WWE SmackDown Side Of King Of The Ring Bracket, First-Round Match-Ups Revealed

After the conclusion of the first round matches on the "WWE Raw" side of the King of the Ring tournament bracket, WWE has announced four matches scheduled for the "WWE SmackDown" side, set to take place later this week.

On the "Raw Talk" show after this week's "Raw," the four first-round matches for the blue brand were disclosed. Former WrestleMania opponents Randy Orton and AJ Styles will renew their rivalry, LA Knight will face off against Legado Del Fantasma's Santos Escobar, former King of the Ring winner Baron Corbin will go one-on-one with new main roster star Carmelo Hayes, and new WWE star Tama Tonga is set to face former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. 

The "SmackDown" side of the bracket has a few who will feature for the first time in the tournament, as well as one winner and another finalist. Orton last competed in the tournament back in 2006, when he lost to Kurt Angle in the first round, while Styles, Knight, Escobar, Hayes, and Tonga will take part in the competition for the first time. Corbin, the only winner in the "SmackDown" bracket, won the tournament in 2019 when he defeated Chad Gable in the final, while Lashley lost in the final to Booker T back in 2006.

Three men's King of the Ring first-round matches took place on the May 6 edition of "Raw," as Gunther defeated Sheamus in the main event, while Jey Uso and Ilja Dragunov got impressive wins over Finn Balor and Ricochet, respectively. The quarter-finals and semi-finals of the tournament will be held over the following two weeks, while the final of the tournament will happen at the King and Queen of the Ring show in Saudi Arabia on May 25.