Why WWE Pushed Back King & Queen of the Ring Premium Live Event

WWE has a lot of traditions, but they will sometimes hold off on certain events if they have the right reason. The King & Queen of the Ring event crowned two new royal roster members, and they both cashed in their opportunities to become champions. There is also a great story behind it all.

The reasons behind WWE’s decision to delay the King and Queen of the Ring premium live event and rebrand it as Night of Champions in 2023 have come to light. Initially set to bring back the titular tournaments, the event was rebranded and took place in Saudi Arabia.

In 2024, the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments made their return, with the event taking place in Saudi Arabia as planned. However, the original change in 2023 sparked questions among fans about what caused the shift.

On a recent episode of The Wrestling Matt, former WWE host Matt Camp explained the circumstances behind the decision. According to Camp, WWE’s partners in Saudi Arabia pushed for the change, preferring a different format.

“When they did Night of Champions last year and Seth won the World Heavyweight Championship, that was supposed to be, from what I was told, a King & Queen of the Ring tournament, they were bringing it back.”

“And for whatever reason, it wasn’t – quote – ‘big enough’. And instead we got Night of Champions and we got Seth winning the World Championship. I’m not gonna say that wasn’t the plan, but they definitely wanted to make it more, and that was, from what I was told, a Saudi insistence if you will. Let’s call it that.”

Matt Camp mentioned there was a shift in plans, which led to a focus on bigger matches, such as the AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins bout for the World Title. He noted, “I don’t know if it was because of who was gonna be in King & Queen of the Ring or whatever it was, but there was a pivot there. So that has happened before.”

Camp also referenced past Saudi requests, recalling, “I think you’ve all heard the story, for that battle royal (Greatest Royal Rumble), they wanted wrestlers who were deceased. They couldn’t get Yokozuna, they got that random sumo guy. That kind of stuff has happened.” After all, WWE’s history with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia got off to a very interesting start.

It was speculated further about WWE’s long-running November events in Saudi Arabia, suggesting that the decision to change the tournament was part of a desire for a larger spectacle. “And I do wonder, while we’ve had a Crown Jewel, this November show, for years now, if it was, ‘Hey we want it to be bigger’. ‘Okay, here’s the Crown Jewel Championship, and it only gets fought for in Saudi Arabia’.”

In 2024, GUNTHER won the King of the Ring by defeating Randy Orton, while Nia Jax became the Queen of the Ring after defeating Lyra Valkyria in the tournament this past May. We will have to see how WWE uses the King & Queen of the Ring event in the future, but they certainly put the tournament to good use this year.