Time for WWE to Bring Back King of the Ring Tournament?
By Bryan Heaton
The WWE pay per view schedule for 2018 was recently revealed, and there’s been a reduction in events from this year. Does that leave room for a possible Network special that revives King of the Ring?
Late last week, during the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, the 2018 WWE pay per view schedule was released. With 14 events scheduled, there’s been a slight reduction in the number of events from this year. There’s an additional dual brand show, since Money in the Bank will feature both Raw and SmackDown superstars. But there are five Raw-exclusive shows, and four SmackDown-exclusive events.
With the schedule set up as it is, there may be an opportunity to get the SmackDown brand an additional event, whether officially a “pay per view” or not. The WWE Network offers the ability to produce special events outside of those on the USA cable network, or traditional pay per view. Why not utilize that resource to its full extent?
Enter the King of the Ring tournament. First introduced in 1985, when Don Muraco won the inaugural event, several superstars have seen their careers boosted by winning. Hall of Famers like Randy Savage, Edge, Bret Hart, and Kurt Angle all captured the crown. In total, 19 superstars have earned the title of “king,” the last being Bad News Barrett in 2015.
For nearly a decade, King of the Ring was a pay per view event. But this is 2017, where the wrestling world has gone off its rocker. Rather than hold such a tournament in a single night (or a few nights), let’s take it to the next level.
I’m talking New Japan G1 style next level – make it a round robin over an extended period of time. Change things up a bit – qualifying matches on SmackDown, and a few Network specials to host the last few rounds. The way WarGames came back slightly modified shows WWE would be open to tweaking a familiar concept for a new audience.
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There’s plenty of time for such an extended event on the SmackDown brand. With one less exclusive pay per view than Raw, the Blue Team can use something special. In fact, the only time King of the Ring was a brand-exclusive show? 2006, when it was a SmackDown event.
Between WrestleMania and Money in the Bank, there’s a decent amount of time on the calendar to fill. And between SummerSlam and Survivor Series, there’s another chunk of time for SmackDown to try and make meaningful. Throw a tournament in there.
If it’s before Money in the Bank, give the winner an automatic spot in the ladder match. If it’s before Survivor Series, winner is team captain. Something, anything to give the tournament purpose.
There’s been speculation that the forthcoming WWE UK show may be called “King of the Ring.” Nothing has come from that as of yet. But to me, King of the Ring is some kind of tournament, not a weekly television show. With any luck, that rumor is just that – a rumor.
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Even if there’s no change to the classic King of the Ring format, it would be a great event to bring back. There’s plenty of history in the event that can be addressed, and any winner should theoretically get at least a slight push out of it. Unless you’re Bad News Barrett, I guess.