WWE SmackDown Preview: Four King and Queen of the Ring Matches, Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul Contract Signing

WWE SmackDown airs at 8 PM ET on FOX.

By Liam Crowley

WWE's royal tournaments continue. Immediately following WWE Backlash, WWE kicked off the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring brackets, resurrecting the concept for the first time since 2021. WWE supersized each bracket this year, having 16 competitors in each, a substantial increase from the usual eight-man tournaments of years past. The WWE Monday Night Raw sides of each tournament are reaching their climaxes, with Gunther vs. Jey Uso and Lyra Valkyria vs. Iyo Sky set for next week's red brand show. The winner of each of those matches will advance to the WWE King and Queen of the Ring premium live event to face the winners of the WWE SmackDown sides of the bracket, which will become clearer tonight.

King of the Ring Quarterfinals

The blue brand's King of the Ring finals will be decided on tonight's WWE SmackDown.

After defeating Angelo Dawkins in the first round, new WWE signing Tama Tonga looks to continue his momentum when he faces LA Knight in the quarterfinals. Knight is fresh off a victory over Santos Escobar in his first round contest.

Semifinal implications also exist in Carmelo Hayes vs. Randy Orton. Hayes took down 2019 King of the Ring Baron Corbin in the first round while Orton defeated longtime rival AJ Styles. Similar to Tonga, Hayes is a fresh face on the main roster, having only joined WWE SmackDown from WWE NXT just about one month ago.

Queen of the Ring Quarterfinals

The women's bracket will progress the same.

WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill faces Nia Jax in a quarterfinal Queen of the Ring contest. Cargill has only had 14 matches since joining WWE last September but remains undefeated. Only two of those matches have been one-on-one bouts.

Cargill's tag partner, WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair, also looks to advance in the Queen of the Ring tournament when she battles Tiffany Stratton. If Belair and Cargill both win tonight, they will face each other in the semifinals.

Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul's Contract Signing

Is WWE unifying the WWE Championship and WWE United States Title at WWE King and Queen of the Ring? That question should be answered tonight.

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WWE United States Champion Logan Paul is confirmed to be challenging WWE Champion Cody Rhodes for his prize at the upcoming premium live event, but it remains to be seen as to if his star-spangled gold will also be on the line. Both men have teased the WWE King and Queen of the Ring match being "for all the gold," but WWE has yet to make it official.

WWE SmackDown airs at 8 PM ET on FOX.

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