Looking Back At WWE’s King of the Ring
WHO WAS REALLY HELPED BY WEARING THE CROWN?
by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
Podcast | Twitter | Facebook
This Monday’s 3-hour edition of Raw from Philadelphia will mark the 19th installment of WWE’s King of the Ring tournament. The event actually began as a house show attraction all the way back in 1985, and it wasn’t until 1993 that it was promoted to pay-per-view status. In 2003, the company decided to abandon the tournament altogether due to declining PPV buys, but has resurrected it a few times since to boost TV ratings.
The purpose of this editorial is to evaluate each of the KOTR winners from 1993 onward and where their career took them subsequent to their winning the crown. Did they move on to bigger and better things? Did they disappear off the face of the earth? Moreover, if they did move on to legendary status, can that be attributed to their victory in this tournament? Of course, there’s no way of knowing for sure, but it makes for an interesting look back as we prepare to crown a new king and is sure to spark some debate in the comments section below.
Before we jump into things, let us not forget the notable names who donned the crown, wore the royal robe and carried the mighty scepter from 1985-1991 (there was no tournament held in ’90 or ’92). These names, in order, include Don Muraco, Harley Race, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, Tito Santana and Bret Hart. Some heavy hitters and Hall of Famers in this list, but I doubt anyone is going to attribute their victories here to their later success. Let’s begin!
Bret “The Hitman” Hart
1993 King of the Ring (Dayton, Ohio)
In many ways, this was designed as a consolation gift to Bret after losing the WWF Title in ridiculous fashion a few months earlier at WrestleMania IX. After dropping the title to Yokozuna in the main event off interference by Mr. Fuji, Hulk Hogan ran down to check on the Hitman’s well-being (as if) and a few minutes later, was dropping the leg on the giant Samoan to claim his 5th World championship. It was a creative, yet ludicrous way to get the strap off one babyface and onto another in quick fashion and marginalized Hart as a main eventer. Instead of building towards a Hogan/Hart showdown at Summerslam for the title, Hulk put the kibosh on that and decided to drop the belt back to Yokozuna on this show. As such, Bret was put over strongly in this tournament, having good to great matches with Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow all in one night. The match with Hennig may actually be better than their Summerslam encounter a few years earlier, and the match with Bigelow is HIGHLY underrated. Of course, we all know that during Hart’s coronation, he was interrupted and assaulted by Jerry “The King” Lawler, igniting a feud that would last the better part of two years.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
Bret went on to feud with Jerry Lawler for several months before co-winning the Royal Rumble with Lex Luger. He regained the WWF Title from Yokozuna at WrestleMania 10 and would win several more championships before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. A fine career, for sure, but did winning this tournament really have much to do with it? After all, he had already won his first World title (as well as the Intercontinental and Tag belts) before capturing the crown. Verdict: No.
FUN FACT: Hart is still the only person to technically win this tournament twice, if you include his first non-televised victory in 1991 (defeating IRS in the Finals).
Owen Hart
1994 King of the Ring (Baltimore, Maryland)
“The Rocket” had always played second fiddle to big brother Bret and was ready to step out of The Hitman’s shadow. So began a memorable sibling rivalry with Owen defeating Bret at WrestleMania 10 in shocking (clean) fashion. Later that same evening, pulling double duty, Bret won the WWF Title, which put Owen in an interesting position having beaten the new champion only a few hours earlier. He entered the KOTR tournament a few months later, running through Tatanka, 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon en route to the crown. In the Finals, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who had returned as a surprise guest in Bret’s corner for his earlier title defense against Diesel, returned to ringside and turned heel, attacking Ramon and assisting Owen. This led to a memorable coronation where Owen first referred to himself as the “King of Harts”, a name that would stay with him for many years afterwards.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
Owen earned himself a shot at the WWF Title against brother Bret inside a Steel Cage at Summerslam only two months later, though that likely had more to do with his WrestleMania win in March. While he fell short in his bid for the belt, he did go on to hold multiple Tag Team titles and the Intercontinental championship. Owen’s untimely death in May 1999 leaves open the question of whether he would have one day won a World title, making his KOTR win one of the more prolific victories of his entire career. If nothing else, it gave rise to the “King of Harts” nickname. Verdict: Yes.
FUN FACT: Retired football star Art Donovan, a local celebrity of sorts, was a guest announcer for the pay-per-view alongside Gorilla Monsoon and Randy Savage. He was atrocious. I mean, he makes Michael Cole sound like Gordon Solie in comparison. Even Monsoon and Savage began ignoring his incessant questions mid-way through the show. He would constantly ask, “How much does ‘dis guy weigh?” everytime a wrestler would appear, without fail. If you should see this man in public (yes, he’s still alive), avoid conversation at all costs.
Mabel (of Men on a Mission)
1995 King of the Ring (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Let’s not beat around the bush here. 1995 was not a kind year to WWE and this show completely sucked. There was not a single good match, not in the tournament itself, nor in any of the other pay-per-view matches, which featured Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler in a “Kiss My Foot” match and a tag team main event of Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sid and Tatanka. Maybe it’s appropriate then that Mabel, the 568 pound baggy pajama-wearing half of the Men on a Mission tag team, would win this year’s King of the Ring. I mean, when Shawn Michaels is eliminated from the First Round, it’s really only downhill from there. Defeating both The Undertaker and Savio Vega (he received a bye in the Semi-Finals), Mabel took his place on the royal throne as his partner, now billed as Sir Mo, read a royal proclamation from a scroll, all the while being pelted by garbage from an angry crowd (well, it is Philly after all, what do you expect). What a waste this entire thing was.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
King Mabel was such a stupid character, it’s hard to imagine what Vince McMahon was thinking when he conceived of him as being the top heel in his company. As a result of winning KOTR, Mabel did earn himself a crack at Diesel’s WWF Title at Summerslam, so in that respect, he benefited from winning. However, he lost to Diesel and would never sniff the main event again in his career, later returning as Viscera, a member of Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and, later, a love machine decked out in a Hugh Hefner robe. Thankfully, this was the highlight of his career. Verdict: Fuck no.
FUN FACT: WWE actually had a custom King of the Ring title belt made for Mabel which is still in existence, though I don’t believe he ever wore it on television. To see pictures of the belt, designed by the great Reggie Parks, click here and here.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
1996 King of the Ring (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
This was the first KOTR where only the Semi-Finals and Finals were shown on PPV, which eliminated the emotion of watching someone potentially having to wrestle three times in one night. Just one month after losing his manager, Ted DiBiase, Steve Austin was given a chance to shine on his own, engaging in a terrific battle with “Wildman” Marc Mero that saw him accidentally bust open Austin’s lip. After winning the match, Austin received 16 stitches backstage and returned later to defeat Jake “The Snake” Roberts in short order to take the crown. Then came… the interview. This was the first real opportunity Austin had to speak on his own since his debut on the Brother Love Show months earlier and he made it a memorable occasion. As the “born again” Jake Roberts was being carried out by officials, Austin spoke of John 3:16 and how “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!”, sparking a marketing movement the likes of which WWE had not seen since the days of Hulkamania. A star was born on this night.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
Stone Cold actually floundered after winning this tournament, defeating Yokozuna in a match on the Summerslam pre-show after the two previous winners had gone on to battle for the World title on that show the last two years. But then came a career-making feud with Bret Hart and eventually the first of several World Titles. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Would he have become a big star without the “Austin 3:16” speech? Most likely. But that phrase came to define the Attitude Era and absolutely benefited Austin for the rest of his career. Verdict: Hell yeah.
FUN FACT: Triple H had been pegged to win the tournament this year, that is until the infamous “Curtain Call” incident took place at MSG a month earlier and Hunter was made to be the scapegoat. Austin got the nod instead and the rest, as they say, is history.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
1997 King of the Ring (Providence, Rhode Island)
For the record, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels had a MUCH better singles match on this show than they did at WrestleMania 14. I mean, it’s not even close. People like to talk about how gutsy Michaels was at Mania, doing that match with a broken back, but that doesn’t mean it was a good match. Anyway, it may have been delayed by a year, but Triple H finally got his big KOTR win here, defeating Ahmed Johnson and Mankind. In fact, Hunter had actually LOST to Ahmed via DQ in their Quarter-Final match on TV weeks prior, but complained he was not properly instructed by WWF officials prior to the bout and threatened to sue unless he was given a second chance. He took the place of an injured Vader in a match with Crush and advanced to face Ahmed in a rematch in the Semi-Finals, which he won. So I guess we can trace his political maneuvering all the way back to this tournament.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
The only thing of note that came out of this tournament for Hunter was the start of a feud with Mankind, who he would feud with in various incarnations for years afterward. He lost to Foley in a Steel Cage match at Summerslam after this show, so much like Austin, he too did not get a crack at the WWF Title right away. It would actually be more than two years before he would win his first. He and Michaels would go on to form D-Generation X a few months later, but largely, his victory here meant little to his career. Verdict: Not really.
FUN FACT: This was actually the fifth King of the Ring to emanate from the Providence Civic Center, with the first four held between 1987-91, giving them the honor of hosting the greatest number of tournaments.
Ken Shamrock
1998 King of the Ring (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
This event is notable for two reasons, neither of which include Ken Shamrock’s tournament victory. Kane won his first WWF Title from Steve Austin in a “First Blood” Match while The Undertaker nearly killed Mankind in the most famous “Hell in a Cell” match to this day. Meanwhile, Shamrock defeated Jeff Jarrett and The Rock on this night to take the crown, and his match with The Rock was actually REALLY good. The two men had great chemistry stemming from their feud over the Intercontinental title earlier in the year and it showed here. Behind 1993, this is probably my favorite King of the Ring from top to bottom as it was a very noteworthy show with some great action.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
I never thought Shamrock realized his full potential in the WWF. He could have had a run with the World title, but the closest he ever came was a PPV man event with Shawn Michaels the year prior. Following this tournament, he went on to win the Intercontinental title and became a Tag Team champion with Big Bossman after joining Vince McMahon’s corporate faction. By 2000, he was back doing MMA, though he did become NWA Champion in the early days of Total Nonstop Action. Verdict: No.
FUN FACT: Mick Foley can talk about how that second bump in the “Hell in a Cell” match was not scripted, but he’s full of shit. Do you really think they would climb back up on top of the cage without having another big fall planned? Plus, look at the light manner in which Undertaker chokeslams him (more like shoves him) and we’re supposed to believe he wasn’t meant to fall through? Puh-leeze.
”Badass” Billy Gunn
1999 King of the Ring (Greensboro, North Carolina)
Right in the thick of the boom period, and coming just one month after Raw scored its highest ratings EVER, the WWF decided to use this tournament for the right reasons, to help get one of their mid-card performers over. Unfortunately, they chose Billy Gunn. The guy had a great look and was a decent in-ring performer, but he wasn’t really a good promo and his work never really improved. I give credit to the company for trying, but much like Mabel, this was a wasted opportunity to spotlight someone with real talent. Gunn defeated Ken Shamrock, Kane ad X-Pac in a series of 5-minute matches to win the crown. Elsewhere on the card, Steve Austin lost to Vince & Shane McMahon in a Ladder Match for control of the company and Undertaker retained his WWF Title over The Rock. In a dark match, Meat (Sean Stasiak) defeated Kurt Angle a full five months before losing to Angle in Kurt’s TV debut at Survivor Series. One year later, he would be king. When Kurt is inducted into the Hall of Fame, let’s hope they make no mention of the fact he once lost to a man named Meat. Fuck you, Vince Russo.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
Mr. Ass (who did have some catchy theme music) never did get a crack at the World title and the highest profile PPV match he had after this show was his singles bout with The Rock at Summerslam, which did more to bring Rock down a notch than it did to bring Billy up at all. That will forever be remembered as one of Jim Ross’s greatest calls as he exclaimed, “The Rock just put Billy Gunn’s face in that large woman’s ass!” Don’t ask. Verdict: Hahaha.
FUN FACT: The next night on Raw, Steve Austin defeated Undertaker to win back the WWF Title. This would mark the second consecutive year that Austin won the World title the night after KOTR after having beaten Taker’s little brother Kane to do the same thing the year prior.
Kurt Angle
2000 King of the Ring (Boston, Massachusetts)
Less than a year earlier, Angle made his WWF debut. In that time, he had captured both the European and Intercontinental titles. Here, he ran through Chris Jericho, Crash Holly and Rikishi on the same night to become King of the Ring. His star was solidly on the rise and this tournament was a mere stepping stone to greater things. Elsewhere on the card, The Rock won the WWF Title by pinning Vince McMahon in a 6-Man Tag (the third title change in as many months) and Pat Patterson fought Gerald Brisco in a Hardcore Evening Gown match. I can’t even blame Russo for this absurdity as he was already out of the company by this time.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
Angle’s landmark first year would continue as he defeated The Rock to win the WWF Title just four months later at No Mercy. Before that, he was square in the middle of a love triangle storyline that also included Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Angle would win many more titles and wrestle 4-5 star matches with the likes of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and others. The crown was incidental in his later success, but it’s still a fine accomplishment to have on his Hall of Fame resume. Verdict: Maybe a little.
FUN FACT: Val Venis defeated both Jeff Hardy and Eddie Guerrero during this tournament. A few weeks later, he defeated Rikishi for the Intercontinental title on Smackdown. I just felt like pointing this out to illustrate that the last big push Val Venis got was 10 years ago. I feel old.
Edge
2001 King of the Ring (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Before he was the “Rated-R Superstar” with 10 World titles under his belt, Edge was a lowly tag team wrestler. Admittedly, he had a certain look to him that made me think big things were in his future, and I like to still take credit for saying way back in 1998 that he would one day be the heavyweight champion. On this night, Team RECK (Rhyno, Edge, Christian and Kurt Angle) was divided amongst itself as they competed against each other in a pair of Semi-Final matches. In the end, Edge defeated Angle after Kurt had not only wrestled Christian, but also defeated Shane McMahon in a brutal 26 minute streetfight. The man is a freaking machine. In other action, Steve Austin retained his WWF Title in a Triple Threat Match against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. This was the match where Benoit didn’t really injure his neck as per the storyline (he already knew he would need surgery), but I’m sure this didn’t make it feel any better.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
Instead of being propelled into contention for the World title, Edge continued teaming with Christian before his “brother” turned on him and they closed out the year feuding over the Intercontinental title. It would be 4½ years before Edge would win his first WWE Title, so I cannot credit this tournament with having anything at all to do with his later success. In retrospect, his Money in the Bank victory was bigger than this. Verdict: No.
FUN FACT: Booker T made his WWE debut on this show as part of the WCW invasion storyline, attacking Steve Austin during the main event and planting him through the Spanish announce table. He also injured Austin legit on the move, which is not the greatest first impression to make.
Brock Lesnar
2002 King of the Ring (Columbus, Ohio)
Has anyone ever had as successful a first year as Brock Lesnar? Kurt Angle comes close, but even he can’t match what Lesnar was able to accomplish since his April debut – winning KOTR, becoming Undisputed WWE champion, winning the Royal Rumble and main eventing WrestleMania (defeating Angle for his second title). With Paul Heyman acting as his agent, Lesnar steamrolled through Test and Rob Van Dam on the PPV to become king. In other action, Kurt Angle became the first man in memory to make a babyface Hulk Hogan cleanly tap out in the middle of the ring, while Undertaker and Triple H had one of the WORST title matches in company history. Omigod.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
How can you say he didn’t? I know I said earlier that Kurt Angle benefited “only a little” from winning the crown, but he had already won titles beforehand. This was Brock’s first major accomplishment in WWE and two months later, he was killing Hulk Hogan on TV and pinning The Rock at Summerslam to win the Undisputed belt. Verdict: Yes.
FUN FACT: This was the show where Steve Austin was to have faced Eddie Guerrero, but Ric Flair took his spot after Austin walked out on the company over a week earlier. Ironically, this all stemmed from a dispute between Austin and WWE where Vince McMahon wanted Austin to lose to the future King Lesnar in a KOTR Qualifier on Raw. Not wanting to give such a big match away for free on TV with no build, Austin refused and the two sides could not reach an agreement.
Booker T
2006 King of the Ring (Phoenix, Arizona)
This was the first televised KOTR tournament not to air on pay-per-view. Matches were held over a one month period, culminating in Booker T defeating Bobby Lashley at Judgment Day. From that point forward, until the end of his WWE career, he used the name “King Booker” with an annoying British accent and formed his own “Court” which included Queen Sharmell, William Regal and Finlay. Two months later, he would win the World title from Rey Mysterio. This was largely a forgettable tournament designed as a gimmick for Booker.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
As I mentioned, Booker went on to win the World title two months later, his last in WWE before departing for TNA later the following year. Much of his success had already come and gone before this tournament, but it was clearly designed to help get over the “King Booker” character. In that respect, it was a success and did wonders to freshen up his already stale character before it got over-the-top aggravating. Verdict: Yes, and we suffered for it.
FUN FACT: This was the first and, to date, only King of the Ring tournament exclusive to the Smackdown brand.
William Regal
2008 King of the Ring (Greenville, South Carolina)
After an absence the year prior, the KOTR tournament was resurrected on Raw in 2008, though unlike last time, it was open to stars from Raw, Smackdown and ECW. It was among the worst tournaments the company has ever hosted, with William Regal defeating Hornswoggle in under 20 seconds in the opening round. After a KO victory over Finlay in a short match, he went on to defeat CM Punk in the Finals in a disappointing four minute match. At the time, Regal was serving as Raw General Manager (remember when they weren’t anonymous?), enjoying a great amount of TV time and thriving in the role. After winning the crown, one would think even bigger things were in his future, perhaps even a run with the title. Think again.
Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?
Regal was a hit in the role of Raw GM and was garnering heat the likes of which would not be seen until Vickie Guerrero started getting over in that same role on Smackdown. After winning KOTR, as hot as he was, it’s not out of the realm of possibility WWE could have given him a run with the Raw title. Unfortunately, he promptly failed his second Wellness exam, resulting in a 60-day suspension from which he never fully recovered. I can’t blame WWE for not pushing Regal upon his return, he really has no one to blame but himself. Verdict: Never had the chance.
FUN FACT: On this same edition of Raw, “Barack Obama” battled “Hilary Clinton” to a no contest. Sports entertainment at its finest, folks.
AND THE 2010 KING WILL BE…
[WARNING: Spoilers for Friday’s show are included.]
The latest installment of the King of the Ring returns to Philly this Monday and will include an even spread of four stars each from Raw and Smackdown. Representing Raw will be Sheamus, John Morrison, Daniel Bryan and Ezekiel Jackson, while Smackdown gives us Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston. Without the benefit of knowing what the brackets will be, it’s tough to make a prediction. Despite the fact that Raw will once again have THREE HOURS to fill, I’m positive we’ll end up with a bunch of 3-minute matches, which is a shame as there is some great talent here that can really go. If I had to pick one name from each brand, I’d go with Sheamus and Del Rio. There have been a disproportionate number of heel winners dating back to 1994 (in contrast to the Royal Rumble, which shows the opposite pattern), so while not an indicator of anything definite, it’s always safer to go with a heel pick. If I had to narrow it down, I’d say Sheamus wins the entire thing even though I acknowledge they could very well bring back Triple H to cost him the tournament.
Do you agree or disagree with Solomonster’s analysis? Who do YOU think will win the 2010 King of the Ring this Monday? Let your voices be heard in the comments section below!
thesolomonster@gmail.com