Predicting the winners of the first round matches of WWE King of the Ring

Ricochet vs Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre

Ricochet vs Drew McIntyre is another interesting match-up for the first round of this year's King of the Ring tournament, as both competitors have momentum on their side heading into Monday Night Raw next week.

Earlier today, the match favorites were revealed via Sky Bet, and Drew McIntyre is heavily favored to win the KOTR tournament, and I tend to agree with odds makers.

As I mentioned when I ranked the winning chances of every KOTR participant, Ricochet is on a roll in WWE right now, and while he could definitely benefit from a tournament win, his star is on the rise on Monday Night Raw, with or without a KOTR win.

Match winner prediction: Drew McIntyre

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Cedric Alexander vs Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn

WWE star Sami Zayn is currently enjoying his role as the bitter, disgruntled Raw star, and he has come up on the losing end of the last few of his matches.

On the other hand, Cedric Alexander is coming off a momentum boost after briefly feuding with Drew McIntyre, another competitor in this year's King of the Ring tournament.

In terms of necessity, Cedric Alexander seems like the guy who could really benefit from going deep in the tournament this year, and he might be one of the tourney's dark horses this year.

Match winner prediction: Cedric Alexander