King of the Ring
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King of the Ring is a professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by World Wrestling Entertainment. The tournament was held annually from 1985 to 2002 (except for 1992), and from 1993 until 2002, the tournament was produced as a pay-per-view event.
The tournament went into a four year hiatus, until it returned in 2006 as a SmackDown! exclusive tournament. The tournament returned as an interpromotional tournament in 2008.
History
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1985 | Don Muraco |
| 1986 | Harley Race |
| 1987 | Randy Savage |
| 1988 | Ted DiBiase |
| 1989 | Tito Santana |
| 1991 | Bret Hart |
| 1993 | Bret Hart |
| 1994 | Owen Hart |
| 1995 | Mabel |
| 1996 | Steve Austin |
| 1997 | Hunter Hearst Helmsley |
| 1998 | Ken Shamrock |
| 1999 | Billy Gunn |
| 2000 | Kurt Angle |
| 2001 | Edge |
| 2002 | Brock Lesnar |
| 2006 | Booker T |
| 2008 | William Regal |
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 in 1985. The second King, 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 Randy Savage ("Macho King") though Savage's "King" gimmick was the result of defeating Hacksaw Jim Duggan for the crown in 1989, Owen Hart ("King of Harts"), "King" Mabel, Kurt Angle ("King Kurt"), Edge ("King Edge The Awesome"), Booker T ("King Booker"), and most recently William Regal are all wrestlers that took on "King" nicknames after winning King of the Ring tournaments.
Pay-per-view
The King of the Ring was an event in which typically sixteen wrestlers wrestled in a one-on-one single elimination bracket. When a wrestler wins a match in the bracket, they advance 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! General Manager 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, usually heel 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, Steve Austin's famous "Austin 3:16" saying started during a speech made after he won the KOTR. A number of wrestlers have had huge successes after winning the tournament (in particular Steve Austin, but also Bret Hart, Kurt Angle, Edge, Triple H, and others), while some wrestlers have admittedly been "flops" as king (such as Mabel and Billy Gunn), and continued to be treated as lower card wrestlers after winning the tournament, even though Gunn went on to win the Intercontinental Championship a year later.
The PPV also was considered the fifth major WWF PPV (alongside the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series) as it was one of their only annual events. It was discontinued after 2002.
Revival
It was announced in April 2006 that the King of the Ring tournament would be returning in 2006 after its four year hiatus. The 2006 tournament was the first tournament since 1991 that had not been shown on its own pay-per-view. The 2006 tournament was won by Booker T, who faced Bobby Lashley in the finals at the Judgment Day pay-per-view event. After a brief hiatus in 2007, it was announced on the April 14 2008 edition of Raw, that the tournament would be held the following week on a special three hour edition of Raw.[1]
King of the Ring pay-per-view event dates and venues
Event results
1985
The tournament was held on July 8 1985 at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The tournament brackets were:
| First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| Don Muraco | |||||||||||||||||||
| Junkyard Dog | |||||||||||||||||||
| Don Muraco | |||||||||||||||||||
| Les Thornton | |||||||||||||||||||
| Les Thornton | |||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Lombardi | |||||||||||||||||||
| Don Muraco | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Morales | |||||||||||||||||||
| Paul Orndorff | DDQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bob Orton, Jr. | DDQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| BYE | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Morales | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Morales | |||||||||||||||||||
| Johnny V | |||||||||||||||||||
| Don Muraco | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Iron Sheik | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tito Santana | |||||||||||||||||||
| Terry Funk | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tito Santana | Coin Toss | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Brunzell | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Brunzell | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Spoiler | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tito Santana | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Iron Sheik | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ricky Steamboat | |||||||||||||||||||
| Greg Valentine | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ricky Steamboat | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Iron Sheik | |||||||||||||||||||
| Iron Sheik | |||||||||||||||||||
| B. Brian Blair | |||||||||||||||||||
- Hulk Hogan defeated Nikolai Volkoff to retain the WWF Championship
- Hogan pinned Volkoff.
1986
The tournament was held on July 14 1986 at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The tournament brackets were:
| First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| Mr. X2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Billy Jack Haynes | |||||||||||||||||||
| Billy Jack Haynes | |||||||||||||||||||
| Iron Sheik | |||||||||||||||||||
| Billy Jack Haynes | |||||||||||||||||||
| Harley Race | |||||||||||||||||||
| Harley Race | |||||||||||||||||||
| George Steele | |||||||||||||||||||
| Harley Race | |||||||||||||||||||
| BYE | |||||||||||||||||||
| Don Muraco | Draw | ||||||||||||||||||
| Roddy Piper | Draw | ||||||||||||||||||
| Harley Race | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Morales | |||||||||||||||||||
| Nikolai Volkoff | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dan Spivey | |||||||||||||||||||
| Nikolai Volkoff | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Junkyard Dog | |||||||||||||||||||
| Junkyard Dog | |||||||||||||||||||
| Paul Orndorff | |||||||||||||||||||
| Nikolai Volkoff | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Morales | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Morales | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rudy Diamond1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pedro Morales | |||||||||||||||||||
| Mike Rotundo | |||||||||||||||||||
1. ^ Rudy Diamond was a substitute for Bob Orton.
2. ^ Mr. X was a substitute for Hercules Hernandez.
- Bruno Sammartino defeated The Designated Hitman
- The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) defeated The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) (w/Johnny V.) in a steel cage match to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship
- Dynamite and Beefcake escaped from the cage first. Smith then escaped the cage to win the match after Valentine had accidentally knocked him out the door.
1987
The tournament was held on September 4 1987 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The tournament brackets were:
| First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| Haku | |||||||||||||||||||
| Brutus Beefcake | |||||||||||||||||||
| Haku | Draw | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rick Martel | Draw | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rick Martel | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dan Spivey | |||||||||||||||||||
| BYE | |||||||||||||||||||
| King Kong Bundy | |||||||||||||||||||
| King Kong Bundy | CO | ||||||||||||||||||
| One Man Gang | |||||||||||||||||||
| King Kong Bundy | |||||||||||||||||||
| Special Delivery Jones | |||||||||||||||||||
| Special Delivery Jones | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sika | |||||||||||||||||||
| King Kong Bundy | |||||||||||||||||||
| Randy Savage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Danny Davis | CO | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tito Santana | |||||||||||||||||||
| Danny Davis | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Junkyard Dog | |||||||||||||||||||
| Junkyard Dog | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tama | |||||||||||||||||||
| Danny Davis | |||||||||||||||||||
| Randy Savage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Brunzell | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ron Bass | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Brunzell | |||||||||||||||||||
| Randy Savage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Randy Savage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Nikolai Volkoff | |||||||||||||||||||
1988
The tournament was held on October 16 1988 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The tournament brackets were:
| First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| Ken Patera | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nikolai Volkoff | 10:20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ken Patera | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ted DiBiase | 5:42 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brutus Beefcake | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ted DiBiase | 7:32 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ted DiBiase | Forfeit | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ron Bass | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Barbarian | DQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ron Bass | 7:02 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ron Bass | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shawn Michaels | 7:39 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Danny Davis | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shawn Michaels | 3:37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ted DiBiase | CO | ||||||||||||||||||
| Randy Savage | 6:11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bad News Brown | DCO | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hercules | 6:05 | ||||||||||||||||||
| BYE | |||||||||||||||||||
| Randy Savage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Randy Savage | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Virgil | 5:43 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Randy Savage | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Red Rooster | 7:21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Marty Jannetty | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Red Rooster | 11:00 | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Red Rooster | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
| Iron Mike Sharpe | 3:27 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mike Sharpe1 | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Boris Zhukov | 6:27 | ||||||||||||||||||
1. ^ Mike Sharpe substituted for The Warlord.
2. ^ DiBiase paid Bass off to fake an injury.
- Jim Duggan defeated Dino Bravo (w/Frenchy Martin) in a flag match
1989
The tournament was held on October 14 1989 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The tournament brackets were:
| First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| Akeem | |||||||||||||||||||
| Brutus Beefcake | |||||||||||||||||||
| Akeem | |||||||||||||||||||
| BYE | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hercules | DDQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Neidhart | DDQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Akeem | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tito Santana | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Warlord | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bushwhacker Butch | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Warlord | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tito Santana | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tito Santana | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bad News Brown | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tito Santana | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rick Martel | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rick Martel | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bill Woods1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rick Martel | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bushwhacker Luke | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bushwhacker Luke | |||||||||||||||||||
| Nikolai Volkoff | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rick Martel | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jimmy Snuka | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jimmy Snuka | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Barbarian | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jimmy Snuka | |||||||||||||||||||
| Haku | |||||||||||||||||||
| Haku | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Red Rooster | |||||||||||||||||||
1. ^ Bill Woods substituted for Barry Windham.
1991
The tournament was held on September 7 1991 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The tournament brackets were:
| First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| Hawk | DQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jerry Sags | 3:02 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jerry Sags | |||||||||||||||||||
| BYE | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ricky Steamboat | Draw | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ted DiBiase | 15:00 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jerry Sags | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Irwin R. Schyster | 1:22 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Duggan | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brian Knobbs | 5:04 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Duggan | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Irwin R. Schyster | 3:16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Berzerker | CO | ||||||||||||||||||
| Irwin R. Schyster | 2:51 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Irwin R. Schyster | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bret Hart | 10:00 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pete Doherty1 | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bret Hart | 0:33 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bret Hart | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
| Skinner | 4:47 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Skinner | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Virgil | 5:02 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bret Hart | |||||||||||||||||||
| BYE | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sid Justice | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Warlord | 3:23 | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Undertaker | DDQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sid Justice | 4:08 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Animal | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Undertaker | 3:40 | ||||||||||||||||||
1. ^ Pete Doherty substituted for Kerry Von Erich.
1993
1994
1995
1996
| King of the Ring (1996) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | June 23 1996 | ||
| City | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | ||
| Venue | MECCA Arena | ||
| Attendance | 8,762 | ||
| Tagline(s) | To Battle Is Honor...to Win Is Hell! | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| King of the Ring chronology | |||
| |||
King of the Ring (1996) took place on June 23 1996 from the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- Free For All match: The Bodydonnas (Skip and Zip) (w/Cloudy) defeated The New Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Leif Cassidy) (8:06)
- Skip pinned Cassidy.
- Dark match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Aldo Montoya (3:00)
- Helmsley pinned Montoya.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Steve Austin defeated Marc Mero (16:49)
- Austin pinned Mero.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Jake Roberts defeated Vader (3:34)
- Vader was disqualified for using the referee as a human shield when Roberts attempted the DDT.
- The Smokin' Gunns (Billy and Bart) defeated The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship (10:10)
- Billy pinned Phineas with a roll up.
- The Ultimate Warrior defeated Jerry Lawler (3:50)
- Warrior pinned Lawler after a running shoulder block.
- Mankind defeated The Undertaker by TKO (18:21)
- Mankind won by applying the Mandible claw.
- Ahmed Johnson defeated Goldust to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship (15:34)
- Johnson pinned Goldust after hitting him with a Steel Chair.
- KOTR Final:Steve Austin defeated Jake Roberts to win the King of the Ring tournament (4:28)
- Austin pinned Roberts after a Stone Cold Stunner.
- Originally, Hunter Hearst Helmsley had been slated to win the KOTR tournament, but after the infamous Curtain Call at Madison Square Garden, it was decided to go with Austin.
- Shawn Michaels (w/Jose Lothario) defeated The British Bulldog (w/Jim Cornette and Diana Smith) (w/Mr. Perfect as special guest referee) to retain the WWF Championship (26:25)
- Michaels pinned Bulldog after the Sweet Chin Music.
- During the deciding fall, both Mr. Perfect and a second referee (Earl Hebner) began to count Bulldog's shoulders down. Owen Hart (who was at ringside as he was a color commentator for the event) objected and pulled Mr. Perfect out of the ring. However, Hebner continued his count to three, ordered for the bell, and awarded the match to Michaels.
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 occurred before the first round was completed). The tournament brackets were:
| First Round (TV) | Quarterfinals (TV) | Semifinals (PPV) | Final (PPV) | ||||||||||||||||
| Ahmed Johnson | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Vader | 11:32 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Vader | |||||||||||||||||||
| BYE | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goldust | DCO | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ultimate Warrior | 15:20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Vader | DQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jake Roberts | 3:34 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jake Roberts | 9:34 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jake Roberts | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Justin Bradshaw | 6:15 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Justin Bradshaw | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Henry Godwinn | 7:39 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jake Roberts | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Austin | 4:28 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Austin | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bob Holly | 9:34 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Austin | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Savio Vega | 8:10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Marty Jannetty | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Savio Vega | 7:25 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Austin | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Marc Mero | 16:49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Marc Mero | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Skip | 10:28 TV Time | ||||||||||||||||||
| Marc Mero | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owen Hart | 9:43 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owen Hart | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Yokozuna | 3:58 | ||||||||||||||||||
1997
| King of the Ring (1997) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | June 8 1997 | ||
| City | Providence, Rhode Island | ||
| Venue | Providence Civic Center | ||
| Attendance | 9,312 | ||
| Tagline(s) | It's Bound to Get Medieval. Brace Yourself | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| King of the Ring chronology | |||
| |||
King of the Ring (1997) took place on June 8 1997 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- Free For All match: The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher) defeated Bart Gunn and Jesse James (6:10)
- Thrasher pinned Gunn after a Stage Dive.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Chyna) defeated Ahmed Johnson (7:42)
- Helmsley pinned Johnson after a Pedigree.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Mankind defeated Jerry Lawler (10:24)
- Mankind forced Lawler to submit with the Mandible claw.
- Goldust (w/Marlena) defeated Crush (w/D'Lo Brown and Clarence Mason) (9:56)
- Goldust pinned Crush after a DDT.
- The Hart Foundation (Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, and Jim Neidhart) defeated Sycho Sid and The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) (13:37)
- Owen pinned Sid with a sunset flip.
- KOTR Final: Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Chyna) defeated Mankind to win the King of the Ring tournament (19:26)
- Helmsley pinned Mankind after a Pedigree.
- Shawn Michaels fought Steve Austin to a double disqualification (22:29)
- Both men were disqualified after they attacked the referee.
- The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) defeated Faarooq (w/Crush, Savio Vega, D'Lo Brown, and Clarence Mason) to retain the WWF Championship (13:43)
- Undertaker pinned Faarooq after a Tombstone Piledriver when Faarooq was distracted by Vega and Crush arguing outside the ring.
- After the match, Ahmed Johnson made a run-in and delivered a Pearl River Plunge to The Undertaker.
The tournament was held between May 12 and June 8 1997. The tournament brackets were:
| Quarterfinals (TV) | Semifinals (PPV) | Final (PPV) | ||||||||||||
| Ahmed Johnson | DQ | |||||||||||||
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley | 3:25 | |||||||||||||
| Ahmed Johnson | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley | 7:42 | |||||||||||||
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley1 | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Crush | 18:56 | |||||||||||||
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Mankind | 19:28 | |||||||||||||
| Goldust | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Jerry Lawler | 11:55 | |||||||||||||
| Jerry Lawler | Sub | |||||||||||||
| Mankind | 10:24 | |||||||||||||
| Mankind | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Savio Vega | 14:35 | |||||||||||||
1. ^ Helmsley was allowed another spot in the tournament because he pulled a job to Mable 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.
1998
1999
| King of the Ring (1999) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | June 27 1999 | ||
| City | Greensboro, North Carolina | ||
| Venue | Greensboro Coliseum | ||
| Attendance | 19,761 | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| King of the Ring chronology | |||
| |||
King of the Ring (1999) took place on June 27 1999 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- Dark match: Meat defeated Kurt Angle
- Meat pinned Angle.
- Sunday Night HEAT match: The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) fought Edge and Christian to a no-contest (1:28)
- Sunday Night HEAT match: Mideon and Viscera defeated The Big Boss Man in a Handicap match (1:47)
- Mideon pinned Boss Man.
- Sunday Night HEAT match: Prince Albert defeated Val Venis (1:57)
- Albert pinned Venis.
- Sunday Night HEAT match: Ken Shamrock defeated Shane McMahon(0:43)
- McMahon was disqualified when Steve Blackman interfered and attacked Shamrock.
- KOTR Quarter-Final: X-Pac defeated Hardcore Holly (3:02)
- Holly was disqualified after hitting X-Pac with a steel chair.
- KOTR Quarter-Final: Kane defeated The Big Show (6:36)
- Kane pinned Big Show after attacking him with a steel chair.
- KOTR Quarter-Final: Mr. Ass defeated Ken Shamrock (3:37)
- The referee stopped the match after Shamrock started bleeding from the mouth.
- KOTR Quarter-Final: Road Dogg defeated Chyna (w/Triple H) (13:19)
- Road Dogg pinned Chyna after a Pumphandle Drop.
- The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) (w/Michael Hayes) defeated The Brood (Edge and Christian) (w/Gangrel) (4:49)
- Jeff pinned Edge after a neckbreaker.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Mr. Ass defeated Kane (5:25)
- Mr. Ass pinned Kane after Big Show interefered and hit Kane with a steel chair.
- KOTR Semi-Final: X-Pac defeated Road Dogg (3:08)
- X-Pac pinned Road Dogg after an X-Factor.
- The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) defeated The Rock to retain the WWF Championship (19:10)
- Undertaker pinned Rock after a Tombstone Piledriver following interference from Triple H.
- KOTR Final: Mr. Ass defeated X-Pac to win the King of the Ring tournament (5:33)
- Mr. Ass pinned X-Pac after top rope Fameasser.
- Shane McMahon and Vince McMahon defeated Steve Austin in a Ladder match (17:11)
- The McMahons won when Shane grabbed the briefcase, winning Austin's 50% ownership of WWF.
The tournament took place between May 25 and June 27 1999. The tournament brackets were:
| First Round (TV) | Quarterfinals (PPV) | Semifinals (PPV) | Final (PPV) | ||||||||||||||||
| Mr. Ass | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Viscera | 2:05 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mr. Ass | Ref Stop | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ken Shamrock | 3:37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ken Shamrock | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jeff Jarrett | 2:55 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mr. Ass | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kane | 5:25 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Droz | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Big Show | 0:59 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Big Show | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kane | 6:36 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Test | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kane | 3:05 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mr. Ass | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| X-Pac | 5:33 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Road Dogg | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Godfather | 1:02 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Road Dogg | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chyna | 13:19 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chyna | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Val Venis | 2:14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Road Dogg | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| X-Pac | 3:08 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al Snow | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hardcore Holly | 1:24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hardcore Holly | DQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| X-Pac | 3:02 | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Big Boss Man | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| X-Pac | 2:37 | ||||||||||||||||||
2000
| King of the Ring (2000) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | June 25 2000 | ||
| City | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
| Venue | Fleet Center | ||
| Attendance | 15,388 | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| King of the Ring chronology | |||
| |||
King of the Ring (2000) took place on June 25 2000 at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts. This was the largest KOTR, with 32 competitors taking part.
Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- KOTR Quarter-Final: Rikishi defeated Chris Benoit (3:25)
- Benoit was disqualified after attacking Rikishi with a steel chair.
- KOTR Quarter-Final: Val Venis w/Trish Stratus defeated Eddie Guerrero w/Chyna (8:04)
- Venis pinned Guerrero with a Bridging Fisherman's Suplex.
- KOTR Quarter-Final: Crash Holly defeated Bull Buchanan (4:07)
- Crash pinned Buchanan with a roll-up.
- KOTR Quarter-Final: Kurt Angle defeated Chris Jericho (9:50)
- Angle pinned Jericho after an Angle Slam.
- Edge and Christian defeated Too Cool (Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) (c), The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) (w/Lita), and T & A (Test and Albert) (w/Trish Stratus) in a Four Corners Elimination match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship (14:11)
- Matt pinned Test after Jeff hit a Swanton Bomb. (3:41)
- Christian pinned Matt after an Impaler (7:55)
- Edge pinned Sexay after Christian hit Sexay with a tag title belt. (14:11)
- KOTR Semi-Final: Rikishi defeated Val Venis (3:15)
- Rikishi pinned Venis after a Belly-to-Belly Suplex.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Kurt Angle defeated Crash Holly (3:58)
- Angle pinned Crash after an Angle Slam.
- WWF Hardcore Champion Pat Patterson fought Gerald Brisco to a no-contest in a Hardcore Evening Gown match (3:07)
- The match ended when Crash Holly pinned Patterson to win the Hardcore Championship.
- D-Generation X (Road Dogg and X-Pac) and Tori defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) in a Handicap Tables Dumpster match (9:45)
- DX and Tori won when both Dudleyz were put in the dumpster.
- After the match, the Dudleyz hit the 3D on both X-Pac and Road Dogg before Bubba Ray hit a sit-down powerbomb off the top on Tori through a table set up in the ring.
- KOTR Final: Kurt Angle defeated Rikishi to win the King of the Ring tournament (5:56)
- Angle pinned Rikishi after a Super Belly-to-Belly Suplex.
- The Rock, Kane, and The Undertaker defeated Triple H, Vince McMahon, and Shane McMahon (17:54)
- Rock pinned Vince after a Rock Bottom to win the WWF Championship.
- The pre-match stipulation was that if Triple H (who was the current WWF Champion at the time) or a member of his team lost, Triple H would lose the title to whoever got the pinfall/submission. Had Triple H's team won, Triple H would have defended the WWF title against whoever won the King of the Ring tournament.
The tournament took place between May 29 and June 25 2000.
| First round (TV) | Second round (TV) | Quarterfinals (PPV) | Semifinals (PPV) | Finals (PPV) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bradshaw | 2:48 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bubba Ray Dudley | 4:42 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bubba Ray Dudley | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Big Bossman | 3:26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Jericho | 9:50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Jericho | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test | 4:15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Jericho | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Edge | 5:30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Edge | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Master Sexay | 5:12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crash Holly | 3:58 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crash Holly | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prince Albert | 1:26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crash Holly | DQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hardcore Holly | 4:17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hardcore Holly | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Faarooq | 3:04 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crash Holly | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bull Buchanan | 4:07 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bull Buchanan | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Blackman | 3:22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bull Buchanan | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Perry Saturn | 2:03 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Perry Saturn | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| D-Von Dudley | 4:43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rikishi | 5:56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rikishi | DQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shane McMahon | 2:35 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rikishi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scotty 2 Hotty | 2:53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scotty 2 Hotty | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| D'Lo Brown | 3:38 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rikishi | DQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Benoit | 3:25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Benoit | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Road Dogg | 1:43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Benoit | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| X-Pac | 4:53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| X-Pac | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dean Malenko | 2:01 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rikishi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Val Venis | 3:15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Val Venis | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al Snow | 4:31 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Val Venis | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeff Hardy | 3:56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeff Hardy | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Christian | 1:59 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Val Venis | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eddie Guerrero | 8:04 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eddie Guerrero | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Matt Hardy | 4:11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eddie Guerrero | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chyna | 2:25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chyna | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Godfather | 1:44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2001
| King of the Ring (2001) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | June 24 2001 | ||
| City | East Rutherford, New Jersey | ||
| Venue | Continental Airlines Arena | ||
| Attendance | 17,777 | ||
| Tagline(s) | My Muscles Ache, My Mind Is Spent, My Body Is Broken, Lead Me to My Throne | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| King of the Ring chronology | |||
| |||
King of the Ring (2001) took place on June 24 2001 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- Sunday Night HEAT match: Matt Hardy (w/Lita) defeated Justin Credible to retain the WWF European Championship (7:03)
- Hardy pinned Credible after a Diving Hurricarana from Lita.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Kurt Angle defeated Christian (8:17)
- Angle pinned Christian after an Angle Slam.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Edge defeated Rhyno (8:52)
- Edge pinned Rhyno after an Edgecution.
- The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) defeated Kane and Spike Dudley to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship (8:32)
- Bubba pinned Spike after a 3D.
- KOTR Final: Edge defeated Kurt Angle to win the King of the Ring tournament (10:21)
- Shane McMahon ran in during the match, attacking Angle.
- Edge pinned Angle after an Edgecution.
- Jeff Hardy defeated X-Pac to retain the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (7:11)
- Jeff pinned X-Pac after a Swanton Bomb.
- During intermission, Diamond Dallas Page confronted The Undertaker.
- Kurt Angle defeated Shane McMahon in a Street Fight (26:00)
- Angle pinned Shane after a Super Angle Slam.
- Steve Austin defeated Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWF Championship (27:52)
- Austin pinned Benoit after Benoit hit a back suplex on Jericho off the top rope.
- Half-way through the match, Booker T made his WWF debut by attacking Austin and putting him through the Spanish announce table.
The tournament took place between June 4 and June 24 2001. The tournament brackets were:
| First Round (TV) | Quarterfinals (TV) | Semifinals (PPV) | Final (PPV) | ||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hardcore Holly | 6:21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jeff Hardy | 3:19 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jeff Hardy | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Matt Hardy | 3:57 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Christian | 8:17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Christian | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kane | 2:14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Christian | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Big Show | 2:19 | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Big Show | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Raven | 1:35 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | 10:21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Edge | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Edge | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Test | 5:52 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Edge | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Perry Saturn | 3:49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Blackman | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Perry Saturn | 2:05 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Edge | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rhyno | 8:52 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Crash Holly | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tajiri | 3:08 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tajiri | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rhyno | 2:52 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rhyno | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tazz | 3:20 | ||||||||||||||||||
2002
| King of the Ring (2002) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | RAW SmackDown! | ||
| Date | June 23 2002 | ||
| City | Columbus, Ohio | ||
| Venue | Nationwide Arena | ||
| Attendance | 14,200 | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| King of the Ring chronology | |||
| |||
King of the Ring (2002) took place on June 23 2002 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- Sunday Night HEAT match: The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) defeated Raven and Steven Richards (6:02)
- Jeff pinned Richards after Raven walked out on his partner.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Rob Van Dam defeated Chris Jericho (14:32)
- RVD pinned Jericho after a Five-Star Frog Splash.
- KOTR Semi-Final: Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman) defeated Test (8:18)
- Lesnar pinned Test after an F-5.
- Jamie Noble (w/Nidia) defeated The Hurricane to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (11:38)
- Noble pinned Hurricane after a powerbomb.
- Ric Flair defeated Eddie Guerrero (17:00)
- Flair pinned Guerrero after Bubba Ray Dudley interfered and hit Guerrero with a Bubba Bomb.
- During the match, Chris Benoit also interfered on behalf of Eddie Guerrero.
- Molly Holly defeated Trish Stratus to win the WWE Women's Championship (5:41)
- Molly pinned Trish with leverage from a handful of tights after a Belly-to-belly suplex.
- Kurt Angle defeated Hulk Hogan (12:08)
- Angle forced Hogan to submit with the Ankle Lock.
- KOTR Final: Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman) defeated Rob Van Dam to win the King of the Ring tournament (5:42)
- Lesnar pinned RVD after an F-5.
- As a result of his victory, Lesnar earned an Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam.
- The Undertaker defeated Triple H to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship (23:44)
- Undertaker pinned Triple H with a roll-up after a low blow and holding the tights.
- During the match, The Rock interfered on Triple H's behalf, hitting the Undertaker with a Rock Bottom.
The tournament took place between June 3 and June 23 2002. The tournament brackets were:
| First Round (TV) | Quarterfinals (TV) | Semifinals (PPV) | Final (PPV) | ||||||||||||||||
| Brock Lesnar | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bubba Ray Dudley | 4:49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brock Lesnar | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Booker T | 3:22 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Booker T | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| William Regal | 3:26 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brock Lesnar | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Test | 8:18 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hardcore Holly | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tajiri | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hardcore Holly | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Test | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Hurricane | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Test | |||||||||||||||||||
| Brock Lesnar | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rob Van Dam | 5:42 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Jericho | Forf1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Edge | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Jericho | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
| Val Venis | |||||||||||||||||||
| Christian | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Val Venis | 3:22 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Jericho | 14:32 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rob Van Dam | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| X-Pac | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Goldust | 3:26 | ||||||||||||||||||
| X-Pac | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rob Van Dam | 6:00 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eddie Guerrero | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rob Van Dam | 9:38 | ||||||||||||||||||
1. ^ Edge forfeited his match to Chris Jericho due to a shoulder injury.
2006
The tournament took place between April 21st and May 21st 2006. The tournament brackets were[2]
| Quarterfinals (TV - SmackDown!) | Semifinals (TV - SmackDown!) | Final (PPV - Judgment Day) | ||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Sub | |||||||||||||
| Randy Orton | 8:13 | |||||||||||||
| Kurt Angle | Forfeit (injury) | |||||||||||||
| Booker T | Bye | |||||||||||||
| Matt Hardy | 15:03 | |||||||||||||
| Booker T | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Booker T | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Bobby Lashley | 9:15 | |||||||||||||
| Chris Benoit | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Finlay | 22:30 | |||||||||||||
| Finlay | 13:30 | |||||||||||||
| Bobby Lashley | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Bobby Lashley | KO | |||||||||||||
| Mark Henry | 5:02 | |||||||||||||
- All wrestlers involved in the tournament were from SmackDown!.
2008
The tournament took place April 21st on Raw from the BI-LO Center in Greenville, South Carolina. The tournament brackets were:[3][4]
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
| RAW | Chris Jericho | Sub | ||||||||||||
| SD | Montel Vontavious Porter | 5:05 | ||||||||||||
| Chris Jericho | 6:21 | |||||||||||||
| CM Punk | Pin | |||||||||||||
| ECW | CM Punk | Pin | ||||||||||||
| SD | Matt Hardy | 3:45 | ||||||||||||
| CM Punk | 4:07 | |||||||||||||
| William Regal | Sub | |||||||||||||
| SD | The Great Khali | 1:59 | ||||||||||||
| SD | Finlay | DQ | ||||||||||||
| Finlay | 3:37 | |||||||||||||
| William Regal | KO | |||||||||||||
| RAW | William Regal | Sub | ||||||||||||
| SD | Hornswoggle | 0:19 | ||||||||||||
References
- ^ Vermillion, James (2008-04-14). "Return of the King". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
- ^ "WWE King of the Ring 2006 Bracket". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
- ^ "King of the Ring 2008 Bracket". WWE. 2008-04-21. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
- ^ DiFino, Lennie (2008-04-21). "The Reign of Regal Begins". WWE. Retrieved 2008-05-01.