4 Wrestling Tropes It Is Time to Retire

Kings

You know this trope from:

• Harley Race
• Randy Savage
• Jerry Lawler
• Owen Hart
• Mabel
• Booker T
• William Regal
• Sheamus
• Bad News Barrett
• Baron Corbin

While I’m glad that the King of the Ring tournament is back, having the winner suddenly shift gears from an established character to a snobby king heel is just tired.

The King of the Ring was not entirely dissimilar to a Young Lion’s Cup with a WWE flair to it. It was a tournament meant to showcase young talent and elevate the winner to a new level on the card. Anymore what we see is a mid-card wrestler (generally one who’s already a heel) who creative has nothing else better for, win the tournament and spend the next few weeks coming out with a custom cape and crown, denigrating the audience and his opponents.

Said wrestler seldom moves up the card, and the gimmick is dropped long after it’s worn out.

Baron Corbin went from a balding biker in pseudo-pirate pants, to a creepy Applebee’s bartender, and now he’s a king? I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen. Corbin’s going to remain a thorn in the side of the bulk of the mid-card with the occasional championship opportunity at the Intercontinental or US championships, and won’t be moving up the card. So why do we need a tournament and a lousy “King” gimmick on top of that?

What we should see instead is the tournament being used to build what already makes the winner and their character great – cranking that personality up from an 11 to a 12 and ripping the dial off. A stepping stone in transitioning someone up the card and changing how the audience views that character.