Sucks to be Seth Rollins … this week.

The 2026 King of the Ring had found its first two semi-finalists in Oba Femi and Dominik Mysterio heading into Monday’s bout pitting a field of Rollins, Je’Von Evans, Talla Tonga, and Ricky Saints. And with Rollins having never actually lost the title now held by arch-rival Roman Reigns, one would have expected him to be making a play at renewing their acquaintance at the biggest party of the summer.

In fact, there had been rumors circulating that Rollins and Femi were being eyed as major Reigns programs in the coming future. Thus lending to the idea that, even without winning it all, Rollins would have been somewhere in and around the finals. That proved not to be the case when Evans ultimately pinned Saints to qualify for the next round, where he will meet the winner of a four-way between Jey Uso, LA Knight, Finn Balor, and Royce Keys.

Rollins will instead continue to be stuck in the Vision Vortex of his own making, as his former pupil Bron Breakker and Austin Theory emerged to cost him the match. Heaven forbid the Tag Team Champions focused on being a tag team for a little while.

But, as one door closes for just one person, a few others have remained slightly ajar. Evans is the pick of the bunch, getting his win in spite of Rollins and advancing to keep a “WWE NXT” rivalry renewal possible for the final. Oba Femi has one less main event caliber talent and proven winner standing in his way, even if Brock Lesnar’s shadow looms over his entire run.

Dominik Mysterio will either benefit from that shadow or withstand a beating from Femi – but he has a chance, and that’s more than can be said about Rollins. And the other four potential semi-finalists will be facing Evans, which given he is a young up-and-coming talent on the WWE main roster, is about the best chance they can have of going to the final.

The tournament seems a little more open now. The seal has been broken and interference has already cost one of the favorites to win dearly. Mysterio is someone that can only benefit from that type of precedent, considering the Judgment Day always waiting in the wings. But so can the likes of Jey Uso, given his Bloodline backing, and knowing he will be facing Evans in the semi-final would – in the realms of kayfabe – lean towards him having better chances than against Rollins.

Sucks to be Rollins, sure, but the others will surely be sighing a breath of relief that he is out of the running.

Written by Max Everett

Say what you will about Chad Gable’s El Grande Americano character, and I know there is a lot to say from those who loved it and others who hated it, but I am simply just glad that one, it’s wrapped up for the most part, and most importantly, two, WWE decided to do something with all that Gable has done over the last year. I fully expected the company to just throw him back into the mix of things, as a babyface all of a sudden following his mask-vs-mask match at AAA Noche de Los Grandes, with absolutely no explanation.

I expected some kind of cheesy “Oh, wow, look, it’s Gable, we haven’t seen him in X amount of months!” kind of line from Michael Cole, though, after Gable’s apology to Rey Fenix on “WWE SmackDown” on Friday, the story thankfully started to look like it was going to be more than that. Gable is now on an apology tour, and while WWE will never acknowledge that the gimmick initially had gross, racist undertones, at least Gable, the character, is apologizing for his actions.

On “Raw,” Gable apologized to Fenix’s brother, Penta, and admitted he completely lost it after losing to the luchador during his debut match and was a coward. He also apologized to Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio, with Mysterio telling Gable that he needs to look back further and work on himself, as he had done things he shouldn’t be proud of even before he put on the mask.

It’s that line from Mysterio that has me hoping that WWE isn’t pivoting to making Gable the savior of lucha libre now that he’s returned. He helped Lee make the save when Ethan Page and Rusev attacked Penta and Mysterio following their Intercontinental Championship match. When I saw the spoiler, I initially really liked that, but I didn’t expect Mysterio to be unmasked. I didn’t necessarily love that part of the story tonight, but I suppose it made some kind of sense to bring Gable out there for that, to return the mask to the WWE Hall of Famer.

I didn’t mind that because of Mysterio’s line earlier in the night, and I hope WWE creative is smart enough to go this route. A luchador was unmasked in the ring, Gable helped out, returned the mask, and now his lucha era is over. He can move to then make things right from his past, more than likely meaning making good with Alpha Academy’s Otis, Akira Tozawa, and Maxxine Dupri.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Je’Von Evans has officially secured his place in the semifinals of the 2026 King of the Ring tournament following a surprise win on the June 8 episode of RAW.

Je’Von Evans King of the Ring 2026 semifinal spot

Evans became the third confirmed semifinalist, joining Oba Femi and Dominik Mysterio in the final four. One semifinal match is already set, with Femi scheduled to face Mysterio. Evans will meet the winner of an upcoming fatal four-way match featuring Jey Uso, LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Finn Balor.

Evans earned his spot by winning a high-stakes fatal four-way match against Ricky Saints, Seth Rollins, and Talla Tonga. The finish of the bout involved multiple interferences that shifted momentum late in the contest.

The Vision faction played a key role in the outcome, interfering to cost Rollins the match. Rollins had appeared close to overcoming outside involvement, including assistance from Montez Ford and interference from Austin Theory. However, the situation escalated when Bron Breakker delivered a spear to Rollins, leaving him unable to recover.

Evans, who was not involved in the interference, capitalized on the moment. He hit an OG Cutter on Saints and secured the pinfall while Rollins remained down, unable to break it up.

The tournament continues this Friday on SmackDown, where Uso, Knight, Keys, and Balor will compete to determine Evans’ semifinal opponent. The next round officially begins on RAW next Monday with Femi vs. Mysterio.

The King of the Ring finals are scheduled to take place at Night of Champions on June 27 in Saudi Arabia. The winner of the tournament will earn a World Championship match at SummerSlam.

On the women’s side, the Queen of the Ring tournament is also progressing. IYO SKY, Raquel Rodriguez, and Liv Morgan have already advanced to the semifinals. The final spot will be decided in a match featuring Jade Cargill, Charlotte Flair, Lyra Valkyria, and Sol Ruca.

Je’Von Evans Advances to King of the Ring 2026 Semifinals

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