WWE: The top five King of the Ring tournament winners so far

3. Bret Hart

Bret Hart won the first King of the Ring tournament after it became its own pay-per-view event in 1993. He’s also the only competitor who has won the event twice, winning it two consecutive times from 1991 to 1993 (there was no tournament in 1992).

His televised win initiated a major shift at WWE, and possibly throughout the entire wrestling industry. This was the start of Hart’s rise as the company’s newest top star. It’s also the beginning of the transition to smaller and more technically sound wrestlers like Bret and Shawn Michaels.

While he didn’t take on the gimmick or any of the pageantry that came with the title, one could also argue that he set the standard for it at the inaugural King of the Ring pay-per-view. His aforementioned feud with his younger brother, Owen, made the tournament feel important.

When a certain Texas Rattlesnake won it in 1996, it felt like a star-making performance because it put him in the same conversation as “The Hitman”.

Of course, Bret Hart’s resume speaks for itself. He went on to become a five-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion and one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. There’s a good chance at least one of your favorite wrestlers today was inspired by his original with the WWE.