for Morgan to shift her focus from Ripley to Lynch, as Liv promised to complete her journey for the Women’s World Championship, even if it came during Ripley’s hiatus.

Morgan and Lynch’s rivalry is still budding, so I expect ‘The Man’ to retain her title and continue feuding with Liv going into the next major PLE — Money in the Bank.

When Ripley is closer to returning, that’s when Morgan will be given the championship to run with. I predict SummerSlam as the perfect time for this takeover to happen.

Given her injury timetable, Ripley’s return would align well with that path. The two former rivals must come to blows when both are healthy, but Lynch can carry the belt until then — as she should.

Gunther deserves the King of the Ring crown

One look at the remaining field of contenders in the King of the Ring tournament reveals a heavy favorite — the Austrian juggernaut, Gunther.

The former record-setting Intercontinental champion, sporting a remarkable 666-day reign, took minimal time off after dropping the belt to Zayn at WrestleMania 40.

Upon his return to WWE programming, Gunther immediately declared for the King of the Ring tournament, with many fans labeling him as the favorite to win.

On the May 20 episode of Monday Night Raw, Gunther clinched his place in the finals against the Friday Night SmackDown representative, Randy Orton.

Except for King of the Ring, Orton has accomplished everything possible for a WWE superstar. That could push Creative into giving him the win, but it makes far more sense for Gunther to seize the crown at night’s end.

Sometimes, the most predictable outcome is also the best for WWE storytelling. Gunther should add this notch to his belt and use it to climb to the top of the World Heavyweight Championship contender ladder.

Gunther will win King of the Ring, challenge Damian Priest at Money in the Bank, and complete his ascent to the top of the WWE mountain by becoming a world champion.

Some may argue that it does irreparable damage to Priest’s main-event billing if he drops the title so early in his reign, but I’d say that the same is true if Gunther falls short in his chase for the title.

There’s no doubt WWE likes Priest, and it’s clear he’s improving both on the microphone and in the ring, but it’s time for ‘The Ring General’ to take his rightful place on the throne of professional wrestling.

Uncle Howdy disrupts Cody Rhodes vs Logan Paul main event

WWE made a shocking announcement when Logan Paul was named the No. 1 contender for Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship ahead of the King and Queen of the Ring PLE.

While initially believed to be a match for both titles, the savvy Paul found a way, with help from his lawyers, to keep his United States Championship off the table.

While the sudden inclusion of Paul was surprising on the surface, WWE knew what it was doing by placing one of its most popular stars in the main event of a Saudi Arabian card.

Paul did the same at the 2022 Crown Jewel event, headlining it alongside then-champion Roman Reigns in only the third match of The Maverick’s career.

He fell just short, but given the crowd’s reception, it makes sense for WWE to pit Paul against Rhodes for the most prestigious honor in the business.

But why would they jeopardize stunting the momentum of either man? That’s where the exciting return of Uncle Howdy and his Wyatt-6 faction come into play.

Howdy, portrayed by the superstar formerly known as Bo Dallas, has been dropping hints of his imminent return by way of mysterious QR codes and videos.

As a part of the Wyatt Family during his brief WWE run, Howdy’s character remained clouded in mystery. But it appears some answers will come soon for fans.

Introducing Howdy as a genuinely evil faction by taking it even deeper than the previous version of the Wyatt Family is the perfect foil to keep Rhodes busy while Reigns and The Rock are away from WWE programming.

It also opens the door to a feud with Paul. Rhodes defeating Howdy and his faction in the first program would risk burying them, while a package against the United States champion, makes more sense for all parties.

Regardless of their intended target, I’m predicting that Howdy and his version of the Wyatt Family make their debut at King and Queen of the Ring during the main event match.

As the Rhodes vs Paul fight draws to its conclusion, that’s when the lights will cut out. And eagle-eyed fans who have followed the QR code hints will immediately know what’s happening.

Bringing Howdy back for the event makes too much sense not to happen. And the hints dropped by WWE point to a return being imminent. It’s a matter of when not if.

And by our estimation, the “when” is May 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the WWE King and Queen of the Ring premium live event.