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The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments are kicking off once again, and the history of King of the Ring serves as a reminder that nostalgia often creates selective memory. There is a prevailing — but inaccurate — belief that winning the original King of the Ring was always a major stepping-stone toward superstardom.
A closer look at the tournament’s history, however, reveals that this was just as much the exception as the rule. For every “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or Brock Lesnar who used the tournament as a launching pad to the top, there was also a Mabel or Billy Gunn whose victory failed to elevate them to lasting main-event status.
The original King of the Ring pay-per-view format ran from 1993 through 2002 before being discontinued. When WWE revived the concept in 2006, the tournament was restructured as a television-based event rather than its own standalone pay-per-view. As a result, the prestige and significance of winning the tournament diminished considerably. Looking back at some of the winners from that era, many fans are left reacting with genuine surprise: “Wait, that wrestler won King of the Ring?”
In recent years, however, WWE has made a noticeable effort to restore importance to the tournament. The company not only revived King of the Ring, but also introduced the Queen of the Ring tournament for the Women’s Division. More importantly, WWE has attached meaningful rewards to victory, including a championship opportunity at SummerSlam. Those stakes have helped restore a sense of prestige and relevance that the tournaments lacked for much of the previous two decades.
In this week’s article, I will examine three King of the Ring winners who successfully used the tournament and the crown as a genuine stepping stone to greater heights. More importantly, I will focus on tournaments that truly felt meaningful and carried lasting significance.
Catch up on past “Then, Now, Forever” columns HERE.
Then: King Booker – (2006)
To wear or not wear the crown? That is the question every King or Queen of the Ring winner must answer.
Wearing the crown can be an effective way to generate heel heat through self-aggrandizing and semi-delusional behavior, but the gimmick does not fit everyone. After winning the tournament in 1994, Owen Hart proclaimed himself the “King of Harts,” using the crown to add a new dimension to his character and amplify the annoying little brother qualities that made him such an effective heel. The crown helped push his persona over the top. In contrast, someone like Ken Shamrock or Brock Lesnar wearing a crown, robe, and carrying a scepter would have been disastrous. The imagery would have undercut the serious, dominant aura that defined their characters.
After a four-year absence, the King of the Ring tournament returned in 2006. In the tournament final at the Judgment Day 2006 pay-per-view, Booker T defeated Bobby Lashley. The match itself is nothing special, but it follows a tried-and-true wrestling formula. The powerful babyface overwhelms the heel early. The veteran heel capitalizes on a mistake made by the inexperienced, overly aggressive babyface to gain control. The babyface mounts a comeback, only for the heel to use outside interference to steal the victory. It is a textbook wrestling story, executed well enough to accomplish its purpose.
To say Booker T fully embraced the king gimmick would be an understatement. He changed virtually everything about his presentation—his wardrobe, the way he spoke, his mannerisms, and his overall demeanor. He committed completely. In fact, he may have gone beyond rationality and straight into delusion. At first, the act was somewhat eye-roll-inducing. Yet Booker T’s total commitment to the character ultimately made it entertaining. It made it memorable. Most importantly, it made it work.
By 2006, Booker T had become a somewhat stagnant character. Winning King of the Ring and embracing the crown gave him a much-needed reinvention. The transformation injected new life into his persona and helped elevate him into SmackDown’s main event scene for the next year. While many King of the Ring winners have struggled to turn the crown into something meaningful, Booker T demonstrated exactly how a wrestler can use the gimmick to revitalize a career.
Now: Nia Jax – (2024)
Apologies to Zelina Vega, but her Queen of the Ring victory did little for her career and did nothing to establish meaningful prestige for the crown. Nia Jax became the first Queen of the Ring whose victory truly mattered. Nia’s tournament win was a key chapter in the redemption story that began with her return to WWE. That journey ultimately culminated in her capturing the Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.
The tournament was important both for Nia and for the credibility of the Queen of the Ring concept itself. Nia’s victory reinforced her status as a dominant force in the women’s division, while the fact that the tournament directly led to a championship opportunity—and ultimately a title win—made the crown feel like a legitimate stepping stone to the top of the card.
In the tournament final, Nia faced newcomer Lyra Valkyria. The tournament served as an effective introduction and credibility-building exercise for Lyra, allowing her to showcase both her in-ring ability and glimpses of a developing character. The match itself is fine, built around a classic cat-and-mouse dynamic.
Lyra uses her speed and technique to keep Nia off balance, but whenever Nia is able to get her hands on her opponent, she makes her pay. The effectiveness of the story is somewhat hindered by a recurring issue I have with Nia’s matches. She often steps back from contact rather than stepping into it.
As a result, some of her selling can make her opponent’s offense look to have less impact which undercuts the believability of the damage being inflicted. The most impressive moment of the match comes at the finish. Lyra attempts a powerbomb, only for Nia to counter it into an Annihilator. The move looks absolutely devastating—which is fitting, because it probably was.
Forever: Bret Hart – (1993)
In 1993, the first King of the Ring pay-per-view took place. It was the first time WWF television viewers were introduced to the importance of the King of the Ring concept.
The event serves as a showcase for the greatness of “The Hitman” Bret Hart. In a single night, Hart wrestled three unique opponents and told three distinctly different wrestling stories.
In the opening round, Hart squared off against the larger, bullying heel character of Razor Ramon. Hart relied on his technical wrestling ability to counter Ramon’s size and power advantage. That story came full circle in the finish when Hart shifted his weight during a top-rope belly-to-back superplex, landing on top of Ramon to score the pinfall victory.
In the semifinals, Hart met Mr. Perfect in a rematch of their classic encounter from SummerSlam 1991. Hart initially outwrestled Perfect, forcing his opponent to become increasingly aggressive and desperate. Hart spent much of the match fighting from underneath, displaying his trademark toughness and resilience. Once again, technical wrestling proved to be the difference, as Hart countered Perfect’s small package attempt with one of his own to secure the victory. This match is every bit as good as their more celebrated SummerSlam encounter and deserves to be mentioned alongside it.
The tournament final saw an exhausted and battered Hart face the imposing Bam Bam Bigelow. For much of the contest, Bigelow dominated, overwhelming Hart with his power and punishing offense. After interference from Luna Vachon led to a controversial Bigelow pinfall, the match was ordered to continue. Hart’s resourcefulness then became the central story. Despite the damage he had absorbed throughout the evening, he mounted a comeback and once again relied on technical skill rather than brute force. Hart ultimately defeated Bigelow with a Victory Roll, becoming the inaugural King of the Ring pay-per-view winner.
Bret Hart’s performance at King of the Ring 1993 stands as one of the greatest single-night performances in professional wrestling history. Over the course of three matches, Hart demonstrated his versatility as a storyteller, adapting to three completely different opponents while maintaining a coherent narrative throughout the tournament. Whether wrestling a larger power wrestler, a technical equal, or an athletic monster, Hart found a different path to victory each time. It was a masterclass in professional wrestling and a reminder of why Bret Hart is considered one of the greatest performers the industry has ever seen.
WATCH HERE (Bret vs. Razor Ramon (4:00), vs. Mr. Perfect (57:00), vs. Bam Bam (2 hr 17))
Now catch up on past “Then, Now, Forever” columns HERE.
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