Last Monday on WWE Raw, LA Knight officially confirmed the return of the 2026 King of the Ring.
At Clash in Italy on Sunday, WWE announced the participants and bracket for the tournament. The first round will begin this Monday on Raw in live at the Inalpi Arena in Turin.
There will be 16 participants to start, competing in four Fatal 4-Way matches to determine the final four. Eight stars are representing Raw and other eight are from SmackDown.
2026 King of the Ring Participants and Bracket
GettyPenta is introduced before the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dominik Mysterio, Bron Breakker and Finn Balor during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The King of the Ring final is scheduled for June 27 at Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Here are all the 16 WWE Superstars and four Fatal 4-Way matches of the 2026 King of the Ring tournament:
- Penta vs. Oba Femi vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Carmelo Hayes
- Dominik Mysterio vs. Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams vs. Damian Priest
- Seth Rollins vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints
- Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Royce Keys vs. Finn Balor
The first Fatal 4-Way match, Penta vs. Oba Femi vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Carmelo Hayes, is scheduled to take place on Monday on Raw.
The winner of the Penta bracket will face the winner of the Dominik Mysterio bracket in the semifinals, while the winners of the Seth Rollins and Jey Uso brackets battle it out in the other semifinal match.
Previous King of the Ring Winners
GettyGunther is introduced before his match against Seth Rollins during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The winner of the 2026 King of the Ring tournament will earn a world title shot at SummerSlam, depending on the brand they are representing.
If a Raw Superstar wins, he’ll be challenging for the World Heavyweight Championship currently held by Roman Reigns.
If a SmackDown Superstar wins, he’ll be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship currently held by Cody Rhodes.
Here’s the list of all the previous winners of the King of the Ring tournament:
- 1985 – Don Muraco
- 1986 – Harley Race
- 1987 – Randy Savage
- 1988 – Ted DiBiase
- 1989 – Tito Santana
- 1991 – Bret Hart
- 1993 – Bret Hart
- 1994 – Owen Hart
- 1995 – Mabel
- 1996 – Stone Cold Steve Austin
- 1997 – Triple H
- 1998 – Ken Shamrock
- 1999 – Billy Gunn
- 2000 – Kurt Angle
- 2001 – Edge
- 2002 – Brock Lesnar
- 2006 – Booker T
- 2008 – William Regal
- 2010 – Sheamus
- 2015 – Wade Barrett
- 2019 – Baron Corbin
- 2021 – Xavier Woods
- 2024 – Gunther
- 2025 – Cody Rhodes
Since WWE introduced the stipulation of the King of the Ring tournament in 2024, Gunther and Cody Rhodes went on to win a world title at SummerSlam.
Gunther defeated Damian Priest to become the new World Heavyweight Champion in 2024 and Rhodes beat John Cena to win the Undisputed WWE Championship last year.
Winning King of the Ring could also lead to a future world title run. Some of the KOTR winners who went on to become world champions are Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Edge, Brock Lesnar and Booker T.
Sheamus was already a former WWE Champion when he won the tournament in 2010, while Hart is the only two-time King of the Ring in WWE history.
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