Three More WWE Stars Declare For 2024 King Of The Ring Tournament On SmackDown

Just a few weeks removed from WWE Backlash — the first premium live event on French soil — WWE will travel to Saudi Arabia for WWE King and Queen of the Ring on May 25. The participant landscape for both tournaments was made clearer on Friday's international edition of "WWE SmackDown," where Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight, and Santos Escobar officially declared themselves for the iconic tournament.

Hayes appeared in General Manager Nick Aldis' office first, where he expressed a desire to "keep that momentum going" by entering the King of the Ring tournament. Last week, Hayes shook up the "SmackDown" landscape when he was a first-round draft pick and "SmackDown" main-eventer in the same night. While he lost in his non-title contest against Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Hayes seems unswayed in his quest for greatness.

Knight picked up a win over Legado del Fantasma's Angel in the second half of the show. After his well-earned victory, Knight took the mic to announce himself for the King of the Ring tournament. Escobar, incensed by Knight's talkative nature, also took the opportunity to declare for the King of the Ring tournament. It seems that Escobar and Knight will be factors in each others' quests for the King of the Ring title.

With their announcements, Hayes, Knight, and Escobar joined a star-studded roster of King of the Ring participants, as the April 2022 episode of "WWE Raw" saw GUNTHER and Drew McIntyre officially stake their claim to the crown. As of writing, no women have declared themselves for the Queen of the Ring tournament, but WWE did announce Friday night that the first tournament matches will take place on Monday's "WWE Raw."