WWE Sets Groundwork for Unforgettable Summer After King and Queen of the Ring

Historically speaking, WWE's "seasonal reset" event is the Raw after WrestleMania.

But the 2024 King and Queen of the Ring premium live event from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday sure feels like it just took—excuse the pun—the crown while hinting at a historic summer.

Not bad, considering Saudi shows in the past have felt straight-up skippable, like non-canon one-offs with weird start times to boot.

Almost every single thing on the stacked card served up serious long-term implications as a table-setter for the summer of 2024.

Start with a big one: Liv Morgan upset Becky Lynch to swipe the Women's World Championship. That's a huge happening on its lonesome, but after weeks of hints for those fans who carefully watch broadcasts, Dominik Mysterio of The Judgment Day played a role.

That's a huge ordeal as Rhea Ripley sits sidelined...just ask Damian Priest, whose reaction on social media right after said it all:

The Judgment Day continuing to fall apart right before Priest turns around and defends his title against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle on June 15 is brilliantly compelling.

And that was just one match on the card.

The "little" stuff rang big, too, like Chad Gable and Otis clearly headed for an attention-worthy feud. That was a highlight while Sami Zayn retained his Intercontinental Championship and moved on to what could be a slow burn to a SummerSlam feud.

And while Morgan now gets her massive chance to shine in a prominent role again, elsewhere in the women's division, Nia Jax is the Queen of the Ring and perhaps looking at going after Bayley in a major program. It's suddenly a massive showcase for Jax, too, who is a major threat once again after what has been a well-received second run with fans.

Even a "loser" like Logan Paul, who predictably went down at the hands of Cody Rhodes in the main event, doesn't really lose. He kept his United States title anyway, looked fantastic in yet another main event program with the company's top champion and will feature heavily on the way to SummerSlam.

As for Rhodes, the by-the-books title defense didn't do any harm (beyond more complaints for those who were tired of ref bumps during Roman Reigns' run). He's perhaps headed into a collision with Randy Orton, which will be ripe with long-term storytelling, to say the least.

Nobody could possibly complain about that one—Orton's match with Gunther in the King of the Ring final on Saturday felt like a world title match and, if one had to guess, will be the highlight of the event fans remember for the long term.

It served as just another reminder that The Viper is one of the best on the planet when he's on fire, and he hasn't cooled yet since his return from injury. Notably, his shoulder was not all the way down while taking Gunther's pin, so WWE is sure to lean into that soon.

And then there's Gunther.

The right pick to finally have his moment in a huge spot, The Ring General remains on track to be the next big thing for WWE. It's a huge exclamation point, too, considering how crowded the main event scene is on the men's side right now before CM Punk comes back to make it even wilder.

And that's another factor to keep in mind for what should be a wicked summer. McIntyre previously warned Punk not to show up at Clash at the Castle on June 15:

That might scream McIntyre's losing to Priest, perhaps via Punk distraction, sure. But predictable doesn't have to be bad if the two head for a summer-long feud when both are medically cleared.

This wasn't in the spotlight during Saturday's PLE, but it sure loomed large in the background—and so did The Bloodline.

Rest assured WWE is going to slam the accelerator to the floor on that front soon too, with Solo Sikoa's version of the stable running wild, an executive Rock lurking behind the scenes and the inevitable-feeling return of Roman Reigns.

If the classic WrestleMania 40 was this new golden era of Triple H creative showing off a bit, King and Queen of the Ring on Saturday was more of the same. Except, it was proof of concept that the international shows are now can't-miss affairs with far-reaching implications and that this one, specifically, can carry a Raw-after-Mania vibe every year.

If the event was any real hint of the measured, careful storytelling and action set to unfold in the sweltering heat of summer, WWE is only set to continue its incredible run.