WWE King of the Ring 2015: Full Bracket, Details and Reaction

The King of the Ring will make its long-awaited return to WWE on Monday night, and the company announced the eight Superstars who will be vying for the crown during the WWE Network special.

The first-round matchups are as follows:   

• Dolph Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett
• R-Truth vs. Stardust
• Sheamus vs. Dean Ambrose
• Neville vs. Luke Harper

PWMania's Jason Solomon envisions a Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler final:

The King of the Ring used to occupy its own pay-per-view on the WWE calendar, but it was relegated to Raw and SmackDown beginning in 2006 as popularity for the event waned. The PPV is arguably most notable for serving as the launching pad of Stone Cold Steve Austin following his victory over Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the 1996 final.

WWE revealed during last night's Extreme Rules that the King of the Ring was coming back. Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari preferred the more understated approach to the KOTR's resurrection:

The first-round matches will take place on Monday night's Raw, with the semifinals and finals on the WWE Network Tuesday.

Bringing back the King of the Ring, especially on the WWE Network, seems like a home run. It's a great way to drive interest in the Network up while at the same time allowing midcard Superstars a chance to shine.

In addition, making the KOTR its own separate special helps to add a bit more allure than simply dedicating an edition of Raw to the tournament.

Maybe WWE can slip a War Games WWE Network special in at some point next.