Rating Best WWE King of the Ring Winners Ever

WWE’s King of the Ring event all through the years has not solely showcased a few of the finest wrestlers in firm historical past but additionally catapulted the careers of a number of iconic rivals.

Don Muraco was the primary to seize the crown in 1985 adopted by a slew of different WWE Corridor of Famers when it originated as a non-televised event. Upon King of the Ring turning into its personal annual occasion in 1993, much more notable names went on to put declare to the distinguished accolade.

It wasn’t till “Stone Chilly” Steve Austin reigned supreme within the tourney that it began to function a stepping stone towards the principle occasion scene. Triple H, Kurt Angle, Edge, Brock Lesnar and Booker T all went on to win world titles after turning into King of the Ring.

The crown has misplaced a whole lot of its luster lately with William Regal, Sheamus, Wade Barrett, Baron Corbin and Xavier Woods discovering early success shortly after securing it solely to quantity to little or no.

To this point, the 2024 installment has been dealt with exceptionally properly and the hope amongst followers is {that a} vital push awaits the eventual victor. The place will they rank among the many best King of the Ring winners ever?

Randy Savage (1987)

Contemporary off his year-long reign as Intercontinental champion, The Macho Man was clearly major occasion certain however had a while to kill till it was time to win his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 4. That led to him successful the third-ever installment of King of the Ring and being extremely entertaining within the function.

It match him as a heel to a tee, but he finally received over the viewers and organically turned babyface. Consequently, his stint as king was short-lived.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Triple H (1997)

Triple H is The King of Kings for a cause. The gimmick he began out with in WWE was befitting of the crown, however mockingly, it was solely after successful King of the Ring that he channeled his interior depth and took that subsequent step towards the highest of the cardboard.

Had he received King of the Ring when he was initially imagined to in 1996, who is aware of if he would have adopted that very same path to tremendous stardom.

Kurt Angle (2000)

The Olympic gold medalist was such a pure at all the pieces upon arriving in WWE that it was no shock to see him win the King of the Ring event his rookie yr with the corporate.

He received the Intercontinental Championship and the European Championship earlier in 2000 and adopted up on his King of the Ring victory by turning into WWE champion that October. Angle’s in-ring excellence made him a real king of the squared circle.

Booker T was an on the spot fan favourite from the second he jumped from WCW to WWE in 2001. Nonetheless, regardless of his immense recognition, he was by no means capable of get past a sure stage and largely settled for midcard success in these first few years.

In 2006, he fully reinvented himself as King Booker by beating Bobby Lashley within the finals of that yr’s installment on SmackDown. He shortly ascended via the ranks and was World Heavyweight champion mere months later.

His dedication to the character was made it work so properly. Between the phony English accent, the over-the-top mannerisms and his real-life spouse Sharmell appearing as his “queen,” Booker was WWE’s quintessential king—and at last a world champ as well.

The shtick earned him 4 months with what’s affectionately recognized by followers as “Massive Gold” and an prolonged keep in the principle occasion scene the place he belonged. His battles with Batista dominated the title image within the latter half of the yr.

He remained King Booker lengthy after his reign was over. Triple H besting him in a conflict of kings at SummerSlam 2007 was basically his swan track from the corporate.

Owen Hart’s expertise was at all times deniable, but it surely was unknown how far it’d take him with WWE primarily being the “land of the giants” within the early Nineteen Nineties and far greater stars being on the rise—together with his personal brother, Bret.

By the onset of 1994, The Hitman had already completed virtually all the pieces there was to do: numerous tag titles, a number of reigns as Intercontinental champion and WWE champion, a Royal Rumble victory, and back-to-back WrestleMania major occasions.

The one factor that alluded him popping out of The Present of Exhibits that yr was a win over Owen.

They resumed their rivalry into the summer time, the place Owen emerged victorious within the King of the Ring event—the precise accolade Bret had obtain two occasions prior. Owen was decided to outshine his brother by any means needed, and as such, The King of Harts was born.

That ready him for the principle event-level push he subsequently acquired heading into his heated rematch with Bret at SummerSlam, this time inside a metal cage with the gold up for grabs.

The 2 contested arguably the best cage match in WWE historical past with Owen proving he can hold even in defeat. His King of Harts character ought to have stored him in the principle occasion combine quite a bit longer than it did.

Brock Lesnar wasn’t the slightest bit involved with carrying a crown or carrying a scepter when he entered the 2002 King of the Ring event. That was why he was the proper individual to win it.

He was already on rampage coming off his explosive post-WrestleMania Uncooked debut and noticed King of the Ring as a possibility to create extra carnage. Positive sufficient, he made quick work of all of his opponents together with Bubba Ray Dudley, Booker T, Take a look at and finally Rob Van Dam.

This was the one yr the place the winner was promised a world title shot at SummerSlam that August. Lesnar rose to the event and defeated The Rock in a wonderful match on the occasion to turn into one of many fastest-rising and youngest WWE champions of all-time.

The King of the Ring served its goal in elevating The Subsequent Massive Factor to that subsequent stage as a result of the principle occasion scene is the place he has stayed. He wreaked havoc on SmackDown for the subsequent two years and held the WWE title one other two occasions earlier than calling it quits at WrestleMania 20.

Precisely a decade faraway from his first look on WWE TV, Lesnar resurfaced in April 2012 and the remainder is historical past.

Within the near-40 yr existence of the King of the Ring idea, Bret Hart is the one particular person to have received it twice. Amazingly, it was back-to-back installments in 1991 and 1993.

The 1991 tourney befell at a non-televised home present and noticed Hart earn a bye within the semifinals earlier than beating Irwin R. Schyster within the finals. His string of wins in 1993 have been much more spectacular.

On the inaugural King of the Ring pay-per-view, Hart wrestled three matches in a single night time and each single of them was terrific. He first knocked off Razor Ramon within the quarterfinals, adopted by Mr. Excellent within the semifinals, after which lastly Bam Bam Bigelow in the principle occasion to seize the crown.

He undoubtedly had the most effective performances of any King of the Ring winner within the event and strengthened his Excellence of Execution nickname within the course of.

Maybe the most effective half was that The Hitman hardly wanted one other nod as King of the Ring. He had already received the WWE Championship months earlier and was a longtime commodity in the principle occasion image, however at the very least this served as a reminder of what precisely he was able to when the bell rang.

The 1996 King of the Ring event itself was nothing particular. Solely the semifinals and the finals have been held on the eponymous occasion and not one of the three matches have been terribly matches with “Stone Chilly” Steve Austin vs. Marc Mero being the most effective of the bunch.

It was Austin’s victory speech that solidified his standing as WWE’s best King of the Ring winner.

Whereas operating down his fallen opponent Jake Roberts, The Texas Rattlesnake coined the time period Austin 3:16. In what was fairly actually an in a single day sensation, the favored phrase was plastered on fan indicators as quickly as the subsequent night time’s Uncooked whereas the Austin 3:16 shirt grew to become a record-setting merch merchandise for the corporate.

Curiously, it was a number of months earlier than WWE did something of be aware with Austin. He was principally directionless till kicking off his feud with Bret Hart within the fall, but it surely was successful King of the Ring and the next speech that earned him such a outstanding spot so shortly.

Austin’s career-altering efficiency towards Hart at WrestleMania 13 quickly led to the daybreak of the business-booming Perspective Period, and his King of the Ring triumph was the genesis of all of it.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialised in sports activities and leisure writing since 2010. Go to his web site, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for extra wrestling-related content material.