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Ever since the return of the King of the Ring tournament was announced on WWE Raw, speculation has run rampant on the bracket set-up. The first-round matches, after all, set the complexion of the whole tournament going forward.
Well, now we know what those matches are.
Ryan Pappola of WWE Now made the announcement on a video posted to Twitter not too long ago.
The matches are as follows:
- Cesaro vs Samoa Joe
- Ricochet vs Drew McIntyre
- Cedric Alexander vs Sami Zayn
- The Miz vs Baron Corbin
And, on the other side of the bracket
- Kevin Owens vs Elias
- Ali vs Buddy Murphy
- Chad Gable vs Shelton Benjamin
- Apollo Crews vs Andrade
There's a number of interesting match-ups in the first round alone. Cesaro vs Samoa Joe should be a hard-hitting match, while Alexander vs Zayn also has the potential to be amazing if they're allowed to go all out.
Kevin Owens vs Elias will most likely have some interference by Shane McMahon, given their current storyline. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin are former tag team partners, which should add some intrigue to that match.
But the biggest surprise of all is the Ali/Buddy Murphy match. Both stars have had an uphill climb to reach the level they are now, and have done it with hard work and putting on amazing matches. The two of them are also capable of putting on a Match of the Year candidate if they're given the green light.
Considering how good Murphy's match with Roman Reigns was on Tuesday, this is a definite possibility.
The first round of King of the Ring starts this Monday on WWE Raw. Who do you think is going to go all the way and win this thing? Sound off in the comments below!
