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The final build towards King and Queen of the Ring is in the books, at least from WWE RAW's side. The red brand did a great job hyping up this weekend's Premium Live Event in Saudi Arabia.
A combination of great matches, interesting developments, and other things made for a strong episode. But what exactly happened?
Let's look at the biggest positives and negatives of the go-home episode of WWE RAW before King and Queen of the Ring 2024.
#3. Best/Worst: IYO loses, but is there a bigger purpose?
The Queen of the Ring semi-final between IYO SKY and Lyra Valkyria was among the best matches on WWE RAW. Given a lot of time to deliver, both stars put in amazing effort. However, IYO's defeat may have been ill-advised. She was arguably the best choice to win the tournament.
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That said, it was a massive moment for Valkyria, whose stock grows exponentially on WWE RAW. Her association with Becky Lynch greatly helped, but she has backed it up in the ring.
Considering she will be in Jeddah for her match, could Lyra Valkyria play a part in The Man's title defense against Liv Morgan at King and Queen of the Ring? It's possible after her cheap shot backstage.
#2. Worst: They're still champs?!
As hilarious as he is, R-Truth shouldn't be among WWE RAW's top champions for long in 2024. He and The Miz have held tag team gold since the beginning of April. While it was a nice moment, The Awesome Truth should have dropped the World Tag Team Championship by now.
They retained the belts against Finn Balor and JD McDonagh on WWE RAW, with some help from "Andre the Giant" (Braun Strowman). Despite the tension within The Judgment Day, a title change would have been a better option, making for interesting television.
A short reign could have been good for the story before Balor and McDonagh dropped the titles to another tag team. The likes of New Catch Republic and The Creeds would be better off winning the World Tag Team Titles from The Judgment Day instead of The Awesome Truth.
#2. Best: Bron is on a rampage
Unhappy at being excluded from the King of the Ring tournament, Bron Breakker took his frustrations out on other people during WWE RAW. He destroyed a local competitor quickly, even smashing his head with a chair after planting it on the steel steps.
Breakker wasn't done as he speared Ricochet through a box of equipment backstage. This outburst could put him in trouble with WWE RAW general manager Adam Pearce, but a match between the two would be excellent.
This essentially confirms Bron Breakker will be a full-fledged heel going forward, following months of being a tweener. The second-generation star has all the tools to be among WWE RAW's top stars. Hopefully, tonight was the start of a major push to the mountaintop.
#1. Worst: Is the sun setting on The New Day?
Just like WWE RAW last week, The New Day's next feud has been heavily teased. It could result in their ultimate demise, going by what has happened to almost every opponent Karrion Kross has feuded with since his return to the company in 2022.
He confronted Xavier Woods right after he was cleared by doctors, telling the New Day member that "there's always time left on the table." A split wouldn't be ideal, considering the friendship that has prevailed between Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E over the past decade.
Hopefully, The New Day will remain intact despite their feud with Kross because this isn't just any bond.
#1. Best: The General rules WWE RAW
While Lyra Valkyria might be debatable as the winner of the RAW bracket in the Queen of the Ring Tournament, there wasn't any doubt on the men's side. Gunther was always going to reach the King of the Ring tournament's final, but how he did it has been incredible.
The Ring General won all three matches with a submission hold, targeting a specific body part of his opponent. While Sheamus and Kofi Kingston's knees were in trouble, Gunther went after Jey Uso's right shoulder. Despite that, The YEET Master fought valiantly.
There were a few nearfalls before the Austrians took control and ended the contest. Uso was left unconscious after Gunther locked in a sleeper hold and trapped his arm, following a barrage of chops, lariats, and suplexes.
This sets up a potential first-time-ever match between him and Randy Orton, as long as he defeats Tama Tonga. What a final that would be!
