WWE King and Queen of the Ring, 6 Top Contenders

Daniel SinasacMon, June 1, 2026 at 10:10 PM UTC·6 min read

WWE is ready to begin the time-honored tradition that is the King of the Ring tournament. Since 1985, it has been a staple of WWE programming, spanning television shows and even getting its own PLE for a few years. King of the Ring, and now Queen of the Ring, is a fan favorite that carries all the history that comes along with WWE’s major shows.

Winning King and Queen of the Ring carries a level of prestige that puts the winners above the rest of the roster. Over the past few years, WWE has declared that the winners of King and Queen of the Ring would get a World Championship shot at SummerSlam. Making it even more critical for these wrestlers to outlast the field and be declared the King and Queen.

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As we head towards the start of the tournaments, there are 16 men and 16 women set to battle it out for the crown. All have a chance, but only a few should be considered the top contenders. Let’s look at those who have the best chance to win King and Queen of the Ring.

Top 6 Contenders for King and Queen of the Ring

 The way that Oba Femi is being booked right now means that anytime he is involved in a tournament, he has to be considered a favorite. The Ruler has been on a tear since debuting on the main roster, cutting a swath through every wrestler that stands in front of him.

He conquered Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, and while the Beast got his victory back at Clash in Italy, Femi was still made out to be an unstoppable force. He took more punishment from Brock Lesnar than any wrestler before him.

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Moving Oba Femi away from Brock Lesnar and into this tournament was a great move. He is a rising star, and a World Championship cannot be too far off. Winning the King of the Ring and challenging for a World Championship at SummerSlam would give Oba Femi his defining match. Taking on either Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns would be a big fight, and one that would make SummerSlam a must-see event.

L.A. Knight

WWE needs to pull the trigger on L.A. Knight at some point. Over the past several years, he has been one of the most popular acts on the roster and has been featured at the top of the card. Knight has been great in every role WWE has given him, but he has always fallen short when he wrestled for WWE’s top prize.

He sells a lot of merch, has the support of the WWE Universe, and consistently puts on great matches. Knight should have gotten a run with the big strap years ago, and King of the Ring might be the last time to get him there.

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If WWE waits too long to pull the trigger on L.A. Knight winning a World Championship, then they run the risk of damaging his character. It has happened with wrestlers in the past, and WWE would be wise not to make the same mistake here. L.A. Knight winning King of the Ring and heading to SummerSlam would be a great story.

 The son of a Steiner has been earmarked for greatness since he came into WWE. In NXT, he was an unstoppable force, and he has continued that trend on the main roster. Bron Breakker has been the leader of the Vision, joined forces with Paul Heyman, and terrorized most of the main roster. He is currently one-half of the Raw Tag Team Champions, but that shouldn’t keep him from winning King of the Ring.

King of the Ring is a tournament that makes careers. The list of men who have won the tournament and gone on to greatness is impressive. Bron Breakker could join that group of men by cutting through the tournament and capturing a World Championship at SummerSlam. Bron Breakker challenging Roman Reigns in Minnesota would be a fantastic story of a young star battling the savvy veteran.

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Flair has been involved in the tag team scene for a while now, keeping her distance from the World Championship. Her partnership with Alexa Bliss has provided for some great moments, but now might be the time to push her back into the World Championship picture. Charlotte Flair’s moniker is The Queen after all, and what better place to get that title made official?

Over the past few weeks, WWE has been sowing the seeds of doubt in a partnership between Charlotte Flair and reigning WWE Champion Rhea Ripley. It started with unease, but has moved into trust between the two, which means it’s time for Charlotte Flair to turn heel.

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Having her win Queen of the Ring and challenge Ripley at SummerSlam would be perfect. The two women have oodles of history and would put on a fantastic match worthy of the Biggest Party of the Summer.

The mentee challenging their mentor for the World Championship is an often-used story in WWE. We have seen this type of story world incredibly well, and WWE might be apt to dip into the well for Queen of the Ring. Roxanne Perez has been announced for the tournament, and her winning could be the start of a great story.

As a heel champion, Liv Morgan would do anything to maintain a stranglehold on her World Championship. She has been on record, stabbing anyone in the back she can to ensure her victory.

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If Perez were to win Queen of the Ring, WWE could have Liv Morgan try to manipulate her stablemate into challenging for the other World Championship and seeing this deception could backfire, leading to Roxanne Perez challenging Liv Morgan for the World Championship. Perez is a natural babyface, and the reaction she would get would be out of this world.

As stated before, the Queen of the Ring tournament is the time for young stars to establish themselves. It’s a time to get yourself noticed and become an integral part of WWE’s second biggest show of the year. Jacy Jane has only been a part of the main roster for a few weeks now, but she would be a perfect candidate to win Queen of the Ring.

Since her and Fatal Influences’ call-up to the main roster, they have been thrust into the main event. Jane has been fantastic and has not looked out of place, locking horns with the biggest names on SmackDown.

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Jacy Jane winning Queen of the Ring would give her an establishing victory. It would immediately make her one of the biggest names on SmackDown and give her a marquee match for SummerSlam. Her running mates could help her cheat her way to victory, heaping more heat on a group that already gets tons of it.