Ranking Stone Cold’s Austin 3:16 Promo and Best WWE King of the Ring Moments Ever

Since the inaugural King of the Ring event in 1993 through the first coronation of a queen in 2021, the show has been home to some unforgettable moments featuring the biggest stars in WWE history.

Some jump-started rivalries and careers, while others remain etched in the minds of fans who can never forget where they were when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin cut his infamous "Austin 3:16" promo or Undertaker tossed Mankind from the top of a steel cage in 1998.

Ahead of WWE crowning a new king and queen at its latest international premium live event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 26, these are the moments that have helped define the tournament and the PPV.

8. Kurt Angle Makes The Hulkster Tap Out (2002)

Hulk Hogan did not lose often throughout his WWE career, and he never tapped out.

After all, The Hulkster was a superhero for fans across the globe and the idea of him quitting via tapout was not one anyone was willing to entertain.

Then came the 2002 King of the Ring and his showdown with Kurt Angle.

Technically, the match itself was nothing special. The Olympian was at a different level between the ropes than the older Hogan and could have worked circles around him at that point in time.

More important than the match quality, though, was the finish.

Angle trapped Hogan in his vaunted ankle lock and after several moments of the six-time world champ trying to fight through the pain and agony, the babyface tapped out.

It was a clean, decisive win for Angle and yet another reminder that the King of the Ring pay-per-view was anything but kind to Hogan.

7. History is Made (2021)

Crown Jewel hosted the 2021 King of the Ring and the inaugural Queen of the Ring tournament.

In the finals of the women's competition, Zelina Vega squared off with Doudrop (now Piper Niven).

A competitive match concluded with Vega making good on her vow to make history, as she beat her opponent and claimed the crown. It was a career-defining moment for the New York native and one that should have been capitalized on more by WWE.

Still, despite what can best be described as a lack of follow-up, the moment paid off Vega's hard work and dedication while giving her an unforgettable moment to enhance her resume.

Until a new queen is crowned on May 26 at the King and Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia, Vega remains the only competitor to win the queen's crown.

6. The King of Harts (1994)

On the heels of a monumental victory over his brother, Bret Hart, at WrestleMania X, Owen Hart sought to continue proving himself as his sibling's equal in 1994 by winning the same King of the Ring tournament The Hitman won a year earlier.

The heel did just that, though not without controversy.

Owen defeated Tatanka and 1-2-3 Kid to advance to the finals, where he faced Razor Ramon. But a sneak attack by Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart allowed the youngest Hart to secure the win and declare himself the "King of Harts."

It was a special moment for the second-generation competitor.

5. Yokozuna Destroys Hulkamania (1993)

Fans who took exception to Hulk Hogan celebrating an impromptu WWE Championship win after WrestleMania IX were pleasantly surprised to see his overinflated ego deflated under the massive leg of Yokozuna.

Yokozuna used his iconic leg drop to defeat The Hulkster at the 1993 King of the Ring PPV and send him packing from the company for the next decade.

Sure, a fireball from the lens of a Japanese photographer helped the challenger dethrone the WWE champion, but all that matters is the outcome.

Yokozuna dominated the match, and the finish was an emphatic exclamation point on the conclusion of Hulkamania after nine years of it running wild.

Hogan did not wrestle another televised WWE match until he returned to the company in 2002.

4. Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon Take It to the Extreme (2001)

Kurt Angle had become a WWE great by 2001 and Shane McMahon had a long history over overperforming in the handful of matches he had ahead of that year's King of the Ring.

However, few could have expected the utter chaos that occurred when they clashed in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Angle and McMahon beat the life out of each other. The Olympian cracked his tailbone delivering a suplex on the arena floor, and McMahon bled buckets after his rival repeatedly attempted to suplex him through glass windows and then threw him through one.

The fans ate it up, creating a red-hot atmosphere that reflected the energy and intensity the performers brought to their encounter.

Angle won the match but McMahon earned the respect of fans, who watched him put his body through seemingly endless punishment.

An epic encounter that was one of the best matches of 2001, a year with its fair share of incredible matches.

3. Bret Hart's Trilogy of Excellence (1993)

Bret Hart followed a disappointing WrestleMania IX in which he dropped the WWE title to Yokozuna before inexplicably being overshadowed by Hulk Hogan by turning in one of the greatest one-night performances in company history.

The Hitman defeated Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow in a trilogy of matches. More importantly, those contests established Hart as untouchable between the ropes.

Driven by frustration over how the biggest show of the year ended for him and motivated to prove why he was the perfect choice to be the face of WWE's next generation, Hart seized that first King of the Ring show and ensured his efforts inside the squared circle would define it.

The result was a performance that set the bar impossibly high for all others in the tournament's history to try to surpass.

Thirty-one years later, it still hasn't happened.

2. Hell in a Cell (1998)

No match has been played and replayed more since it took place than the Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Mankind at the 1998 King of the Ring.

With unforgettable violence, uncomfortable risks by the masked villain and a guttural call by Jim Ross on commentary, Mick Foley's plight is seared in the minds of fans across the ages.

The match perfectly encompassed everything that was the Attitude Era. It was excessive, brutal, featured needlessly big bumps and threatened the well-being of at least one of the combatants involved.

The match put over the lengths to which an increasingly aggressive Undertaker would go to win and highlighted the gutsiness of Foley, who earned the respect of fans and ensured his legacy would live forever in one of the best performances in WWE history.

1. Austin 3:16 (1996)

One of the most important moments in WWE history occurred at the 1996 King of the Ring, just moments after "Stone Cold" Steve Austin defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts to become the latest heir to the throne.

Citing Roberts' born-again faith, Austin cut a promo that would change the course of his career and ultimately the pro wrestling industry.

"Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16...Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass," he told his beaten rival after his King of the Ring win.

With that, a catchphrase and the most successful T-shirt in wrestling history was born.

Above all, it would give fans a taste of the irreverent badass who would become the face of the company during the Attitude Era, lead the promotion to victory in the Monday Night War against WCW and become the biggest Superstar in WWE history.