WWE SmackDown, King and Queen of the Ring Conclude in Jeddah

The two-day WWE SmackDown and King & Queen of the Ring events, organized by the General Entertainment Authority as part of Jeddah Season, culminated in thrilling matches at the Jeddah Superdome on Saturday. (SPA)
The two-day WWE SmackDown and King & Queen of the Ring events, organized by the General Entertainment Authority as part of Jeddah Season, culminated in thrilling matches at the Jeddah Superdome on Saturday. (SPA)
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WWE SmackDown, King and Queen of the Ring Conclude in Jeddah

The two-day WWE SmackDown and King & Queen of the Ring events, organized by the General Entertainment Authority as part of Jeddah Season, culminated in thrilling matches at the Jeddah Superdome on Saturday. (SPA)
The two-day WWE SmackDown and King & Queen of the Ring events, organized by the General Entertainment Authority as part of Jeddah Season, culminated in thrilling matches at the Jeddah Superdome on Saturday. (SPA)

The two-day WWE SmackDown and King & Queen of the Ring events, organized by Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority as part of Jeddah Season, culminated in thrilling matches at the Jeddah Superdome on Saturday.

In a captivating main event, Austrian Gunther emerged victorious over American Randy Orton, to claim the coveted King of the Ring title, igniting electrifying cheers from the packed audience.

Meanwhile, in the women's division, Australian Nia Jax emerged triumphant, defeating Irish Lyra Valkyria to capture the Queen of the Ring title.

The tag team action was equally intense, with Americans Bianca Belair and Gigi Dolin securing the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship belts after a hard-fought battle against fellow Americans Tamina and Candice LeRae.

American Liv Morgan successfully defended her WWE Women's World Championship title against Irish Becky Lynch, while American Cody Rhodes emerged victorious in the Undisputed WWE Championship, defeating fellow American Logan Paul.

The evening concluded with Canadian Sami Zayn retaining his Intercontinental Championship title, overcoming American Chad Gable and Australian Bronson Reed.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.