King of the Ring: Recreating the Tournament and Pay-Per-View

One pay-per-view that the WWE is missing, and has been for a while, is King of the Ring. Like the Royal Rumble, King of the Ring creates stars and helps boosts wrestler's careers.

The tournament allows for lower talent to show off their work and impress the bosses against guys who are consistently on TV or pay-per-view cards. 

Just look at some of the winners from the past. King of the Ring is where Stone Cold Steve Austin started "Austin 3:16" and really took off as a star in the WWE.

Kurt Angle won it early in his career, and look what he accomplished. Edge, Brock Lesnar and Ken Shamrock are all past winners who have had respectable careers.

King of the Ring has not been held for more than one year in a row since 2002. There have only been three tournaments since then, held in 2006 (won by Booker T), 2008 (won by William Regal) and 2010 (won by Sheamus).

The WWE needs to bring back the tournament, and here is a great way of holding it.  

Rules/Guidelines

There will be some guidelines as to who will and will not be in the tournament.

First, the WWE champion CM Punk will not be in the tournament, as the winner of the tournament can choose to challenge for his title. I have Punk on the pay-per-view facing off against Daniel Bryan, so he will not be in the tournament as well.

Next, the World Heavyweight champion Sheamus will also not be in the tournament, for the same reason as CM Punk. I have Sheamus defending the title on the pay-per-view against Chris Jericho, who will not be in the tournament.

Also, to keep the tag-team division moving along, 12 individuals from six tag teams will not be in the tournament, as they will be involved in a tag-team turmoil match at the pay-per-view. These teams are Kofi Kingston/R Truth, Primo/Epico, Tyler Reks/Curt Hawkins, Hunico/Camacho, Darren Young/Titus O'Neil and the Usos.

Finally, all up-and-coming talent that have been protected by winning streaks will not be included, as to keep their streaks intact and continue their development. These four who will not compete will be Brodus Clay, Ryback, Antonio Cesaro and Damien Sandow.

Now, to the 32-man tournament, which will be held on Raw and Smackdown.

Pre-PPV Preliminary Matches Pt. 1

David Otunga vs. Rey Mysterio 

Majority of the match is dominated by Otunga, who is working the returning Mysterio. Otunga's posing for the crowd backfires, as Mysterio makes the most of the opportunity and hits Otunga with a 619 and Frog Splash to secure a spot in the next round.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Michael McGillicutty

Ziggler does his usual showoff routine throughout the beginning of the match. After some back-and-forth action, Ziggler wins cleanly via Zig Zag to defeat McGillicutty.

Evan Bourne vs. Dean Ambrose

From a booking standpoint, the mistakes Evan Bourne has made in terms of violating the WWE's wellness policy necessitates him to put over a young star. Ambrose takes the victory with a Midnight Special in a fast-paced match with Bourne.

Jack Swagger vs. Santino Marella 

Swagger dominates early on, before a Santino Marella comeback is mounted. As Santino pulls the Cobra out, Vicki Guerrero gets on the apron to distract Santino. Swagger goes to hit Santino, accidentally hits Guerrero off the mat and eats a Cobra en route to a loss.

John Cena vs. Mason Ryan

We see some early power moves on display by Mason Ryan, but Cena quickly recovers and wins via Attitude Adjustment. Cena moves on, much to the dismay of John Laurinaitis.

Kane vs. Zack Ryder 

Kane is rag-dolling Ryder for a good portion of the match, before bringing a chair into the ring and disqualifying himself. Ryder advances in the tournament, but Kane inflicts the damage.

Lord Tensai vs. JTG

Typical Lord Tensai squash match. Complete beatdown, followed by an chokebomb and the "Mist Claw" for a pin.

The Miz vs. Alex Riley

A good showing by Alex Riley, which sees him dominate a majority of the match. Miz scores a pinfall at the end, though, hitting a Skull Crushing Finale out of nowhere to move on. 

Pre-PPV Preliminary Matches Pt.2

Alberto Del Rio vs. Ezekial Jackson

Early on, "Big Zeke" dominates using his strength to overpower Del Rio. Del Rio gains the edge at the end before earning a tap with his signature Cross Armbreaker.

Big Show vs. Mark Henry

Big Show and Henry have a back-and-forth battle, before John Laurinaitis interrupts and distracts Big Show. Henry jumps Big Show from behind and hits a World's Strongest Slam to clinch his place in the next round of the tournament.

Christian vs. Yoshi Tatsu

A short back-and-forth match is wrestled here, with Christian eventually hitting a Killswitch to put away Tatsu.

Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase 

DiBiase controls the action early, before a low blow by Rhodes that the ref does not see. From there, Rhodes hits a Disaster Kick to pin DiBiase and move on in the King of the Ring Tournament.

Drew McIntyre vs. Justin Gabriel 

McIntyre controls the early action before taking too much time amping up the crowd. Gabriel then takes control but makes one mistake and finds himself the recipient of a Future Shock for the loss.

Great Khali vs. Wade Barrett

The "Punjabi Playboy" works the early action, but loses via pinfall on a rollup by Barrett who grabs the tights to secure the win.

Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal 

In basically a squash match, Orton hits most of his signature moves before nailing Mahal with a RKO, earning him the pinfall.

Sin Cara vs. Tyson Kidd 

In a fantastic, fast-paced match, we see almost a 50/50 split on who controls the action. In the end, Cara taps out Kidd with a Fujiwara armbar to move on in the tournament.

Pre-PPV Round of 16

Dolph Ziggler vs. Rey Mysterio 

Ziggler dominates the early action before Mysterio finally gets going. Mysterio is throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Ziggler. Mysterio nails a 619, but Vicki Guerrero distracts the ref while Jack Swagger nails Mysterio with a Gut Wrench Powerbomb. This allows Ziggler to gain the painfall and make it to the final eight.

The Miz vs. Zack Ryder 

A back-and-forth match eventually sees Ryder nail Miz with a Broski Boot. As Ryder goes for a Rough Ryder, Miz moves out of the way and hits a Skull Crushing Finale to eliminate Ryder and make it to the final eight.

Lord Tensai vs. John Cena 

Lord Tensai dominates early, beating Cena down mercilessly. Cena eventually mounts a comeback. As he is about to nail Tensai with an Attitude Adjustment, Sakamoto comes in and kicks Cena in the midsection, earning Cena a win by disqualification. After the match, Tensai, Sakamoto and John Laurinaitas continue the assault on Cena.

Dean Ambrose vs. Santino Marella 

Ambrose starts off in control, but eventually Marella takes control from him. After a failed Cobra attempt on Ambrose hits the referee out cold, Ambrose begins to play unfair. One mistake by Ambrose sees him eat a Cobra. Another referee from the back runs down to count the pinfall, giving Santino the win.

Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry 

Henry is in control for a majority of the fight. A failed attempt at a World's Strongest Slam see him earn an RKO, as Orton wins by pinfall.

Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes 

In a back-and-forth affair, Rhodes misses a Disaster Kick before eating a kick to his head. Sin Cara goes to the top rope for a moonsault, but Rhodes moves and rolls up Sin Cara, putting his feet on the ropes for extra leverage. Another dirty win for Rhodes, but he makes it to the final eight.

Christian vs. Drew McIntyre 

A standard match with no shenanigans from either man. McIntrye looks impressive, as he controls a good portion of the match. Eventually, Christian comes back and nails a Killswitch to clinch his spot in the final eight.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Wade Barrett 

Another standard match, which shows good back-and-forth action. In the end, Barrett hits a Wasteland on Del Rio to earn the final spot in the pay-per-view part of the tournament. 

Quarterfinals

The Miz vs. Santino Marella 

In the opener of the pay-per-view, we see The Miz working over Santino in dominating fashion. After Santino starts to gain the momentum, he decks The Miz with a Cobra and works his way into the semifinals.

Cody Rhodes vs. Dolph Ziggler

In a match which sees both men dominate an equal amount of time, Rhodes gains an edge at the end. As he nails Ziggler with a Disaster Kick, Big Show's music goes off, but he does not come out.

While Rhodes is distracted, Ziggler hits a Zig Zag from behind, earning Ziggler the nod. Finally, Big Show comes out laughing and leaves promptly after, much to the dismay of Rhodes.

Randy Orton vs. Christian 

Orton dominates early, but the tide turns when he goes for an RKO and instead eats a DDT. Christian then controls the fight. As Christian sets up a Killswitch, he is reversed and receives a match-ending RKO, advancing Orton in the tournament.

John Cena vs. Wade Barrett 

Cena is visibly still feeling the effects from the triple-team beatdown he took from Lord Tensai, Sakamoto and John Laurinaitas. In a back-and-forth match, Cena finally gains control at the end, before Laurinaitas distracts the referee. This allows Tensai to blindside Cena, allowing Barrett to hit a Wasteland and win the match.   

Semifinals

Dolph Ziggler vs. Santino Marella 

"The Show Off" is handling Marella for a big portion of the match, before Santino mounts a comeback, avoiding a clothesline with his trademark splits and hitting a hip toss. He prepares the Cobra, before Vicki Guerrero distracts the ref.

Jack Swagger tries to interfere but eats a Cobra for his troubles. Swagger goes for a Zig Zag but is shook off by Santino. Eventually, Santino hits a Cobra on Ziggler for a trip to the finals.

Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton 

This match is pretty even, with both men handling different portions of the fight. Orton goes for an RKO but is shaken off by Barrett. Barrett eventually hoists up Orton and nails a Wasteland, earning a pinfall and a spot in the finals. 

Tag-Team Turmoil

The tag-team turmoil spots are drawn at random. After a team is eliminated, the team that is next in order comes down to the ring. Like the Royal Rumble, the later the draw, the better.

Drawing No. 1 is Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins. They are met by team No. 2, which is the Usos. Reks and Hawkins isolate Jey Uso in their corner for a big portion of the match, beating him down. After a hot tag, Jimmy Uso begins to turn the tides. Anarchy breaks out in the ring, as Hawkins and Reks are both in brawling with Jimmy and Jey. 

Eventually, Jey takes Reks out of the ring, allowing Jimmy to hit a Superfly Splash for the pin. Reks and Hawkins are eliminated, bringing out the No. 3 team, Hunico and Camacho.

Hunico and Camacho work over Jimmy Uso this time, again isolating him and beating him down. Before you know it, Jimmy finally escapes and tags in Jey. They hit an Alley-Us on Hunico, before scoring a pinfall. The two teams brawl before team No. 4 comes in, Titus O'Neil and Darren Young.

Camacho left the Usos in the ring completely beat down. It does not take long for O'Neil and Young to earn a pinfall on Jey Uso, effectively eliminating the Usos.

Next out are the tag-team champions, Kofi Kingston and R Truth. After some good back-and-forth action, a brawl breaks out between all four participants. R Truth and Titus O'Neil continue to fight outside the ring. Kingston nails a Trouble in Paradise on Young, eliminating the young up-and-comers.

The final team out is Epico and Primo, accompanied by Rosa Mendes, A.W. and Mason Ryan. There are a lot of shenanigans during the final part of the match, which sees Rosa Mendes distract the ref, A.W. pull out the unconscious Epico (who ate a Trouble in Paradise) and Mason Ryan wreck Kofi Kingston with a Full Nelson Slam.

Primo goes for the pin, but R Truth breaks up the pin. Another brawl breaks out between the teams. Eventually, Kingston regains his mojo and nails Primo with a Trouble in Paradise to retain the belts. 

King of the Ring Final

Wade Barrett vs. Santino Marella

In the King of the Ring Final, Raw's Santino Marella takes on Smackdown's Wade Barrett. The match is pretty much one-sided, as Barrett ragdolls Marella. 

The tides then turn, as Marella mounts a comeback. As Santino sets up the Cobra and is playing to the crowd, Barrett recovers, never allowing Marella to hit the move. 

From there, Barrett hits a Wasteland, picks up Marella and hits another Wasteland on him for good measure. Barrett scores the win, becoming the 2012 King of the Ring, much to the dismay of those in attendance.

World-Title Matches

Sheamus vs. Chris Jericho

In this "No Disqualification, Falls Count Anywhere" match, we see a fan-friendly brawl between Sheamus and Jericho. The match starts out with some good in-ring wrestling, before an all-out brawl takes place outside the ring. 

The brawl moves away from the ring into the backstage area. Sheamus sets up for a Brogue Kick but misses and kicks through a door. While his foot is caught in the door, Jericho stomps away at a helpless Sheamus. Eventually, Sheamus frees his foot but has sustained a good amount of damage.

On the stage, Jericho sets up table just off the stage, which he plans to throw Sheamus through. The tides turn, though, as Sheamus reverses a slam move into a Brogue Kick, which sends Jericho through the table off the stage. Sheamus gains the pinfall, regaining his belt.

CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan

In a cage match for the WWE Championship, Punk and Bryan have a great back-and-forth match. A lot of typical spots for both men, as exemplified by the running knee by Punk into the Bulldog.

Towards the end, Bryan takes control, using the cage to rough up Punk. He locks up the LeBell Lock (yes, I said the LEBELL Lock), which sees Punk on the verge of tapping out. He eventually reverses it into his own Anaconda Vice. 

Bryan works his way out of the Anaconda Vice by raking the eyes of Punk. Eventually, Punk secures a GTS to earn a pinfall victory over Bryan, retaining the WWE title in the process.

Conclusion

There you have it, the 2012 King of the Ring. Through the process, a lot of mid-card wrestlers and guys who we rarely see on TV get their chance to prove they are good workers. A lot of guys, such as Wade Barrett, used the tournament to get over and begin a run in the main even scene.

Please comment below and let me know what you think. Hopefully, this hypothetical tournament and pay-per-view went to your liking.

Results:

Santino Marella defeats The Miz in King of the Ring quarterfinals

Dolph Ziggler defeats Cody Rhodes in King of the Ring quarterfinals

Randy Orton defeats Christian in King of the Ring quarterfinals

Wade Barrett defeats John Cena in King of the Ring quarterfinals

Santino Marella defeats Dolph Ziggler in King of the Ring semifinals

Wade Barrett defeats Randy Orton in King of the Ring semifinals

Kofi Kingston and R Truth win Tag Team Turmoil to retain Tag Team titles

Wade Barrett defeats Santino Marella in King of the Ring finals

Sheamus defeats Chris Jericho in No Disqualification, Falls Count Anywhere match to retain World Heavyweight Championship

CM Punk defeats Daniel Bryan in cage match to retain WWE Championship