
WWE's Next King and Queen of the Ring Winners, Booking Jey Uso, More Quick Takes
The 2024 installments of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments are officially underway on WWE TV, and Raw and SmackDown are already better off because of them.
The renewed focus on in-ring action since Backlash has been a breath of fresh air, and WWE has the opportunity to pay off all of the great matches currently unfolding by crowning proper winners this time around.
Among the potential winners is Jey Uso, who bested Finn Bálor on the May 6 edition of Raw to advance to the next round of the King of the Ring tourney. This was days removed from his latest loss to Damian Priest where the World Heavyweight Championship was up for grabs.
Despite his undeniable popularity, WWE brass can't quite seem to figure out how to utilize Uso as a singles star, causing fans to lose faith that he'll ever be able to win whenever it matters most.
This installment of Quick Takes will tackle how WWE should book him, Liv Morgan needing a massive victory of her own, who Toni Storm should ultimately drop the AEW Women's World Championship to, and more.
Who Can Benefit Most from Winning King and Queen of the Ring?
1 of 5WWE held nothing back while putting together the list of competitors and matches in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. It's a stacked lineup in both brackets.
Several Superstars could capture the crowns this year, but Gunther and Tiffany Stratton are the best bets for the men and women, respectively.
Gunther was the first to declare himself for King of the Ring shortly following WrestleMania 40 and that likely wasn't by accident. He's accomplished all he can in the midcard scene and is ready for what's next in the main event picture on Raw.
Becoming King of the Ring would take The Ring General one step closer to finally securing a world title, ideally by Bash in Berlin on August 31.
Meanwhile, Stratton was unsuccessful in her effort to win the WWE Women's Championship at Backlash but wisely wasn't pinned. She should be champion before the year comes to a close, and reigning supreme in this tourney would earn her another opportunity at the gold.
For the first time in a long time, WWE should be using King and Queen of the Ring to create new names at the top of the card, and Gunther and Stratton fit that bill to a tee.
Anarchy in the Arena, WarGames Don't Need to Be Annual Staples on Same Shows
2 of 5The latest addition to the Double or Nothing 2024 card on the May 8 edition of Dynamite saw The Elite announce an Anarchy in the Arena match against FTR, Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson.
It will mark the third consecutive year that the event will host the gimmick, yet there's no reason for this year's Anarchy in the Arena to carry that stipulation.
The Elite are early on in their run as All Elite Wrestling's top heel faction. Battling four of the best babyfaces in the company is perfectly logical and effectively furthers the storyline, but holding Anarchy in the Arena this soon in the storyline simply for the sake of doing so hurt its value.
WWE has made a similar mistake with WarGames in recent years by relegating it exclusively to Survivor Series and not holding it when it makes the most sense.
Every Anarchy in the Arena and WarGames match since 2022 has delivered, but they should be saved for the blow-off to a feud.
The Hell in a Cell concept suffered from that same issue for over decade once it turned into an annual event every October. It became more about what month of the year it was than whether it added anything to the rivalry.
Liv Morgan Must Win Women's Title from Becky Lynch at King and Queen of the Ring
3 of 5Following weeks of teases, Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship at King and Queen of the Ring was made official on the May 6 edition of Raw.
Morgan has constantly come up short of capturing the title in the last two years and can't endure another loss without doing significant damage to her credibility. King and Queen of the Ring is a must-win situation for her as any other outcome simply wouldn't make sense.
The only explanation for Lynch retaining the title at the event—other than her having just won it—would be to have Morgan cement her heel turn by attacking The Man immediately after being beaten. Of course, it'd be difficult to then justify her getting another shot considering how many losses she's had this year alone.
There's been no word on when ex-champ Rhea Ripley is due back, but by the time she's ready to return, Morgan must be champion.
It was always more a case of when and not if The Eradicator would turn babyface, and Morgan should have a somewhat significant reign before Ripley potentially dethrones her.
Until she defeats The Man and takes the title, Morgan can't ascend to that next level in the Raw women's division. It's bound to happen eventually, but there's no point in delaying the inevitable.
Mariah May Is Best Choice to Dethrone Toni Storm as AEW Women's Champ
4 of 5As she approaches the six-month mark as AEW women's world champion, it becomes increasingly clear that Toni Storm isn't dropping her coveted title anytime soon.
She remains a massive fan favorite—even as a heel—and continues to knock off every star who steps up to challenge her. In recent months alone, she's racked up victories over the likes of Thunder Rosa, Deonna Purrazzo and Anna Jay, with Serena Deeb to soon suffer the same fate at Double or Nothing on May 26.
Unless Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker make a shocking comeback from hiatus in the foreseeable future, the only option left to dethrone Storm is her own protégé, Mariah May.
The former Stardom standout has been an outstanding addition to the AEW women's ranks since the summer and has played her role exceptionally well as Storm's "understudy." The culmination of their storyline should see May be the one taking the title from her.
At the rate the angle is progressing, it may not be until the All In event at London's Wembley Stadium on Aug. 25 that their match finally happens, but the road getting there should be worth the wait.
Jey Uso Can't Continue to Lose When It Matters Most
5 of 5Jey Uso finds himself at the upper echelon of the card as one of WWE's most popular performers at the moment, yet he has yet to win when something significant is at stake.
WarGames at Survivor Series and beating his brother, Jimmy Uso, at WrestleMania 40 were the only two times since last summer that Jey has won in a high-profile match on a major stage.
He briefly held the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship with Cody Rhodes in the fall before dropping the belts back to The Judgment Day four weeks later. He's also unsuccessfully challenged for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, the United States Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship twice.
His connection to the crowd doesn't automatically make him a main event-caliber competitor, but he can't keep losing whenever it makes most. King of the Ring isn't the answer, but an eventual run as intercontinental champion would be right in his wheelhouse.
An Usos reunion is coming sooner rather than later, but Jey's singles push can't end without him holding gold at least once. A quick win as world heavyweight champ would be acceptable (perhaps by taking it from Damian Priest at King and Queen of the Ring and losing it to Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle three weeks later), but the intercontinental title would be a more fitting reward for how over he's gotten himself with the audience.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.






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