WWE King of the Ring: The Rise, Fall and Modern Relevance of Classic Tournament

The King of the Ring tournament was once responsible for one of the most exciting and anticipated nights in professional wrestling, a series of matches that would crown a single winner destined to dominate the world of sports entertainment for the next year and beyond.

Over time, though, a series of business decisions and WWE's lack of emphasis led to diminishing returns, hurting both the credibility and legitimacy of the once-beloved tournament.

July 8 marks 31 years since the inaugural tournament was held in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

What happened between Don Muraco's triumphant victory over The Iron Sheik in 1985 and Bad News Barrett's underwhelming 2015 win to devalue such an easy sell, and can the tournament still thrive in today's wrestling landscape?

Humble Beginnings

From 1985-89, the King of the Ring tournament was an annual, Northeast-based event that promoter Vince McMahon could count on to steal a house for a night. By giving the otherwise meaningless house show a gimmick, he knew he could pique the interest of fans in Massachusetts or Rhode Island and draw them to the arena.

For inaugural winner Muraco, there was very little to celebrate. He received no substantial push, nor was his victory touted on television. It was not until 1986 and Harley Race's victory over the great Pedro Morales that the King gimmick became a staple of WWE programming. Race adopted the "King" moniker and probably got over with the entertainment-loving audience more than he otherwise would have as his rugged, rough self.

From 1987 through the final tournament of the inaugural run in 1991, the winner was a workhorse of sorts. Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase and Tito Santana all earned victories, though none were recognized for their wins. Savage would eventually become "Macho King," but only after defeating "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan in 1989.

A New Frontier and a Legacy of Champions

In 1993, McMahon added the King of the Ring to his company's expanding pay-per-view schedule. The fifth event on a slate that included WrestleMania and SummerSlam, it would serve as a bridge between the two established extravaganzas.

The winner of that year's tournament was Bret Hart, a former WWE champion destined to lead the company into the next generation. What proceeded him was a hodgepodge of talent, many of whom would parlay their King of the Ring wins into championship gold and immortality courtesy of the WWE Hall of Fame.

Winner	Highest Championship Held In WWE	Hall of Fame?
Don Muraco	Intercontinental Championship	2004
Harley Race	King of the Ring	2004
Randy Savage	WWE Championship	2015
Tito Santana	Intercontinental Championship	2004
Bret Hart	WWE Championship	2006
Owen Hart	Intercontinental Championship	No
Mabel	WWE Tag Team Championship	No
Steve Austin	WWE Championship	2009
Triple H	WWE Championship	Still Active
Ken Shamrock	Intercontinental Championship	No
Billy Gunn	Intercontinental Championship	No
Kurt Angle	WWE Championship	Still Active
Edge	WWE Championship	2012
Brock Lesnar	WWE Championship	Still Active
Booker T	World Heavyweight Championship	2013
William Regal	Intercontinental Championship	No
Sheamus	WWE Championship	Still Active
Bad News Barrett	Intercontinental Championship	No

From 1993 until the event's demise in 2002, the King of the Ring was one of the premier events hosted by the McMahons' sports-entertainment empire. It was home to extraordinary tournament matches, the birth of an iconic Superstar in "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and the elevation of a Connecticut blue blood who would one day become the King of Kings and WWE's COO.

So what went wrong? Why did it disappear from the schedule if it was such a beloved show, and where did it pop up again some four years later?

What Happened?

The brand extension happened.

In 2002, WWE split its roster in two, creating distinct rosters for both Raw and SmackDown. By the following year, it had opted for split pay-per-views. With a lack of Superstars on either brand credible enough to field a tournament, the concept was dropped.

Four years later, with a roster featuring the likes of Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, Mark Henry and Finlay, SmackDown reinstated the tournament. A brand exclusive, it pitted the top stars from Thursday nights against each other not only for the opportunity to etch their names in the history books, but also, presumably, for the chance to compete for the World Championship.

Booker T won the tournament and immediately adopted the gimmick. He became King Booker and rode the momentum he gathered from his win and character change directly to the title, proving that the tournament could still be used to either jumpstart careers or fuel them to further greatness.

The tournament would be reintroduced to Raw in 2008, '10 and '15, each one featuring talented European workers like William Regal, Sheamus and Bad News Barrett ascending to the throne, only to have suspensions, injuries or backstage political plays doom their reigns to mediocrity.

Even in the initial excitement for the return of the gimmick, there was an overwhelming sense of lethargy surrounding the proceedings. It lacked the significance it once did.

With so many recent failures coming out of the tournament, the prospects for it in any form or fashion going forward are bleak.

But should they be?

Is King of the Ring Still Relevant?

The King of the Ring tournament can be as relevant as management wants it to be. In the three tournaments held over the last eight years, WWE Creative has attempted to take a talented but stagnant heel and inject life into him via the tournament.

That has never been particularly effective, regardless of whether it was a tournament or championship win. The most successful tournament winners were stars such as the Hart brothers, Angle or Lesnar, all of whom had momentum entering the field of competition.

The brand split will, again, make things tricky for WWE.

Already lacking an ample amount of star power, the company will further dilute its roster by thinning it out over two shows. The potential call-up of NXT stars will help matters, making the possibility of a brand-exclusive tournament a greater one.

Superstars such as Sami Zayn or Cesaro, both of whom have spent the first half of 2016 wowing audiences in extraordinary matches while simultaneously building momentum for themselves, would be ideal candidates for the role of King of the Ring.

On the contrary, an ice-cold character like Apollo Crews cannot earn a prestigious win and expect to ride it to a substantial push when fans would have no reason to care about him beyond the crown.

The King of the Ring tournament will return one day. WWE cannot help but dip into its bag of tricks and pull it out, especially when it is in search of a special gimmick to entice fans to tune in to its television product. In that way, the King of the Ring has not changed. It has always, and will always, be a tool McMahon and Co. can lean on to get them through a week of television or a month of pay-per-view.

The significance of the tournament has diminished significantly. But for longtime fans who remember Bret Hart overcoming the challenge of Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow in one night, or Steve Austin fighting through a bloody lip and proclaiming "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!" the King of the Ring will always provide a nostalgic trip down memory lane.