On Saturday night in Riyadh, WWE gave us a double coronation for the ages.
At Night of Champions, two of the most beloved performers in the company today walked into the Kingdom Arena without a crown and left wearing one. Oba Femi is the new King of the Ring. IYO SKY is the Queen. And both of them are headed to SummerSlam in Minneapolis with world title shots in their pockets.
The King: From Lagos to the Kingdom
If you haven’t been paying attention to Oba Femi, tonight was your reminder to start.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and trained in shot put at the University of Lagos before pivoting to professional wrestling, Femi signed with WWE through its Next In Line program, a pathway for elite college athletes, and has moved faster than almost anyone expected. He’s a former two-time NXT Champion. Earlier this year at WrestleMania 42, he beat Brock Lesnar. And tonight, he dismantled Jey Uso with his signature Fall From Grace powerbomb to become the 25th King of the Ring in WWE history.
His post-match promo was exactly on brand. “I am the mountain that the locker room cannot climb,” Femi declared. “The slayer of the beast. The Ruler.” He told Uso he couldn’t beat fate, and that he had bigger fish to fry. Before the match, he had already sent a message to Jey’s cousin: “You’re not the family member I’m worried about. Go tell him I’m coming.”
The implication is clear. Roman Reigns may be waiting at SummerSlam. And the summer of Oba Femi is just getting started.
The Queen: IYO SKY Says It Best
There are few wrestlers more purely exciting to watch than IYO SKY, and tonight she reminded everyone exactly why.
In a 14-minute match against Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, Sky used her speed and aerial precision to take apart the champion. A Spanish Fly off the ropes, followed by her Over the Moonsault, and that was all she wrote. The crowd in Riyadh, heavily behind Sky throughout, erupted. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis presented her the crown, and Sky kept her victory speech short and perfect: “I…am…the queeeeen!”
She didn’t waste a second choosing her SummerSlam opponent. “Liv,” she said, “I’ll see you at SummerSlam.” A rematch for the Women’s World Championship, on the biggest summer stage WWE has. Sky earns it.
Two Crowns, One Night, a SummerSlam to Build Toward
The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments have always been one of WWE‘s best ways to signal who’s next. This year’s choices feel genuinely exciting. Oba Femi is a physical force with a backstory that belongs in a movie. IYO SKY is one of the most technically gifted performers in the company. The road to Minneapolis is going to be a lot of fun.
SummerSlam takes place August 1-2, 2026 in Minneapolis.