If the King Of The Ring was around in 03, 04 & 05, who would've won the tournaments?

[Wolf Pac]

I believe if the King Of The Ring were still around in 2003, that John Cena would've won the tournament. I mean think back, Cena was receiving a good push by the time June rolled around, he was facing main eventers like Lesnar & Undertaker. A King Of The Ring win would've been great for his resume and could've boosted his career towards the main event, faster. I don't think he would've ditched the rapper gimmick to take on a king gimmick or put on the robe or crown like Austin in 96, it didn't fit him. In 2004, I think Randy Orton would've won it cause he was receiving a good push of his own. He was 7 or 8 months into his IC Title reign around June and just 2 months away from his first World Title. A King Of The Ring win for Orton could've also helped built the Benoit - Orton match better. The KOTR winner is guaranteed a World Title shot at Summerslam, so instead of a 2 weeks build up, you would've had 2 months which would've been perfect to set up Orton as a main eventer & for his title win. As for 2005, I'm not sure who could've won that year, I don't remember the roster back then but I would just like to say that I think one man who debuted in 2005 could've gone onto win a future King Of The Ring and that's Mr. Kennedy. I'd say he should've won it in 2007. It would've pushed him back into the main event scene after losing the Money In The Bank & returning from suspension and I think he could've been a decent king what with his cocky, smug attitude. I would've loved to have heard him yell "KIIIIIIINNNNGGG KEENNNNNEEEDDDYYYYY...KENNNNEEEEDDDDYYYY" on his mic.

 

[The Brain]

2003: Goldberg. I know a lot of people prefer KOTR go to someone who is up and coming and about to break out. Goldberg doesn’t fit that mold but I could easily see him winning KOTR in 2003. Not that he needed an excuse to go after Triple H but winning KOTR could have pushed him in that direction (I know he was headed there anyway) and given him another notch on his belt.

2004: Definitely Randy Orton: 2004 was a big year for him. He looked good in the rumble and came out on top of two legends at mania. He had a real breakout at Backlash against Foley which is what I believe got him his first title reign. If there was a KOTR in 2004 Orton would have been the unquestionable favorite. I would have loved to see him beat Eugene in the finals. The crowd would be behind the underdog and really pulling for him to pull off a Cinderella story only to come up short against the smug asshole from Evolution. You’re right that winning KOTR to get a title shot would have been better for the SummerSlam main event. Winning a battle royal two weeks before the show was kind of weak.

2005: I’m really not sure about this one but I’m thinking maybe JBL. He did so well in 2004 and ended up losing the title to Cena at mania. KOTR would have been just the thing to let him get back on his high horse and show he was still a top guy. He’d have something new to brag about.

 

[jerichomania]

03- I agree with John Cena, only because I can't think of a more viable contender. Although, I would argue that Jericho could have used the momentum after his goldberg feud. He had a brilliant match against HBK at 'mania, and was consistently used for the rest of the year, but he was kinda put on the backburner only being used in the mid-card.

04- I'll go with Shelton Benjamin here, he had three victories over Triple H (I think) with one of them being by pinfall. Benjamin was injured after feuding with evolution and returned to win the intercontinental title at Taboo Tuesday. I believe the King of the Ring would have propelled him much further than the intercontinental title did (even though it was a tremendous reign)

05- If the tournament took place before his release, then Muhammad Hassan. He was definitely being built up to be a star, receiving more heat for his character alone than most people on the roster. He was in a tag match, albeit on the losing team, against Hogan and HBK at Backlash, and was then set to battle the Undertaker. It was then at GAB that he was written off of tv, then later released. Anyway, he was billed as a future world champion, and many people believe that he was going to win the title at SummerSlam 05.

 

[CleverName51]

2003: Matt Hardy Version 1. Hardy was one of the guys who had a lot of potential in 2003, his Mattitude gimmick was very solid and a KOTR win could have been a stepping stone into the main event scene for him (assuming the Lita/Edge stuff doesn't get in the way)

2004: Randy Orton, like Brain says above, but I'd have re-booked the Orton storyline to something like Batista with the Rumble in 2005, where HHH gets Orton to get the title back for him, only to demand a shot.

2005: Christian, before leaving in late 2005 due to creative differences...Christian was well on his way to being a main event player, a KOTR win and title match feud would have done him wonders.

 

[King of the Words]

2003: Cena, his first big win in WWE.

2004: Orton, his year.

2005: Rey beats Eddie in finals to build on their feud that Eddie can't beat Rey.

 

[MrAdam87]

2003: Y2J, coming off of a killer few years as the first Undisputed Champ, IC champ ect ect. I think Y2J could have had a killer run with the KOTR gimmick.

2004: Orton. Of all the guys getting pushed that year and breaking through, i think Orton would have been the one who could have benefited most from a KOTR win.

2005: I missed most of this year and cannot remember to clearly, although i think Batista and or Lesnar would have made for good KOTR winners.

 

[dansaun77]

I doubt a home boy Cena would have become KOTR. Orton would not have either as he was already earmarked for the WHC two months later. Thinking back, 2003 probably would have been somebody like Eddie Guerrero, who was lumbered in the tag team division. 2004 would have been King Batista most definitley. 2005.........Christian was on his way out, refusing to sign a contract, he would not have been KOTR in 2005.

 

[DeathClutch]

2003, Eddie Guerrero.
At the time he was flirting between singles championships and tag gold. The reactions for him turned him from a heel to face, King of the Ring would have set him up nicely for the singles push he'd recieve in early 2004.

2004, Shelton Benjamin.
WWE had him beat HHH three weeks in a row on RAW around April/May '04 so assuming KOTR would be around June I'd guess he was a shoe in for the title,

2005, Christian.
He was starting to get himself over with his battle raps with Cena hell he'd even gotten himself in on a triple threat match for the WWE championship on PPV, I'm sure KOTR would have gotten him to that point where he was over and could chase the belt and look credible in the fans eyes.

Orton and Cena didn't need King of the Ring, though Orton winning KOTR in '04 probably would have helped him in the long run the fact is he didn't need it, from SummerSlam 2003 to SummerSlam 2004 was all build up for him taking the WWE World Title. Cena winning the belt was obvious as well but that was just a matter of when, though if Lesnar had of stuck around I don't think Cena would have won the belt at WM21, Lesnar leaving opened a lot of doors for Cena and if you watch 2004 closely you'll see once Lesnar left WWE started to push Cena right up the card, from the US Championship, Movies, edgy storylines with Booker and Carlito/Jesus to the Royal Rumble 2005, I doubt KOTR would have suited Cena.

Though with a collection of the guys they've currently got on roster I'd love to see WWE hold a Champions/former KOTR winners King of the Ring in 2012 on PPV, rather than the standard generic ppv's.

 

[mudvayne1221]

2005: I missed most of this year and cannot remember to clearly, although i think Batista and or Lesnar would have made for good KOTR winners.[/QUOTE]


What good would Batista winning the tournament have done. Give him a title shot at himself? Understandable you did not watch wrestling THAT year, however you do know that Goldberg fought Lesnar the year prior at mania. Which was Lesnars last match

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I agree with Matt Hardy in 03, Mattitude was a great gimmick and King of Mattitude would have been a better moniker for him.

2004: I would have booked it for a Flair v Orton final, make the Evolution stuff mean something... Flair goes over, but only after a ref bump/pinfall missed over Flair to start the end of the group...

2005: Paul Birchill - He had IT... WWE just cocked up with the Pirate thing, what they should have done was put him in a suit and make him more of a Krays/Crank gangster gimmick, clean shaven, short haired... Had they gone that way, I think he'd have gotten over, as guys like Jason Statham and Ray Winstone were starting to get notice in Hollywood and they could have used that to their advantage... Birchill was grossly underused for his talent...

 

[King Patrick Star]

I’ve mentioned something very similar to this on a thread I created last year.

http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=128880

As we all know, the King Of The Ring took a break in 1990, 1992, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, and so far this year, 2010. Anyone can go anywhere and look up who wore the WWE Crown in the years the Tournament took place, but my question to you, fellow WZers, is who would you have wanted to see crowned as the WWE King Of The Ring in the years there wasn’t a King??

Assuming the King Of The Ring Tournaments would have taken place in either June or July of the respective years, my picks are:

1990 – Dusty Rhodes – Already in a feud with the then current “King”, Macho King, Randy Savage, this could have put the feud up to the next level. New King (via tournament) vs. Old King (via beating Hacksaw)

1992 – Shawn Michaels – HBK did not win his first singles Title till October of 92. He was in a feud with then Intercontinental Champion, the British Bulldog after Davey’s SummerSlam victory over the Hitman. Though history shows that Shawn didn’t need the Crown, it could have made for a better storyline with America’s Heart Break King vs. Britain’s IC Champ.

2003 – Goldberg – Coming fresh from a debut feud against the Rock, right before his feud with Jericho, crowning Goldberg King Of The Ring would have made the feud with Jericho just that much more exciting. It could have been the perfect time for it. Goldberg, at the time, was already “above” the Intercontinental Title, but with Triple H feuding with the Kliq, a World Title match wasn’t in the picture for Bill until what would have been 2 months from the KOTR PPV, SummerSlam August 2003.

2004 – Batista – Orton was already IC Champ at this point, and was making a Face turn and gunning for a World Title run. This could have been Batista’s opportunity to finally go from “Pony Boy” to “Horsemen”.

2005 – Rey Mysterio – This was pretty much the Cena / Batista year coming off of WM 21. With Rey feuding with Eddie at the time, adding the Crown would have been an extra treat.

2007 – C. M. Punk – The original “Internet Darling” could have added a King Of The Ring Crown to his list of accomplishments. His feud with Elijah Burke could have been the final match of the Tournament that year. He could even have tried to become the first Superstar to win Back to Back K. O. T. R. tournaments in 2007 and 2008.

2009 – The Miz – Around this time in 2009, the Miz was just “racking up wins” against Cena only to get a just under 6 minute loss at the Bash. Instead of this, Cena and Miz should have been kept apart with the Miz just trash talking Cena from a distance. Imagine what a crown would have done for the Miz in 09.

2010 – Chris Jericho – The Best in the World at what He does. He’s on his way out. He’s done it all except for win the Royal Rumble, King Of The Ring, and Money In The Bank. In a match against Evan Bourne, everyone would have thought “Air” would walk away as King, but with the help from “my” 2009 K. O. T. R., the Miz, Jericho could have walked out with the Crown and Bourne could have been looking for revenge afterwards (staying relevant and on TV).

So there are my picks. Who would you have picked for the years there was no King??

I'm still sticking with my picks for the most part, but after thinking about it again, I think maybe Jericho should have taken the Crown in 2003 and maybe Eddie Guerrero should have taken the Crown in 2005. As for 2004, Batista all the way.

 

[god-soldier]

2003: Rob Van Dam he went to the finals of KOTR in 2002 should of won it then. But I can see him bouncing back and winning it in 2003 beating Kane or Christian to win it.

2004: Rhyno needed something to push him over as a monster heel him dominating KOTR and winning KOTR and going on to face Beniot @ SummerSlam would have been a great match and would of had a much better finish then his match with Orton or a better finish then the match Beniot vs Rhyno match of the 2004 draft

2005: Rey Mysterio a KOTR final match between Rey n Eddie would have been a classic match.