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WWE re-introduced one of their most famed and prestigious tournaments last week when they announced the return of the WWE King of the Ring tournament.
With eight WWE Superstars from RAW and SmackDown Live competing in the tournament, it is safe to say whichever Superstar emerges as the ultimate winner, is going to get a whole new lease of life on their character in WWE.
Given the all-new direction of recent WWE programming, we could be looking at a lot more up-and-coming Superstars filling up roles at the top of the card. Buddy Murphy proved just that by defeating Daniel Bryan this week on SmackDown Live.
On this week's recap of the King of the Ring, we are going to take a look at the four matches that happened, and what matches are coming up next week!
The Expected: Andrade vs Apollo Crews
As unfortunate as this is, we have to face the facts. Whatever else Apollo Crews is, he is not the biggest name on any WWE roster. Despite being an extremely athletic and likable WWE Superstar, he is not a big name and so far, has not had an interesting character. Instead, he has mostly been a babyface who has smiled a lot.
When it came to his opponent on SmackDown Live this week, there was no doubt about who was going to advance as the bigger name at the end of their match.
Andrade has beaten Rey Mysterio two weeks in a row. He has been one of the focal points of WWE's main roster, as is looked at as something more than a mid-card talent. This is the perfect opportunity for him to break through to the upper strata in the WWE hierarchy, if not the main event level itself.
Result: Andrade defeated Apollo Crews to advance to the quarter-finals.
See WWE Smackdown Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Smackdown Results page
The Contest: Cesaro vs Samoa Joe
If there are two men on the current WWE roster who have nothing to prove, they're Cesaro and Samoa Joe. Both are proven veterans in WWE and they have taken care of business over the course of their careers.
However, both men have been on a bit of a losing run of late. While Joe has not been able to pick up any significant victories at WWE PPVs, Cesaro's new gimmick has fallen short with losses to Aleister Black.
Joe had also been accused by Roman Reigns of being the one to attack him backstage, although that was disproved a couple of weeks back, as he helped Roman to exit the car wreckage.
Now, it appeared that either man could go on to the next round of the tournament.
It was a contest for the ages. Both men gave it their all, with the Swiss Cyborg coming flying into the match with the help of an Uppercut. After all of it was said and done, that was not enough to help him.
Samoa Joe was able to defeat Cesaro in the end and notch up a victory.
Result: Samoa Joe defeated Cesaro to head into the quarter-finals.
The Story Changer: Cedric Alexander vs Sami Zayn
This week saw Sami Zayn debut a new gimmick on SmackDown Live as he teamed up with Shinsuke Nakamura. It appears, he has taken up a managerial position with the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Shinsuke. Together, the two of them silenced The Miz on Miz TV, with Nakamura kicking down the Superstar and hitting him on the back of the head with the Kinshasa.
However, before this change took place, there was a match between Cedric Alexander and Sami Zayn on RAW. A match, that might have been the final straw that made Zayn decide that he was no longer going to continue in the same vein, and instead focus on making sure that he could help other Superstars.
On RAW, Cedric faced Sami in the 2nd match of the King of the Ring tournament. After an immense effort put forward by both the Superstars, it was Alexander who was able to claim the victory.
Cedric Alexander has been able to put forward a new side of himself on the main roster. Ever since he came out to help Roman Reigns, there has been a hope that he is being pushed. With this win, he might be able to make it to the next level.
Result: Cedric Alexander defeated Sami Zayn to advance to the Quarter Finals.
The Shock: Elias vs Kevin Owens
There is always that match on the card, that seems to be a foregone conclusion. SmackDown Live had exactly that match this week, as Elias was facing Kevin Owens.
While Elias has been a Superstar who has received ample screentime, one thing that he has not received is victories on the main roster. He has consistently been the Superstar to come close and be involved in some of the bigger feuds of the main roster, but never really solidify his run with a critical win.
In fact, he has always been on the sidelines of major feuds, helping out someone else's cause by existing, winning, or losing.
So, when he was slated to face the second coming of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin in modern-day WWE, Kevin Owens, it was expected to be a quick and easy win for Owens. However, there was a twist in the tale.
What was not factored in, was the presence of Shane McMahon.
Shane inserted himself into the match in the main event of SmackDown and made sure that he was able to cause a distraction by wearing a referee shirt. His unfair actions were enough to ensure that Elias was able to take the advantage and pin Kevin Owens.
Results: Elias defeated Kevin Owens to advance to the quarter-finals.
The matches coming up next week are as follows!
First Round: RAW (August 26th)
- Ricochet vs Drew McIntyre
- The Miz vs Baron Corbin
First Round: SmackDown Live (August 27th)
- Ali vs Buddy Murphy
- Chad Gable vs Shelton Benjamin
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