To absolutely no one’s surprise, the “mystery” entrant for the last spot in this year’s King of the Ring tournament has been filled by Jey Uso.

After his surprise win at this year’s Royal Rumble and then going on to defeat Gunther at Wrestlemania 41, it felt like Uso was finally ready to move past The Ring General, before Gunther returned to challenge him once again at the Raw after Money in the Bank.

Uso had an 0-3 singles record against Gunther before finally overcoming the odds and winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania. After tapping Gunther out with a sleeper hold and showing the world he could be the Main Event star he has been calling himself, Gunther made Uso pass out with a hold of his own.

Jey Uso being a part of the KOTR tournament the week after dropping the title makes sense for his character wanting to get back to the top, but it does not make for a good surprise and it does not give other characters the push they need.

Gunther’s first WHC run was extremely stale, which is a big departure from his 666 day Intercontinental Title reign. The only reason he seems to have the title back is so that Goldberg can have higher stakes for his retirement match.

Jey deserved to keep his title for longer than 51 days, and other superstars deserved a shot to be in the KOTR tournament.

On social media, you will see two names repeatedly mentioned for the spot Jey Uso is occupying: Karrion Kross and Ron Killings.

I’ve wanted a Karrion Kross push for years, and I have been exceedingly vocal about it as of late. 

Kross has been puppeteering the main event picture for years with subtle nudges, backstage promos and absolutely fire social media promos.

King of the Ring would have been the perfect way to get him involved with the top names in WWE, give him credible wins and insert him into the world title picture.

Ron Killings would have also been a great surprise, as his dramatic shift in character after being released by WWE and brought back due to fan demand should lead perfectly into him fighting his way to the top.

In an ideal world, Killings would find a way to take the World Heavyweight Championship and face off against Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena at Crown Jewel, champion vs. champion for the Crown Jewel title as a cap to what is likely his final run with the company.

WWE had the perfect opportunity to boost two strong, fan favorite characters. But no, instead we’re getting Gunther vs. Goldberg after people complained that Jey Uso is the one who can’t wrestle. And Jey gets to take up a spot in the KOTR rather than keeping his title while Karrion Kross or Ron Killings could find the spotlight.