WWE fans want clear stories and real stakes. This article looks at how the 2026 King of the Ring tournament fell apart and why the storylines were twisted. WWE Creative reached the same matches Monday Night Raw announced. That Creative could have gotten to in an easier way. Oba Femi vs Brock Lesnar was made official inside Hell in a Cell. Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins was locked in as the main event of SummerSlam on WWE Monday Night Raw.
WWE Broke Its Promise With King of the Ring
WWE Creative walked into the 2026 King of the Ring with a clear promise. The winner gets a championship match at one of the two nights of WWE SummerSlam. No tricks. No swerves. No confusion. But the company broke that promise the moment Oba Femi won the crown.
After listening to JDFromNY’s podcast, Off the Script on June 29, 2026 episode, I can’t help, but agree with him. WWE and Hunter made King of the Ring “worthless.” He is right. The crown was supposed to mean something. It was supposed to launch a new star into a major title match at one of the Big Four PLEs. Instead, WWE Creative turned it into a second Money in the Bank. Oba can “cash in” whenever he wants or so Oba made it seem on Monday night. That is not what fans were told before the tournament.
Oba Femi Is Hot, But WWE Changed His Path
Oba Femi is hot right now. He is one of the fastest rising stars in the company. He has the look. He has the presence. He has the momentum. He should be heading into SummerSlam with a world title match. That is what the tournament was built for. That is what the fans expected. That is what WWE advertised.
However, something changed. What? Did they not want Oba Femi to lose to Roman? Did they not want Roman Reigns to lose to Oba? If so, then why not have him challenge Sami Zayn? Of course, Oba Femi has to either get a loss or a championship with those options. I agree with many of you fans that Oba shouldn’t have a championship. He’s too green. But if WWE Creative doesn’t want him to lose or win the championship? Why have him win the tournament? Why even have him in the tournament?
Instead, WWE “lied for four weeks.” The company wasted the entire tournament. It was like they were using the King of the Ring tournament to fill TV time instead of progressing a storyline. The creative team took the longest road possible to reach the same result fans predicted weeks ago. He is not wrong. WWE wanted to “swerve the internet.” They wanted to prove they were “one step ahead.” Instead, they made the KOTR crown meaningless.
Oba vs Brock Is Big, But Replacing the Title Shot
Oba vs Brock is a big match. It will sell SummerSlam. It will headline night one. It will be violent. It will be loud. It will be a real test for Oba. But it should not replace his title shot. WWE could have booked Brock to cost Oba the KOTQ semifinals. They could have booked Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker in the finals. They could have kept the crown clean. They did not.
See with Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker, you get the same main event match of Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns at WWE SummerSlam. With Brock Lesnar costing Oba Femi the semi-finals, you get the same match of Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi. But it is so much simpler…more understandable for fans.
Now Oba is walking into SummerSlam without a championship on the line. He is walking into a fight instead of a reward. He is walking into a match that does not match the prize he earned. JD on Off the Script said it clearly. WWE turned King of the Ring into “Money in the Bank 2.0.” Oba can challenge for a title “whenever he wants.” That is not the point of the tournament.
Roman Reigns Was Never Losing in 2026
The other problem sits with Roman Reigns. Fans wanted Oba vs Roman. However, WWE Creative decided long ago that Roman is not losing in July. Since Roman decided to work more dates, WWE is willing to put and keep a title on him. Roman is not losing until WrestleMania. Roman is the biggest star in the company. He is the face of the Bloodline. He is the anchor of the entire Raw brand. Oba beating Roman now makes no sense. Oba beating Roman twice in one year makes even less sense.
So WWE had a choice. They could book Oba vs Roman at WrestleMania. They could book Oba vs Brock at SummerSlam. They could keep their King of the Ring promise that the winner gets a chance at the championship. They did not keep their promise. So we will see Oba take on Brock Lesnar for the third time since WrestleMania in Las Vegas.
WWE Messed Up the Tournament, But Not Oba Femi
The King of the Ring tournament means nothing now. The storyline of Oba running through the field to get his shot at his first championship means nothing. However, Oba Femi still means everything.
Femi is the future. He is the star. He is the guy WWE wants to build around. He is the guy fans want to see rise. He is the guy who can carry the next era. He is the guy who can beat Brock Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell and walk out stronger than ever. Everyone knows he can, but will he?
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