WWE King of the Ring 2015: Winner, Grades, Reaction and Highlights

For the first time in almost five years, the King of the Ring tournament returned to WWE. Before the company held a pay-per-view every month, this was one of the yearly events that fans really looked forward to.

What makes winning this honor different from holding a championship is that the winner has to defeat three Superstars in a row to become the king.

Unlike in past years, the tournament was split up between Raw and a one-hour special on the WWE Network. Not having all three rounds in one night doesn't make the accomplishment any less special.

R-Truth, Sheamus, Bad News Barrett and Neville advanced to the second round of the tournament during Raw, and Tuesday saw them battle to see who was worthy of wearing the crown.

Let's take a look at what happened during the 2015 King of the Ring.

Sheamus vs. Neville

Credit: WWE.com

Neville gave his first proper interview with Renee Young before the match got started. He talked about being the longest-reigning NXT champion and how he was just two wins away from being the King of the Ring within a month of his Raw debut.

The match that followed was high-impact and fast-paced, but since Sheamus controlled most of the action, Neville's high-flying exploits were kept to a minimum.

As anyone with half a brain could have predicted, Dolph Ziggler came out and distracted Sheamus the same way the Celtic Warrior had distracted The Showoff on Raw.

Neville took advantage and hit the Red Arrow to advance. Even with the help from Ziggler, it was still an impressive victory for The Man Gravity Forgot. Ziggler and Sheamus brawled for a bit, forcing eight officials to separate them.

Between the match and the fight that took place after, this was a great way to get the show off to a fun start.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• Sheamus is really quick for a guy his size. He is capable of matching the speed of Neville or the power of John Cena. It's a rare trait for a powerhouse to have.
• The spot where Neville hit the announce table after being knocked off the apron looked painful.
• Sheamus was busted open pretty badly during the fracas with Ziggler.

Bad News Barrett vs. R-Truth

Credit: WWE.com

Renee Young interviewed Bad News Barrett backstage, and it seemed like he just assumed he would defeat R-Truth without any kind of difficulty. Truth talked to Byron Saxton about his fear of spiders for some reason.

Many probably questioned the decision to have Truth involved in the tournament at all, let alone advance to the second round.

The fact is, Truth is a great hand in the ring. Even if WWE doesn't intend to push him, he still has value in being a guy who can put others over. He also garners a reaction every time he comes out, and that is not something every Superstar can say.

Truth and Barrett have worked together a lot over the years, so they have built up a good chemistry that allowed them to have a decent match.

Barrett won with the Bull Hammer to advance to the final round and turn this into a fight between two Englishmen for the crown.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights:

• Why is R-Truth talking about spiders so much?
• Once Neville beat Sheamus, it was obvious Barrett was going to win to set up a heel vs. babyface final.
• A video tribute to the late Verne Gagne was played after the match. WWE.com reported his death on Monday. A lot of young fans probably have no idea who he is, but he did a lot for the business as a wrestler and promoter. He will be missed.

Bad News Barrett vs. Neville

Credit: WWE.com

In a strange coincidence, the match that closed out the King of the Ring tournament was a rematch of the contest that kicked off Extreme Rules.

Barrett and Neville put on a great performance on Sunday, and they did the same thing on Tuesday. However, this time was different.

Barrett underestimated Neville at Extreme Rules, so he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. He took control early and put his smaller opponent through the wringer.

Neville hit a variety of high-flying maneuvers, but he was unable to overcome the Bull Hammer. This might not have been as exciting as the match they had at Extreme Rules, but it was close.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• Barrett employing a variant of the bow-and-arrow submission put a smile on my face. You don't see that hold used enough these days.
• Neville is a lot stronger than many may realize. The way he hits the German suplex with ease on someone much larger than himself is really impressive.
• Having Barrett win without cheating was the right move. It made him look dominant and deserving of the crown.
• While it's great that Barrett can add a prestigious accolade to his resume, it should have happened on Raw or a pay-per-view instead of a WWE Network special.

Final Thoughts

The King of the Ring tournament used to be a very special event in WWE, and it's great to see it brought back—even if the concept was watered down a bit.

This was a great hour of wrestling that saw a criminally underappreciated talent finally be recognized for his hard work and talent.

Barrett was the perfect choice to win the tournament, and not just because he's British. His heel persona is ideal for this kind of role. He might not start calling himself King Barrett, but you can bet he is going to tout this victory for a long time.

This might almost be better for Bad News' career than winning the Intercontinental Championship would have been had Daniel Bryan been able to defend the title at Extreme Rules.

Barrett is now part of a small group of Superstars to hold this distinction, and that is more valuable to him in the long run than a midcard title.

Congratulations to Bad News Barrett on becoming the new King of the Ring. If anyone deserves it, it's him.

What do you think? Was Barrett the right choice to win the tournament? Is it less special because it happened on a glorified episode of Main Event. Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.