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Triple H Reacts To Controversial WWE King Of The Ring Finish, Will There Be A Rematch?

By John Canton • Published 25th May 2024
Triple H Gunther WWE King Of The Ring

Triple H has commented on the controversial ending of the GUNTHER-Randy Orton match in the WWE King of the Ring finals.

The highly King of the Ring finals took place at the WWE King And Queen of the Ring PLE in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as GUNTHER faced Randy Orton in a first-time-ever match that many people would consider a dream match.

It was an even matchup that saw Gunther work over Randy Orton’s left knee and back for much of the match, but the Viper managed to hit his patented RKO twice. The first time Orton hit the RKO, Gunther rolled out of the ring. When Orton hit the RKO again, Gunther struck Orton’s injured left knee. That’s when the controversy happened.

Gunther hooked Orton’s limbs to pin him in a crucifix pin and Orton’s left shoulder was down at the count of one, but as the referee’s count continued, Orton’s left shoulder was off the mat. Despite that, referee Dan Engler kept counting the pin likely because that was the finish that was booked.

When replays were shown of the finish, WWE only showed an angle from the back that didn’t show the shoulder being up. Announcer Corey Graves wanted to see the other angle, but it was never shown.

In case you missed it or want to see it again, you can see Orton’s left shoulder getting off the mat and the referee continuing to count.

Gunther was announced as the 2024 WWE King of the Ring. He was presented a crown by Triple H and he will also receive a World Heavyweight Title match at SummerSlam on August 5th against whoever is holding that championship on the Raw brand.

Triple H Says WWE Referee’s Decision Is Final While Teasing Possible Rematch

After the show was over, WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque was interviewed by Byron Saxton about the controversial finish to the match. Triple H made it clear that Gunther is the King of the Ring because the referee’s decision is final, but there certainly could be a Gunther-Orton rematch.

“Coming back here and seeing it back, I saw exactly what you saw. I saw what everybody saw. I saw what everybody is talking about. Didn’t really even seem controversial to me, just seemed like Randy Orton’s shoulder wasn’t down. But I’m going to say this: the referee’s decision is final. Gunther is your King of the Ring.”

“That being said, especially after what I saw tonight, I certainly want to see that again. I think Randy Orton deserves to have another shot at that. And I think, if I know anything about Gunther, he will want to have another shot at that to take the controversy out — to take the asterisk off of the page where it says King of the Ring for him. I think he will want to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is better than Randy Orton.”

As he continued, Triple H noted that Orton was banged up so he doesn’t know when the match might take place.

“Having seen Randy back here, he’s pretty banged up. Both his knee and his back. I think it’s going to be a moment or two before he is ready to step back into the ring with Gunther. But when he is, let’s go.”

In addition to presenting Gunther with his King of the Ring crown, Triple H also gave Nia Jax her Queen of the Ring crown as well.