The WWE King of the Ring tournament took a telling turn during the June 20 episode of WWE SmackDown, with Randy Orton advancing to the finals after defeating Sami Zayn in their semifinal match. This development creates an intriguing scenario for the championship implications at SummerSlam.
Orton’s victory sets up a potential finals matchup against either Cody Rhodes or Jey Uso, who will compete in the remaining semifinal on the June 23 edition of WWE RAW. The tournament’s structure and recent booking decisions suggest Rhodes is the clear favorite to emerge victorious at Night of Champions on June 28.
The creative team, under Triple H’s leadership, appears to be positioning Rhodes for a championship opportunity against John Cena at SummerSlam 2025. This direction gained further credibility following Orton’s recent loss to Cena at Backlash, an event marketed as their final encounter. A Rhodes victory would create fresh main event possibilities while avoiding a retread of the Orton-Cena rivalry.
Night of Champions will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring both the King and Queen of the Ring tournament finals. The winners earn championship matches at SummerSlam, which will be presented as a two-night event for the first time in company history.
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