Triple H has already made a massive mistake with the 2025 Queen & King of the Ring tournaments

The King of the Ring tournament is one of WWE’s most prestigious legacies—an accolade once synonymous with the coronation of future main event stars. From Bret Hart and Steve Austin to Triple H, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, and Gunther, KOTR has long been a launchpad to greatness. The Queen of the Ring, while a more recent addition, has quickly begun to carve out its own space, with its inaugural tournament last year infinitely better received than its predecessor, the 2021 Queen's Crown tournament.

On June 28, at Night of Champions: Riyadh, both tournaments will conclude with the final. The winners of these tournaments will have the opportunity to challenge the respective World Champions of their brand at SummerSlam, much like last year, when the tournaments concluded at the King & Queen of the Ring PLE in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

What is different about the Queen & King of the Ring tournaments this year?

Traditionally, these tournaments have followed a straightforward and noble path—single-elimination brackets, usually consisting of 8 or 16 competitors, progressing through pure one-on-one contests. There’s a certain elegance to that: the unpredictability of a clean bracket, the chance for underdogs to shock the world, and the pressure of surviving multiple rounds without shortcuts in a true testament to the fighting spirit and unadulterated glorious contest that can define some of the athletes in contention over the weeks that the tournament is held.

But in 2025, that essence feels diluted. This year’s format? Four Fatal 4-Way quarterfinals in each tournament—two held on RAW, two on SmackDown—with only the winners advancing to the co-branded semi-finals. Not only does this structure eliminate the traditional one-on-one build that’s made King of the Ring iconic, but it also undermines the prestige by allowing stars to win a round without decisively beating a single opponent.

Why this format for the Queen & King of the Ring tournaments is underwhelming

This entire multi-man qualification tournament in the first round of the Queen & King of the Ring tournaments also comes on the heels of a similar process to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder matches tomorrow night, with most of those being Triple Threat Matches, as well as a lot of the qualifying matches for the Men's Elimination Chamber match earlier in the year.

It is almost as if Triple H has gotten too protective of some of the stars taking a pin, but still wants to feature them in matches on RAW and SmackDown, which may or may not progress their ongoing feuds. Initially, it was smart; now, it just seems lazy. At times, it in fact feels more like a scramble for TV time.

Remember when CM Punk and Sami Zayn went one-on-one for a spot in the Men's Elimination Chamber match? It remains one of the best main events of the Netflix era, and one wonders why we can't get more of the same. A simple match to prove who is better, that may or may not tie into a larger story or character arc, or spawn something bigger.

Who are the "reigning" Queen & King of the Ring; and what was their destiny last year?

Last year, Gunther defeated Randy Orton in an unforgettable final—one of the best matches of the summer to become the King of the Ring. He went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Damian Priest at SummerSlam. Nia Jax, meanwhile, bulldozed her way through the Queen of the Ring bracket, defeating Lyra Valkyria in another great match to win the final. She then dethroned Bayley to win the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam.

The stipulation remains intact this year—SummerSlam world title shots for both winners. But while the stakes are high, the road to the throne in 2025 might be entertaining, but far less satisfying to watch. It sacrifices narrative, structure, and the personal stakes that come with going round after round, one-on-one, toward greatness.

Nevertheless, the event becomes co-branded as soon as the semi-finals instead of just the finals being RAW vs. SmackDown last year. This does add a layer of unpredictability to the Queen & King of the Ring tournaments, especially considering that brackets are yet to be announced.