King of the Ring 2012?

[Rated sj]

So I have noticed a trend in the WWE they have recently been having the King of the Ring tournament every two years
2006: Booker T beat Bobby Lashley at Judgment Day in the final the tournament was exclusive to Smack Down that year
2008: William Regal beat CM Punk at a special episode of Raw all the matches were held on that single episode
2010: Sheamus beat John Morrison in the final. The tournament was held once again on a special edition of RAW

So it seems most likely the next tournament should be held in 2012. My question to you is who would you like to win the tournament and why?
Do you see the winner using a royal king gimmick?
Do you think the winner will get a world title shot?

Personally I would love to see Del Rio win it. Imagine how corny he would look in a kings costume but it could be good for him to win it as it would be a good chance for his character to evolve because he is becoming extremely stale.

 

[Khalifa]

I'm not sure WWE would do it anymore because KOTR but if they were I could really see Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes being the winner of it. Everyone heres know that they are two of the next stars in the company. Both are very good in the ring and terrific on the mic. Both can easily become that next star and stay in the main event.

I couldn't really see anyone else win KOTR here because it's mainly a event which sets up wrestlers to the main event status, which no one really look like they can be in the main event without already being a main eventer.

 

[floresr1986]

I've actually noticed the same exact trend. It seems every 2 years they hold the tournament. I think they should replace The Money in the Bank ppv with King of the Ring.

I believe Jack Swagger or Drew Mcintyre should win the King of the Ring tournament this year. I see either Rhodes or Ziggler winning the Royal Rumble and the other winning the Money in the Bank at Mania. So that leaves the King of the Ring open. I think Swagger or Mcintyre are due for a push and this would be the momentum they need. WWE should do things right and invite everyone who in. Start it off with 16 wrestlers weeks before the ppv. Then on the night of the ppv have 8 contestants going in. This would give you 4 guaranteed matches with the winner wrestling 3 times. Great way to show your skills off!

The royal king gimmick should not be undertaken once you win. Hart (while he wore the robe and crown when he won) did not take the gimmick over and I believe wrestlers need to follow this model of a wrestler.

 

[thebarber]

King Cody Rhodes. There is no way Ziggler or Rhodes is winning the Royal Rumble this year. Definitely see Ziggler winning MITB though at Wrestlemania.

Cody would be elevated greatly. The 8 men fighting at a ppv, guarantees more than 4 matches, it guarantees up to 7, pending on byes. It will be a heel who wins, and my money is on Cody Rhodes

 

[Anderton10]

I think they should have King of the Ring back as a ppv, it is too important to be on a single episode of Raw. I also think the winner should face the champion at Sumerslam just like they did when Brock Lesner won the King of the Ring.

 

[DeathClutch]

Depends really, if WWE were to play it smart they'd hold the tournament on PPV with the winner getting a shot at the World Champion of their choosing at x ppv, this way it doesn't hold the same feeling of winning MITB and you know when the KOTR Winner will be cashing in.

Now if WWE did this, I'd suggest giving it to someone like Cody or Dolph their over as a heels and just need that one stepping stone to protay them as legit main eventers and winning the World title after winning an 8 man 1 night tournament would really do that for them.

 

[rge2010]

I
I believe Jack Swagger or Drew Mcintyre should win the King of the Ring tournament this year. I see either Rhodes or Ziggler winning the Royal Rumble and the other winning the Money in the Bank at Mania.

Ziggler win the Rumble even though he is in the Title match vs Punk??? Ziggler has no chance whether he is in it or not in it. Same goes for Cody Rhodes.

As for a KOTR, always better a heel wins it. I would go Ziggler or Rhodes to help take them to the next level.

 

[Y2JBL]

I would love KOTR 2012. This is one area of the product where "if it ain't broke don't fix it" and I hate that they got rid of it. But I didn't really realize it had still been held as recently as 2008 and 2010, and every two years might be for the best as having someone walking around proclaiming themselves king every year would make it pretty annoying. It's a great way to elevate someone without putting the belt on them, instead of rushing title reigns with guys like Swagger we need events like KOTR where they can still stand out among the crowd without being a world champion.

I agree that Del Rio would be a good choice as he really needs a boost yet putting the belt on him doesn't seem too great (as we've witnessed). After time out for an injury KOTR would be a good way to make him relevant in 2012. Otherwise I think the guy should frankly be future endeavored as he simply has nothing fresh to offer. Other heels are doing what he does 10 times better, and I can't imagine him ever getting over as a face seeing as he just lacks the charisma. It already fits with his "upper class" gimmick.

I can't really even think of anyone else who would be a good fit for KOTR, maybe McIntyre as he is another one who has pretty much fizzled out after a lot of initial hype.

 

[bko]

Question to you is who would you like to win the tournament and why?
- I'd say Cody Rhodes, I think it would one way of evolving his character in a good way, I imagine him being like some psycho/demented King who really sick in the head from all the power. If not maybe a Wade Barrett, if they wanted to go with the whole stereotyping they do with British.

Do you see the winner using a royal king gimmick?
Answered above...

Do you think the winner will get a world title shot?
I'd hope so, at least a bit of a rub wouldn't hurt.

 

[theBec2101]

Jack Swagger, It would be kinda like the movie "The Kings Speech" where he cant talk right or even at all. He also needs another push his in ring skills are really good and even his mic skills. I dont know if I wouldnt want them to keep the who Im king storyline, it gets old and its the same everytime. yes the winner should get a title shot, then the king gimmic should go away

 

[Ellye]

Too bad that the last King went on a major losing streak that lasted for months, and started pretty much as soon as he became king. Hopefully the next King will be more... prestigious. And I guess Sheamus won't even want to take a part on that championship again, if they keep any continuity.

Who would I like to see winning?
Alberto del Rio, easily. I'm not a big fan of him, but he's the one that really could use this. He's main event material, but not world title belt material. KOTR seems like a nice fit for him.

Do I see the winner perfoming a royal gimmick?
Absolutely, and that's a big part of why I chose Del Rio. This is an obvious extension of his gimmick, that has been growing stale. It would bring a bit of new life, if played right, I believe.

 

[Steve-O-Matt]

Hmmm... When I read that I thought to myself "Oh yeah, I didn't realise there wasn't one last yet..." Shame though, I do enjoy the KotR.

Anywho, if they really are doing it every two years, I'm gonna say Wade if he doesn't win the Royal Rumble. Why you ask? Well I think Cody and Dolph need to make the next step to main eventing and the King of the Ring in my opinion MIGHT be beneth them, as it's meant for people to make them relevent. Cody has the IC Championship and is doing well to nearly get to the top of the ladder. Dolph on the other hand has about a billion midcard titles and a World Heavyweight Championship reign under his belt (Yes it happened, accept it). So I think either of them winning is just gonna be adding to a list that's plenty big as it is. Besides, the KotR tends to be in December more recently, so I think they both are gonna be full fledged main eventers by then.

Barrett on the other hand needs something to add to his list of accomplishments as there is not much at the moment, just the Intercontinental Championship. I'm pretty much just using the exact same arguement as I am for the Royal Rumble thread, LOL. But is Barrett DOES win the Royal Rumble, then he won't need the King of the Ring...

In which case I would pick MAYBE Jack Swagger... But I would perfer someone like Brodus or Jinder, I can see them taking the title and running with it (Just my opinion but I think they could do well). Y'know, this is provided that Brodus has debuted before Decemember.

Conclusion:
In a way I hope Wade doesn't win the King of the Ring in the long term, because I would very much like to see him as a world champion main eventing for SD! on PPVs before Decemember. But for someone like Brodus or Jinder, King of the Ring might be just what the doctor ordered.

PS:

Also I think Del Rio is spoilt enough as it is, he's barely been part of the company for 1 and a half years and he's already had Royal Rumble winner, SD! main event for WM, Mr. Money in the Bank, 2 world championship reigns and the Bella Twins polishing his dick daily. I really don't think he was that good when he won that stuff anyway, very overrated in my opinion.

 

[Why Always Me]

I'm sure in the PPV schedule for this year July is TBC, just make that King Of The Ring, maybe throw in the stipulation that the winner gets a title shot at Summerslam.

That way, if someone like Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes or Dolph Ziggler wins, it gives them even more momentum heading into their title match.

If the PPV was to return, the two SF's should kick the show off and then the final should be 3rd last on the card, before the title matches.

 

[sajsSAMynwa1892]

they should bring the kotr ppv back and make sure someone who needs a push wins, winning cleanly in at least the final over one of the big boys

 

[JBK2008]

The King of the Ring Tournament would be a perfect stepping stone for either Dolph or Cody. Dolph seems more ready than Cody, so I'd give the KOTR Crown to Cody. He could use it to put himself in the main event scene and face the WHC at the next PPV, but lose obviously. Cody could add his KOTR win to his other accolades and just keep growing from there.

The KOTR would be a welcome addition every two years and the winner doesn't neccessarily have to use the king gimmick. My second choice would be Del Rio because he's getting stale very vast and this would be a nice change of pace.

 

[24fawwe12fa24]

I think they should definitely bring back the King of the Ring as in the past it has made people, Austin 3:16 began after he won the King of the Ring, Brock Lesnar won the King of the Ring and that was the real beginning of his career as at Summerslam one month later he won his first WWE Championship from The Rock. So yeah the should bring back the King of the Ring as to who should win it, that depends when it takes place if it takes place near the start of the year I would definitely give it to Wade Barrett as he hasn't won a World Title yet and should have done by now, it'll do a lot for his career especially if there is a World Title shot at the end of it..

 

[It's Damn True]

I would love to see Christian win the King of the Ring in 2012. However, I could see somebody like Jack Swagger or Brodus Clay win it. Another way to bring Alex Riley back onto Raw or Smackdown would be by allowing him to make a run in the KOTR tourney.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

If a tournament does happen in 2012, I agree with the OP that Alberto Del Rio should emerge victorious. Cody looks destined for great things already and I think KotR is beneath The Miz and R-Truth. It shouldn't be a veteran, and winning KotR in 2010 didn't help Sheamus in '10 so it definitely won't help in '12. With all that being said, the only real options left are Del Rio, Ziggler, and Wade Barrett. I think Barrett can still reach the top with KotR and I don't think Ziggler has the charisma or mic skills to be a King of the Ring so Del Rio should get it. He has charisma, he can talk, but he's simply not getting over so maybe a KotR could finally be the straw that breaks the camels back because apparently a Royal Rumble win, a WM world title match, a MitB win, a MitB cash-in, and another additional title reign all weren't good enough to get him over yet.

 

[Diet Soda]

I do hope it does return as a pay per view, the whole tournament seems pointless and lost when it is just put on Raw or Smackdown.

In the past KotR has been, as other posters have quite rightly put it, a stepping stone from mid-card to main event level.
Just look at past winners and what it did for them: Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Edge, Brock Lesnar, to name a few. All went on to become WWF/WWE champion and headline Wrestlemanias.

On the other hand, some KotR winners can be seen as failed experiments, pushes that didn't quite work out, and consequently these winners did not go on to achieve the same levels of success: Mabel, Ken Shamrock, Billy Gunn, William Regal.

Now, if the King of the Ring tournament were to return this year I think some superstars would go on to achieve greatness, and others would not. In other words, here is a list of current roster members, who are quite likely to win, that I would buy as King of the Ring and those who would fail on me.

Dolph Ziggler
Cody Rhodes
Wade Barrett
The Miz - All 4 seem destined to win big over the next few years.

Alberto Del Rio - Already been pushed to the moon and you can hear a pin drop when he's around.
Zack Ryder - I can't see him getting higher than upper mid-card with his current gimmick.
Christian - Has already achieved plenty in his surprisingly long career, winning KotR wouldn't boost him any further.
Jack Swagger - Much like with his MitB push, a failed experiment.

Now this is just my own humble opinion, what do other right honourable posters feel?

 

[gwarren]

If it were to return, please not ADR, his list is far to big already, it's kinda ridiculous :/ and can you imagine commentary:

Here comes the 2011 RR winner, MITB winner, 2 time WWE champion, who main evened WM27 and won KOTR 2012

God no.

 

[Daniel]

I hope that King Of The Ring is dead and buried. But I really wouldn't be surprised if it took place later this year.

I hate King Of The Ring primarily because of it's format. I don't want to see lots of five minute matches - I can't think of anything worse. There are only a handful of wrestlers who can make five minutes in the ring entertaining. Even then, with all the random pairings, there's no real opportunity for stories to be told. As we all know, wrestling functions best when it's presented as drama and not competition.

I'm sure it will make a return this year, in keeping with the bi-annual routine. When/if it does, I can only hope that WWE try to shake things up. Whether that's through the choice of winner (I'd love to see a real underdog rise up and take it), or whether that's through the prize. Older KOTRs often had a real prize, such as a championship match. Either of those changes would make the tournament a tad more palatable.

 

[mr.continental]

The King of The Ring should return, but not as it's own PPV. Have on the WWE Network once a year.

As far as who should win, I have three individuals that I think have the characteristics to be king.

Wade Barrett - I feel his character is perfect to be king. He has the right attitude and persona to pull it off.

Christian - Same thing here, attitude and persona. Plus, being a former champ would help bring the the prestige of the KOTR. Also, he could play off the fact Edge had won it in the past.

Zack Ryder - Just ride that guy's popularity until nobody cares anymore. He actually could be entertaining as a KOTR, though.

 

[bigron570]

Yes I do hope that King of the Ring does return was my favorite concept in WWE ever since they started it in 1985 and the WWE World Heavyweight Champioship Tournament at Wrestlemania 4 also i loved that concept at Wrestlemania.

Well as far as setting up new talent I would love Cody Rhodes Dolph Ziggler The Miz or Wade Barrett to win the Royal Rumble both are hitting the peks of there career now and have really good character looks to them now.

Cody Rhodes - You have the history in the name and a the start of a great Intercontinental Champion and outstanding wrestler def is deserving of King of the Ring.

Dolph Ziggler - I feel is the best new wrestler each and every week is high performance He reminds me of Chris Jericho fused with Mr Perfect which isnt too shabby in my sight. With going through and having his time as midcard champions on both RAW and Smackdown as United States Champion and Intercontinental Champion a great next step I feel would be to make him King of the Ring.

The Miz- What more of an ego boost after holding the WWE Championship would be to have a King of the Ring in The Miz Really?Yes so I know heels work better when winning tournaments and feel a big way to put over Miz even more is to have himj be King of the Ring

Wade Barrett - If Barrett does not win a Championship then he dserves to win King of the Ring. I feel they have a great angle with him now and the Barrett Barage can go huge with a Crown of King of the Ring.

As far as Older experienced talent to win i would choose

Christian Now that he has gained two World Heavyweight Championships I don't seee him winning Royal Rumble but def King of the Ring would be great title to add to the future Hall Of FAmer

Chris Jericho - With Chris Jericho coming back now he has never been King of the Ring or Won Royal Rumble would def be another stat in win column to have Chris Jericho as King of the Ring.

Randy Orton - I'd only love this if he went back to heel and win it how he did during the Age of Orton and his Punt Kick .

 

[stephenjpunk317]

I definitely feel like this should and will come back. I don't like it as a RAW episode, it feels like it should be bigger than that.

I saw Christian's name get mentioned a few times in this thread, and I agree that he should be slated to win. I think he could do some sort of royal gimmick with it as well like Booker T. King Christian, I dig it!

 

[IHW]

I say give it to sombody who NEEDS it.
Ziggler, Barret, and Rhodes don't need it.
Ryder don't need it.
Christian doesn't need it.
Orton don't need it.

I want the king of the ring to help someones career. Use this accolade to push someone. Past heel kings automatically gain hate.

Give it to someone like Mcantyre, Swagger, or maybe King A-Ri, possibly King Clay or Jackson. Why not King Dibiase ?

Of course, all these guys would need to learn to Talk and make good promos. But, it Can be done.