Who won the King of the Ring tournament at Night of Champions?

Oba Femi officially won the King of the Ring tournament at the Night of Champions event in Riyadh, walking out with the crown. However, his victory has been highly controversial due to a major referee error during the final match against Jey Uso, leaving fans questioning the legitimacy of the win.

Why are fans demanding an asterisk for Oba Femi's King of the Ring win?

Fans and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T want an asterisk next to Oba Femi's win because of a missed submission call. During the match, Jey Uso locked Femi in a sleeper hold, causing Femi to tap out three times on the mat. The referee failed to see the tap-out, allowing the match to continue until Femi won.

What referee error happened in the Oba Femi vs Jey Uso match?

During the King of the Ring finals, the referee completely missed Oba Femi tapping out to Jey Uso's sleeper hold. Femi clearly struck the mat three times in submission while the referee was looking right at them. Instead of ending the match and declaring Uso the winner, the referee let play continue, leading to Femi's victory.

How did Oba Femi defeat Jey Uso at Night of Champions?

Despite tapping out undetected during a sleeper hold, Oba Femi powered out of Jey Uso's offense by using hard uppercuts. He then launched Uso like a shot put and hit his signature Fall From Grace powerbomb to secure the pinfall victory. This win officially crowned him the King of the Ring, despite the controversy.

When did the controversial King of the Ring finals match take place?

The controversial King of the Ring finals match between Oba Femi and Jey Uso took place last Saturday night, on June 27, at the WWE Night of Champions event. The show was held live in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the officiating error sparked immediate outrage across the wrestling community.

WWE has a massive Oba Femi problem after the King of the Ring finals

The Saudi Screw-Up Heard Round the World

Pull up a barstool, order a pint of whatever cheap lager is on tap, and let's talk about the absolute circus that went down last Saturday night in Riyadh. The wrestling internet is currently on fire, and you do not need to look far to see the smoke. At Night of Champions on June 27, Oba Femi did what he does best and took home the crown, but he left a massive, steaming mess in the middle of the ring.

If you actually watched the match instead of just checking the results on your phone, you know we have a giant problem. Oba Femi is officially the King of the Ring, but the live feed told a completely different story. Jey Uso had the giant locked in a sleeper hold down on the canvas, and the big man flat-out quit.

Femi's hand hit the mat three times in a clear, undeniable tap-out. Yet, the referee was apparently day-dreaming or looking at the sand outside the arena, and the match just kept going. Femi got back to his feet, threw some uppercuts, and hit his powerbomb to win the crown, but the damage was done.

This was a classic booking blunder that makes the babyface look like a chump and the new champion look like a fraud. You cannot build a dominant heel if his biggest career victory is tainted by a referee's blindness. The fans in Riyadh knew it, the fans at home knew it, and now WWE has to deal with the fallout.

Anatomy of a Riyadh Trainwreck

Let's look at the actual match because the action leading up to the screw-up was actually highly entertaining. Femi started the match by tossing Jey Uso into the corner like a bag of laundry. Uso did not back down, landing right hands before Femi flattened him with a shoulder tackle.

Uso had to use his speed, sliding outside the ring and sending Femi crashing into the steel ring post. Jey then hit back-to-back suicide dives, driving Femi ribs-first into the barricade to target his midsection. When Jey went for a third dive, Femi stopped him with a hard right hand.

Jey Uso gets robbed in the desert

Jey dodged a chokeslam, hit a superkick, and fought out of a Fall From Grace attempt. He rocked the big man with more superkicks and went up top to hit the Uso Splash. Femi kicked out at a one-count, proving he is a freak of nature.

Jey did not stop. He unloaded a flurry of offense to bring the champion to his knees:

Two consecutive spears that nearly snapped Femi in half
Back-to-back Uso Splashes from the top turnbuckle
A locked-in sleeper hold that forced the champion to tap out

Femi tapped, the ref missed it, and Femi eventually powered out with uppercuts. He launched Uso like a shot put and hit the Fall From Grace powerbomb to end it. According to the Night of Champions results, Femi is the official winner, but the victory feels incredibly hollow.

We've seen some bad officiating in WWE, but this was on another level. The referee was literally looking right at them when Femi's hand hit the canvas. It completely killed the crowd's energy and took the wind out of Jey's sails.

King Booker Weighs In With Some Truth

You do not have to take my word for it. Hall of Famer Booker T, a man who knows exactly what it means to carry a crown, spoke out on his podcast. On the latest episode of the 'Hall of Fame' show, the legend did not hold back about the controversial finish.

As Booker T pointed out, the victory has a massive asterisk next to it. He was proud of Femi, but he could not ignore the obvious tap-out. Here is what the former King had to say about the match.

Oba tapped. Oba tapped. Oba tapped. Jey Uso should be the King of the Ring. They might need to put an asterisk by this win. I'm just saying. But I'm proud. I'm proud of Oba Femi going out there and becoming the King of the Ring now.

Booker T's blueprint for a legendary reign

Booker T knows that a King is only as good as the respect he commands. When Booker won the tournament in 2006, he turned it into the legendary King Booker character. He ruled with a fake British accent and pure comedy gold, but he was always a threat in the ring.

He offered some veteran advice to the new King, warning him that the fans will judge his entire run based on this rocky start. He needs to block out the noise and focus on his performance.

It's going to be a question mark for Oba Femi. That's why he's got to really, really think about this thing. He's got to really, really concentrate and focus. You know, I'm talking about laser focus right now as far as being the King of the Ring because people are going to judge him from this run, [asking] how good of a king was Oba Femi at the end of the day? So I say to Oba Femi, from king to king, go out and rule, but rule with an iron fist and you won't have to worry about a thing.

Ruling with an iron fist is easier said than done when the crowd is chanting 'you tapped out' at you. Femi has the physical tools to be a star, but he is still very green. He needs to learn how to handle these crowd reactions if he wants to survive in the main event.

The Brock Lesnar Problem at SummerSlam

Instead of addressing the controversy, WWE is pretending it never happened. They have already moved Femi into a massive feud with Brock Lesnar. The two are scheduled to meet in a Hell in a Cell match at SummerSlam in August.

This is a highly questionable booking decision. Lesnar is a monster who does not care about crowns or referee mistakes. If Femi had to tap out to Jey Uso's sleeper hold, how is he going to survive a trip to Suplex City?

A history of tournament disasters

The King of the Ring tournament has a long history of making or breaking careers. For every Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1996, we get a handful of complete disasters. We have seen crowns turn into anchors that drag talent straight down the card.

Look at what happened to Billy Gunn in 1999. He won the tournament and was immediately positioned for a massive singles push. The crowd rejected it instantly, and he was back in the tag division before the summer was over.

Then we have King Mabel in 1995, a booking decision so disastrous it nearly sank the main event scene. Or Wade Barrett in 2015, whose King Barrett gimmick turned a legitimate threat into a comedy jobber. The crown does not guarantee success; it just puts a massive target on your back.

Rushing to Hell in a Cell

Femi is being pushed too fast, too soon. He is a powerhouse, but he needs time to develop his character and his in-ring psychology. Throwing him into a steel cage with Lesnar is a recipe for disaster.

If Lesnar squashes him, Femi's aura is dead. If Femi wins with more screwy booking, the fans will hate him even more. WWE needs to stop rushing their young talent before they are ready.

Jey Uso is the one who got the short end of the stick here. He is the most popular babyface on Raw and defeated Jey Uso in the ring in all but the referee's official ledger. Instead, Jey is left empty-handed while the creative team focuses on Lesnar.

We will have to see how Femi handles the pressure on Raw this Monday. The fans are not going to let him forget Riyadh anytime soon. If he wants to be a real King, he needs to earn that crown inside the ring, not in the referee's blind spot.