WWE King Of The Ring 2026 Particpants

WWE

After two decades of sporadic usage, WWE has once again established the King of the Ring tournament as a yearly staple.

The past two years has seen WWE determine the King & Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia, with the winners earning world championship opportunities at SummerSlam.

Considering the opportunity available, we should see some top stars compete in this year’s tournament, as well as some young, rising talent on the roster.

Here are eight potential WWE King of the Ring 2026 participants.

Oba Femi

Much like Brock Lesnar did in his first year on WWE’s roster in 2002, Oba Femi could potentially be catapulted into the main event picture by winning the King of the Ring.

Femi vs. Roman Reigns is a match that fans are dying to see, with the pair both teasing the possibility at the WrestleMania 42 post show.

It was during that show that “The OTC” announced that he would be full-time through the Summer, suggesting that he will likely hold the World Heavyweight Championship until SummerSlam at least.

While there are other major matches on the table for Reigns such as a one-on-one bout with Seth Rollins or a WrestleMania 42 rematch with CM Punk, WWE shouldn’t delay Femi’s monster push. Fans want to see “The Ruler” at the top, and winning the King of the Ring will be the first step in getting him there.

Carmelo Hayes

After losing his United States Championship and missing out on the WrestleMania card for a second-straight year, Carmelo Hayes made his return to action on the May 15 episode of SmackDown.

Earning a victory over Ricky Saints, Hayes appears to be a step closer towards a rematch for the US Title, however, WWE may choose to divert his attention from the gold in favor of a spot in the King of the Ring tournament.

Hayes is unlikely to win the tournament, but a run to the semi-final or even final could go a long way in boosting his stock in WWE.

As much as WWE’s booking of Melo has drawn frustration from fans, people are really getting behind Hayes and want to see him succeed, so WWE can play off that by giving “HIM” a solid run towards the King of the Ring crown.

Ricky Saints

As mentioned, it was Carmelo Hayes who got the better of Ricky Saints on the May 15 episode of SmackDown, but given that Melo used the bottom rope for leverage on his pin, it seems likely that their feud isn’t over.

A smart way to add extra stakes to their feud would be by booking their eventual rematch as a King of the Ring first round match.

Not only would this guarantee an exciting young star in the semi-finals, but it would go a long way in establishing both as potential future main event talent.

Saints has already rubbed shoulders with Cody Rhodes and had his eyes on the Undisputed WWE Title, so him competing in the King of the Ring would get him a step closer to a rematch with his close friend.

Seth Rollins

While his current mission is to take down The Vision, Seth Rollins‘ long-term WWE goal is to regain the World Heavyweight Championship he was forced to relinquish last year.

Rollins vs. Roman Reigns was, before Rollins’ shoulder injury, reportedly the plan for the main event of WrestleMania 42, so it wouldn’t be a massive surprise to see WWE go that route for SummerSlam.

Seth has accomplished everything in WWE, so a King of the Ring win would not only be another item ticked off his bucket list, but also a perfect way to give him some breathing room from The Vision, even if, ultimately his feud with Bron Breakker and company picks up after SummerSlam.

With Rollins losing in back-to-back WWE PLEs to GUNTHER and Bron Breakker, he’s due a big win and King of the Ring would be exactly that.

Sami Zayn

After failing to regain the United States Championship from Trick Williams at WWE Backlash, Sami Zayn’s confidence is once again at a low point.

Growing increasingly disillusioned with the fans and their abandonment of him (except his “ride or die fans” of course), Zayn may soon turn his attention back to capturing his very first world championship, only now doing so as a heel who will pull out any stop to win.

Zayn cheating his way to a King of the Ring win, and potential showdown with long-time friend Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam would be an interesting storyline for “The Biggest Party of the Summer.”

WWE have already had Cody call out Zayn’s actions as of late, so the seeds have already been planted for a major feud between the two.

LA Knight

Another WWE star on the hunt for his very first world championship is “The Megastar” LA Knight.

Unlike Zayn however, fans are very much rooting for Knight to reach the mountaintop for the first time, with continued disappointment at his lack of success in big matches.

One of these days WWE will have to follow through and give Knight the ball, or risk causing too much harm to his stock as a main event player.

Along with the Money in the Bank, King of the Ring is a perfect way for WWE to push Knight to that next level and hopefully, regardless of which one it is, WWE pull the trigger in 2026.

CM Punk

After losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 42, CM Punk made an appearance the following night on Raw and had a face-to-face with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

Despite not announcing his intention to take a hiatus, his appearance on the Raw after WrestleMania 42 was the last time we saw Punk on WWE TV.

It’s not yet known when Punk will be back, but a return ahead of Clash in Italy seems unlikely at this point, especially with many of WWE’s top stars preoccupied with other feuds.

Punk using the King of the Ring as the method to regain the World Heavyweight Title, or, alternatively challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Title would make a lot of sense and be a great way to get “The Second City Saint” back in the mix.

Randy Orton

After losses to GUNTHER and Cody Rhodes in the past two King of the Ring finals, perhaps the third time will be the charm for Randy Orton.

Orton’s post match Punt Kick on Rhodes after their Undisputed WWE Title match at WrestleMania 42 appeared to suggest that their feud would continue immediately after “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” however, Orton has not been seen on WWE TV since.

While Cody is now preoccupied with GUNTHER, it feels inevitable that WWE do a rematch between he and Orton, and SummerSlam feels like an appropriately large stage for such a match.

With Orton chasing world championship number 15, he could finally get his King of the Ring crown and book his spot in the main event of SummerSlam in Minnesota.

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