King of the Ring

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Image:King of the Ring.gif King of the Ring is an annual World Wrestling Entertainment tournament first held in 1985. From 1993 to 2002, it was held as a pay-per-view event as well. After a four year hiatus, the King of the Ring tournament will return as a SmackDown! exclusive tournament.

Contents

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History

Although the King of the Ring tournament was first made into a pay-per-view event in 1993, the original King of the Ring tournament was actually held in 1985. Don Muraco was the first King of the Ring. The second King of the Ring, Harley Race is noted for parlaying his King of the Ring victory into his "King of Wrestling" gimmick. Other winners who did the same include Owen Hart ("King of Harts"), "King" Mabel (now known as Viscera) and Kurt Angle.

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Pay-per-view

The King of the Ring main event was an event in which typically fifteen to sixteen wrestlers wrestled in a one-on-one single elimination bracket. When a wrestler wins a match in the bracket, they advance forward to take on another wrestler that has also won. The final few matches would then take place at that year's King of the Ring event. The winner of the final match is officially crowned the King of the Ring. There were also other matches that took place at the King of the Ring event since it was a traditional three hour pay-per-view.

While some believe that the new King of the Ring traditionally receives a WWF/WWE Championship shot at the SummerSlam pay-per-view, this only became an established rule in 2002, for what would become the final King of the Ring tournament for 4 years until Smackdown GM Theodore Long brought it back in 2006. Only four kings went on to challenge for the championship at SummerSlam (Owen Hart, Mabel, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar) and only in Lesnar's case was the challenger granted a title shot as a "right" after winning the King of the Ring. More important than an actual title shot was the prestige of winning the tournament itself; some wrestlers have made being king an integral part of their gimmick, and, in general, the winner of the King of the Ring is a wrestler whom management has picked to advance in the storylines and be the next breakout star. In fact, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's famous "3:16" saying started at KOTR. A number of wrestlers have had huge successes after winning the tournament (in particular "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, but also Kurt Angle, Triple H, and others), while some wrestlers have admittedly been "flops" as king (such as Mabel and Billy Gunn).

The last PPV edition King of the Ring was held on June 23, 2002. One of the reasons behind the end of the King of the Ring tournaments was due to the brand extension. The decision to stop King of the Ring has proven to be a controversial and unpopular decision among some fans who would prefer a pay-per-view with a unique feature, rather than a regular pay-per-view. However, other fans believe that former "Kings" such as Mabel and Billy Gunn who achieved little after winning the event made a mockery of the entire tournament.

It was announced in April 2006 that the King of the Ring tournament will be returning in 2006 after its four year hiatus since Brock Lesnar's win in 2002. The 2006 tournament will be the first tournament since the 1991 tournament that will not be shown on pay-per-view. Also, as announced on the April 15 edition of WWE Velocity, the winner of the King of the Ring will become the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.

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List of winners

The event became a pay-per-view as of this point

The event is back for 2006 and will be exclusive to the SmackDown! roster

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Event results

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1985

The tournament was held on July 8, 1985 at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The tournament brackets were: Template:16TeamBracket

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1986

The tournament was held on July 14, 1986 at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The tournament brackets were: Template:4RoundBracket-Byes

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1987

The tournament was held on September 4, 1987 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The tournament brackets were: Template:16TeamBracket

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1988

The tournament was held on October 16, 1988 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The tournament brackets were: Template:16TeamBracket 1: Iron Mike Sharpe substituted for The Warlord.
2: DiBiase paid Bass off to fake an injury.

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1989

The tournament was held on October 14, 1989 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The tournament brackets were:

Template:16TeamBracket 1: Bill Woods substituted for Barry Windham.

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1991

The tournament was held on September 7, 1991 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The tournament brackets were:

Template:16TeamBracket 1: Pete Doherty substituted for Kerry Von Erich.

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1993

The tournament took place between May 4 and June 13, 1993. The tournament brackets were: Template:16TeamBracket The pay-per-view event was held on June 13, 1993 at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.

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1994

The tournament took place between April 13 and June 19, 1994. The tournament brackets were: Template:16TeamBracket The pay-per-view event was held on June 19, 1994 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

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1995

The tournament took place between May 14 and June 25, 1995. The tournament brackets were: Template:16TeamBracket

1 Savio Vega defeated Irwin R. Schyster in a match on Sunday Night Slam prior to the pay-per-view, to fill the vacancy left due to Razor Ramon's rib injury he suffered on June 9 in Uniondale, New York in a ladder match against Jeff Jarrett. Ramon had qualified on May 16 in Danbury, Connecticut.

The pay-per-view event took place on June 25, 1995 at The Spectrum, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Savio Vega def. WWF Tag Team Champion Yokozuna in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match (8:24)
  • The Roadie def. Bob Holly in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match (7:30)
  • Shawn Michaels and Kama fought to a time-limit draw in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match (15:00)
  • Mabel def. The Undertaker in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match (10:44)
  • Savio Vega def. The Roadie in a King of the Ring semifinal match (6:36); Mabel received a bye to the finals due to the draw between Kama and Michaels
  • Bret Hart def. Jerry Lawler in a "Kiss My Foot" match (9:20)
  • Mabel def. Savio Vega to win the King of the Ring tournament (8:32)
  • WWF Champion Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow def. Tatanka and Sycho Sid (17:35)
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1996

The tournament took place between May 27 and June 23, 1996 (the entire first two rounds were actually done on May 27 and 28, two of the three quarterfinal matches actually occured before the first round was completed). The tournament brackets were: Template:16TeamBracket

The pay-per-view event took place on June 23, 1996 at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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1997

The tournament was held between May 12 and June 8, 1997. The tournament brackets were:

Template:8TeamBracket

1 Helmsley was allowed another spot in the tournament because he was not properly instructed prior to his match with Ahmed Johnson the previous week that he could be eliminated via disqualification and thus threatened the WWF with legal action; Vader was originally in this spot but was injured in his No Holds Barred match with Ken Shamrock at In Your House: A Cold Day in Hell on May 11.

The pay-per-view event was held on June 8, 1997 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island.

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1998

{{16TeamBracket | RD1=First Round
(TV) | RD2=Quarterfinals
(TV) | RD3=Semifinals
(PPV) | RD4=Final
(PPV)

| RD1-seed01=| RD1-seed02=| RD1-seed03=| RD1-seed04=| RD1-seed05=| RD1-seed06=| RD1-seed07=| RD1-seed08=| RD1-seed09=| RD1-seed10=| RD1-seed11=| RD1-seed12=| RD1-seed13=| RD1-seed14=| RD1-seed15=| RD1-seed16=

| RD1-team01=The Rock | RD1-team02=Vader | RD1-score01=Pin | RD1-score02= 

| RD1-team03=Triple H | RD1-team04=X-Pac | RD1-score03=CO | RD1-score04= 

| RD1-team05=Owen Hart | RD1-team06=Scorpio | RD1-score05=Sub | RD1-score06=  5:15  

| RD1-team07=D'Lo Brown | RD1-team08=Dan Severn | RD1-score07=Sub | RD1-score08=3:10

| RD1-team09=Kama Mustafa | RD1-team10=Ken Shamrock   | RD1-score09=Sub | RD1-score10=2:28

| RD1-team11=Terry Funk | RD1-team12=Mark Henry | RD1-score11=Pin | RD1-score12= 

| RD1-team13=Faarooq | RD1-team14=Jeff Jarrett | RD1-score13=Pin | RD1-score14= 

| RD1-team15=Steve Blackman | RD1-team16=Marc Mero | RD1-score15=Pin | RD1-score16= 

| RD2-team01=The Rock | RD2-team02=Triple H | RD2-score01=Pin | RD2-score02=  8:06  

| RD2-team03=Owen Hart | RD2-team04=Dan Severn | RD2-score03=Sub | RD2-score04= 

| RD2-team05=Ken Shamrock   | RD2-team06=Mark Henry | RD2-score05=Sub | RD2-score06= 

| RD2-team07=Jeff Jarrett | RD2-team08=Marc Mero | RD2-score07=Sub | RD2-score08= 

| RD3-team01=The Rock | RD3-team02=Dan Severn | RD3-score01=Pin | RD3-score02=  4:25  

| RD3-team03=Ken Shamrock   | RD3-team04=Jeff Jarrett | RD3-score03=Sub | RD3-score04=5:29

| RD4-team01=The Rock | RD4-team02=Ken Shamrock   | RD4-score01=Sub | RD4-score02= 14:09  }}

The pay-per-view event was held on June 28, 1998 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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1999

The tournament took place between May 25 and June 27, 1999. The tournament brackets were: {{16TeamBracket | RD1=First Round
(TV) | RD2=Quarterfinals
(PPV) | RD3=Semifinals
(PPV) | RD4=Final
(PPV)

| RD1-seed01=| RD1-seed02=| RD1-seed03=| RD1-seed04=| RD1-seed05=| RD1-seed06=| RD1-seed07=| RD1-seed08=| RD1-seed09=| RD1-seed10=| RD1-seed11=| RD1-seed12=| RD1-seed13=| RD1-seed14=| RD1-seed15=| RD1-seed16=

| RD1-team01=Billy Gunn | RD1-team02=Viscera | RD1-score01=Pin | RD1-score02=  2:05  

| RD1-team03=Jeff Jarrett | RD1-team04=Ken Shamrock   | RD1-score03=Sub | RD1-score04=2:55

| RD1-team05=Big Show | RD1-team06=Droz | RD1-score05=Pin | RD1-score06=0:59

| RD1-team07=Kane | RD1-team08=Test | RD1-score07=Pin | RD1-score08=3:05

| RD1-team09=The Godfather | RD1-team10=Road Dogg | RD1-score09=Pin | RD1-score10=1:02

| RD1-team11=Chyna | RD1-team12=Val Venis | RD1-score11=Pin | RD1-score12=2:14

| RD1-team13=Al Snow | RD1-team14=Hardcore Holly | RD1-score13=Pin | RD1-score14=1:24

| RD1-team15=Big Bossman | RD1-team16=X-Pac | RD1-score15=Pin | RD1-score16=2:37

| RD2-team01=Billy Gunn | RD2-team02=Ken Shamrock   | RD2-score01=RefStop | RD2-score02=3:34

| RD2-team03=Big Show | RD2-team04=Kane | RD2-score03=Pin | RD2-score04=6:36

| RD2-team05=Road Dogg | RD2-team06=Chyna | RD2-score05=Pin | RD2-score06=13:20

| RD2-team07=Hardcore Holly | RD2-team08=X-Pac | RD2-score07=DQ | RD2-score08=3:01

| RD3-team01=Billy Gunn | RD3-team02=Kane | RD3-score01=Pin | RD3-score02=  5:26  

| RD3-team03=Road Dogg       | RD3-team04=X-Pac | RD3-score03=Pin | RD3-score04=3:08

| RD4-team01=Billy Gunn     | RD4-team02=X-Pac | RD4-score01=Pin | RD4-score02=  5:33   }}

The pay-per-view event was held on June 27, 1999 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina

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2000

The tournament took place between May 29 and June 25, 2000. The first round of the tournament (shown on television) consisted of:

The tournament brackets as of the second round were: {{16TeamBracket | RD1=Second Round
(TV) | RD2=Quarterfinals
(PPV) | RD3=Semifinals
(PPV) | RD4=Final
(PPV)

| RD1-seed01=| RD1-seed02=| RD1-seed03=| RD1-seed04=| RD1-seed05=| RD1-seed06=| RD1-seed07=| RD1-seed08=| RD1-seed09=| RD1-seed10=| RD1-seed11=| RD1-seed12=| RD1-seed13=| RD1-seed14=| RD1-seed15=| RD1-seed16=

| RD1-team01=Kurt Angle | RD1-team02=Bubba Ray Dudley   | RD1-score01=Pin | RD1-score02=  4:42  

| RD1-team03=Edge | RD1-team04=Chris Jericho | RD1-score03=Sub | RD1-score04=5:30

| RD1-team05=Crash Holly | RD1-team06=Hardcore Holly | RD1-score05=DQ | RD1-score06=4:17

| RD1-team07=Bull Buchanan | RD1-team08=Perry Saturn | RD1-score07=Pin | RD1-score08=2:02

| RD1-team09=Rikishi | RD1-team10=Scotty 2 Hotty | RD1-score09=Pin | RD1-score10=2:54

| RD1-team11=Chris Benoit | RD1-team12=X-Pac | RD1-score11=Sub | RD1-score12=4:53

| RD1-team13=Jeff Hardy | RD1-team14=Val Venis | RD1-score13=Pin | RD1-score14=3:56

| RD1-team15=Chyna | RD1-team16=Eddie Guerrero | RD1-score15=Pin | RD1-score16=2:27

| RD2-team01=Kurt Angle | RD2-team02=Chris Jericho | RD2-score01=Pin | RD2-score02=  9:52  

| RD2-team03=Crash Holly | RD2-team04=Bull Buchanan | RD2-score03=Pin | RD2-score04=3:52

| RD2-team05=Rikishi | RD2-team06=Chris Benoit | RD2-score05=DQ | RD2-score06=3:24

| RD2-team07=Val Venis | RD2-team08=Eddie Guerrero   | RD2-score07=Pin | RD2-score08=8:04

| RD3-team01=Kurt Angle | RD3-team02=Crash Holly | RD3-score01=Pin | RD3-score02=  3:57  

| RD3-team03=Rikishi | RD3-team04=Val Venis | RD3-score03=Pin | RD3-score04=3:17

| RD4-team01=Kurt Angle | RD4-team02=Rikishi | RD4-score01=Pin | RD4-score02=  5:58   }}

The pay-per-view event was held on June 25, 2000 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts

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2001

The tournament took place between June 4 and June 24, 2001. The tournament brackets were: Template:16TeamBracket

The pay-per-view event was held on June 24, 2001 at Rutherford, New Jersey.

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2002

The tournament took place between June 3 and June 23, 2002. The tournament brackets were: Template:16TeamBracket

The pay-per-view event was held on June 23, 2002 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

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2006

The tournament started on April 11, 2006. The tournament brackets are: Template:8TeamBracket

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Trivia

  • Bret Hart is the only multiple time King of the Ring winner, having won it twice back-to-back times in 1991 and 1993 (the event was not held in 1992). Coincidentally, Hart's 1991 crown was from the last tournament to be non-PPV, while his 1993 crown was from the first tournament to be on PPV.
  • Hulk Hogan competed at the first and last King of the Ring PPVs in non-tournament matches, losing both times. At King of the Ring 1993, he faced Yokozuna. In 2002, he faced Kurt Angle.
  • King of the Ring 1995 is regarded as one of the worst WWE pay-per-view events ever. Also, the Philadelphia crowd were chanting "ECW! ECW! ECW!" during the Mabel-Savio Vega match.
  • At KOTR 1993 Jerry "The King" Lawler attacked Bret Hart during his royal coronation speech and claiming that he was the real "King of Wrestling." The two had a rivalry that lasted for two years.
  • Chyna is the only woman to ever compete in a King of the Ring tournament.
  • King of the Ring 1996 was the birth of Austin 3:16.
  • King of the Ring was cancelled after 2002 when the WWF wanted to cut the number of major pay-per-views down from 5 to 4 (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series).
  • Despite his massive late 80s success, The Ultimate Warrior only competed at one KOTR event. He beat Jerry "The King" Lawler in a non-tournament match in 1996. This would also be his last WWF PPV appearance.
  • Jerry "The King" Lawler never won a match at any King of the Ring PPV events.
  • Three men competed in matches at the first three King of the Ring PPVs: Bret Hart, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Tatanka, although, none of them appeared for a 4th straight KOTR match.
  • Triple H was originally scheduled to win King of the Ring 1996, but he was punished before the PPV event for breaking kayfabe at a house show which is now known as the Curtain Call incident. Stone Cold Steve Austin was awarded the honor instead and Triple H won it the following year.
  • Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar are the only two King of the Ring winners who also went on to the win the WWE Championship the same year.
  • The 1994 event is infamous for featuring legendary Baltimore Colts defensive tackle Art Donovan on color commentary. Throughout the event, Donovan showcased his complete lack of wrestling knowledge, asking many questions about the wrestlers, what they were doing, who were they, why they were doing things, and how much they weighed (A Question he asked several times). Donovan's famous quote of "How much does that there fella weigh?" has become sort of a catchphrase at the website Wrestlecrap.
  • The 2000 KOTR tournament is widely considered one of the best-ever tournaments. Aside from the eight men who made the PPV tournament, 32 wrestlers were part of the preliminaries, the most for any KOTR tournament. This marked the high-water mark of KOTR competition, with no one obvious king and a large number of potential, plausible winners.
  • The Undertaker has competed at 7 KOTR events (1995-2000 and 2002), which is a record. His win-loss record is 5-2, which includes three successful defenses of the WWE Championship.
  • X-Pac has wrestled in 8 matches at KOTR events (a record), including making it to the semifinals and finals of the KOTR tournament respectively. His win-loss record is 5-3.
  • The Intercontinental Champion has made to the finals three times (1998, 2000, 2002) but has never won the tournament.
  • Kurt Angle is incorrectly identified in recent Smackdown airings as potentially being the first 2-time KOTR (though if he does win, he would be the first to win two televised KOTR's.)
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External links

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/King_of_the_Ring"