King of the Ring 2014

[The Butcher]

Since the conception of the King of the Ring tournament, the longest hiatus between events was 4 years ('02-'06). The last King of the Ring tournament was held in late 2010, so we're closing in on that 4 year mark. While the crown didn't do much for the last winner, Sheamus (already a former WWE Champion and main eventer when he won it), the landscape of WWE has changed quite a bit since then. There is an abundance of new talent, and for the most part WWE is doing what it can to get them over. Along with the new call-ups, WWE also has a handful of floundering veteran performers who could use a shot in the arm. So, considering the timing and talent, I believe this year would be an ideal time to bring back the tourney.

Introduction out of the way, my question to you all is this: if WWE were to resurrect KOTR later this year, who would you want to win it? If you can't pick one feel free to list some candidates. I came up with 3 guys I'd be happy to see get the crown: Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, and Bo Dallas.

Sandow has been broken down character-wise, and it's time to build him back up. As it stands, he's not much of a credible threat. He'd be lucky to win 3 or 4 matches all year much less in the span of a few weeks. It wouldn't take much to rectify that, though-- just start having him win. I think that his arrogant character would make for a thoroughly entertaining king, and as a fan of his I'd just like to see him do something of consequence.

Rhodes has proven he can make a gimmick work a few times now, so there's no reason to think he wouldn't be able to get "King Cody" over. It looks as if a feud with Goldust is in his immediate future, but after that he'll need something to do. Rather than have him go back to being another generic guy in tights, why not give him a crown and let him work the same magic he did with his prior gimmicks?

Dallas is a wild card. He has yet to debut on the main stage, of course, so there are a lot of unknowns with him. Fortunately, that fact just makes it easier for my imagination to run wild. I'd hope that most regular NXT viewers would agree that he could be wonderfully annoying as KOTR. It seems as if he'll have a sort of a guru bent when he comes to television, and, like WWE did with Sheamus, perhaps they could tailor his reign as king to fit that. Even if he didn't walk around in a crown and cape, he could still constantly remind everyone how he "Bolieved" he would be king.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I don't see why WWE don't bring it back when shows like Payback & Battleground are largely ignored by fans. I bet the last KOTR PPV did numbers WWE could only dream of for a 'B' show in 2014.

I couldn't care less who'd win. Or who'd even enter. So long as it was used as a means of pushing somebody, they didn't dress like a king after and the title of King Of The Ring was something to be proud of.

 

[RicSpade]

the problem right now is that WWE has so much crap they can't keep focus on. you have the US title which gets defended once every 3 months. The IC title which is getting prominence again, tag division is hot, MITB is coming soon, we've added the Andre the Giant thing, so can the WWE really put focus on the KOTR? my answer is no

If they did do it, its only to build someone up into main event status, when Barrett beat Sheamus on RAW that was the rub...KOTR this time around needs a rub, the last rub was Regal and was destined to feud for the WWE title against Triple H, but bad habits squandered that. It would have to be a Sandow, Shield Guy who isn't reigns, or one of the NXT talents they are constantly bringing up IMO...

 

[MMK]

There are several reasons why The King Of The Ring fell out of favor with both WWE and fans:

1)WWE only cares about matches involving storylines that can be promoted for a month ahead of time leading up to the ppv. With a tournament, you don't know what the matches are going to be once you get past the first round, so therefore you can't build a storyline. I for one don't care about that and would welcome a month long build to an event with ZERO storylines and nothing but wrestling. It would be refereshingly old school, but WWE would never go for it.

2)From the fans perspective, tournaments tend to be predictable. The concept is a bit outdated. Once you see the brackets you can pretty much see the outcome of every match. If a good guy wins match 1, then a bad guy will win match 2, etc, etc.

3)And finally, with Money In The Bank as the new launching pad for breakout stars, King Of The Ring is essentially meaningless.

I for one like tournaments. I think they'd be a great way to showcase someone like Bryan, Ziggler or Cesaro. Someone who can perform for well over an hour in several different matches against any type of opponent. Tournaments can still be a great way to showcase talent. But I can see why a lot of fans and WWE shy away from them. KOTR would certainly be better than generic events like Battleground or Payback, but no amount of fan outcry will conVINCE McMahon of that. They love their storylines and talking segments way too much.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I would love to see The King of the Ring return, albeit in a slightly different format.

Everyone is always complaining about ways to make The Intercontinental Title more relevant, so why not hold a King of the Ring Tournament with mostly up and coming midcard talent/lower level main event talent with the winner earning a shot at The Intercontinental Title at Summerslam... if they have the right competitors, maybe they can even main event ala Bret Hart vs British Bulldog at Summerslam 92.

 

[The Butcher]

There are several reasons why The King Of The Ring fell out of favor with both WWE and fans:

1)WWE only cares about matches involving storylines that can be promoted for a month ahead of time leading up to the ppv. With a tournament, you don't know what the matches are going to be once you get past the first round, so therefore you can't build a storyline. I for one don't care about that and would welcome a month long build to an event with ZERO storylines and nothing but wrestling. It would be refereshingly old school, but WWE would never go for it.

2)From the fans perspective, tournaments tend to be predictable. The concept is a bit outdated. Once you see the brackets you can pretty much see the outcome of every match. If a good guy wins match 1, then a bad guy will win match 2, etc, etc.

3)And finally, with Money In The Bank as the new launching pad for breakout stars, King Of The Ring is essentially meaningless.

) WWE is currently holding a tournament.

) Many predicted Cesaro to win said tournament, and he's out.

) There can be more than one launchpad for new stars, especially when there's a lot of them. And look at what the briefcase did for Sandow. Launched him to the moon, I tell ya.

I for one like tournaments. I think they'd be a great way to showcase someone like Bryan, Ziggler or Cesaro. Someone who can perform for well over an hour in several different matches against any type of opponent. Tournaments can still be a great way to showcase talent. But I can see why a lot of fans and WWE shy away from them. KOTR would certainly be better than generic events like Battleground or Payback, but no amount of fan outcry will conVINCE McMahon of that. They love their storylines and talking segments way too much.

If you're a fan of tournaments, then humor me and answer the question I asked. I'm not talking about bringing back the King of the Ring PPV, just the tournament; ya know, kinda like they've done for the last 3. Again, there is a tournament going on in WWE right now, so clearly Mr. McMahon is conVINCEd that sometimes they're a pretty good idea.

I would love to see The King of the Ring return, albeit in a slightly different format.

Everyone is always complaining about ways to make The Intercontinental Title more relevant, so why not hold a King of the Ring Tournament with mostly up and coming midcard talent/lower level main event talent with the winner earning a shot at The Intercontinental Title at Summerslam... if they have the right competitors, maybe they can even main event ala Bret Hart vs British Bulldog at Summerslam 92.

There's an IC title tournament already underway. King of the Ring should be for the crown, hence the name. And look at what the IC title has done for Big E. To the moon, I tells ya!

 

[Y 2 Jake]

1)WWE only cares about matches involving storylines that can be promoted for a month ahead of time leading up to the ppv.

What recent WWE PPV's have you been watching! A good third of the card is just thrown together on most shows.

With a tournament, you don't know what the matches are going to be once you get past the first round, so therefore you can't build a storyline.

2)From the fans perspective, tournaments tend to be predictable.

Make up your mind, dude!

3)And finally, with Money In The Bank as the new launching pad for breakout stars, King Of The Ring is essentially meaningless.

Those Cena & Orton kids are going to go far.

The post I just replied to was bought to you by The Ultimate Warrior!

 

[wrestler36]

Sandow would be a great choice as it would build his credibility back up.

I wouldn't mind seeing Cody win it either. Looks like he'll be turning heel soon, so winning it would project him into one of the main event level heels pretty quickly. I wouldn't mind seeing an angle where he would single out previous winners such as Booker and Billy Gunn and roughing them up. Or would it be too much to see Rhodes win it, and then during the crown ceremony Paul Heyman comes out and introduces another Heyman guy? The only reason I would pair these two together is that Cody is a bit on the smaller side, so it would give him more of a heel element when he faces larger guys.

I would've said Rusev, but on second thought, I think it's a little too soon.

Another thought would be to have an underdog make it to the finals and lose. For example, when Bret Hart won, he had to face Bam Bam while wrestling one extra match. I wouldn't mind seeing somebody like Tyson Kidd make it to the finals.

 

[Pedigree1]

Interesting topic OP good Job.

I have always enjoyed KOTR,and i do miss that particular tournament style.. Theres a couple of guys that could benefit from winning it IMO

Cody Rhodes: We finally saw,some dissension between the brothers on Monday Night Raw,and an obvious heel turn for Cody is coming in the near future.. While i wish a match would have happened at WM,but i digress.. Cody is so so close to being a breakout star,and a KOTR win would make it happen. King Cody has a nice ring to it

Roman Reigns: This would be my pick personally. Roman is clearly the breakout star of the Shield,and a split will happen.. A rumored match between Trips and Roman may happen at SummerSlam.. This win would make Roman more of a star than he is..

Damien Sandow: He has turned into somewhat of a jobber as of late and thats too bad. He has talent the obvious mic skills and a great grasp on the Technical aspect of wrestling. He is only 32 years old, i dont know why he is in the position he is in.. A strong run in the KOTR would help elevate him back into contention. He doesn't have to win it,just have a strong showing is all.

 

[Hem]

Why can't it work? WWE has currently only one main championship which leaves the bottom of the main event scene floating into oblivion.

I could see this initially being a 8 man tournament.

First Round - (1)Sheamus Vs. Cody; (2)Big Show Vs. Rusev; (3)Ziggler Vs. Del Rio; (4)Cesaro Vs. Wade Barrett.

Second Round - (1)Sheamus Vs. Ziggler; (2) Rusev Vs. Barrett

Finals - Sheamus Vs. Barrett with Barret going over.

If Wade Barrett wins this thing it could be a hell of a stepping stone for him that he can even mix into his current gimmick. He could sit on a king booker style chair and make the announcement that King Barrett has some bad news. Plus him having an english connection also seems like a factor that would best suit him to be the KOTR.

Wade Barrett is a hell of a talent who nearly falls into oblivion every few months but if he were to have a solid gimmick to fall back on than I think its worth the investment of the concept returning. Also I think it should mostly feature the bigger names who are former/should have been former world champions.

 

[Punk_Aries_Daniels_Bryan]

The title "King Of The Ring 2014" gave me a good idea. For people who may see the tournament as outdated and predictable, why not have each match different, such as:

First round consists of for matches. One of these matches can be triple threat, one can be a table match, one can be a fatal four way and the last can be a submission match.

Second round consists of two matches. One can be a cage match and the other a DQ match.

The finql match should be a ladder match with the crown hanging.

Obviously it doesn't have to follow this exact format. Just saying, mixing it up would make this matches entertaining to watch and to look forward to. Tough stipulations would really prove the guy who wins is truly king of the ring.

I should copyright this now guys. I think this idea is brilliant!

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I like the crown ladder match idea. Nice.

I am not terribly excited about King of the Ring. It progressively became less interesting over the years for me. But the concept of royalty in wrestling works for kids. It also makes sense to give the title to a heel to a heel that comes from a country with a monarchy of sorts. Barrett seems like the likely character to benefit from this and carry it for more than a couple weeks. He has kind of already been working a character who acts like he has ultimate knowledge.

He also has pretty big ears.

 

[roman ambrose]

i don't think the king of the ring is in WWEs best interests just now they need to focus on the young up and coming talent and try to properly get them over eg cesaro big e rusev barrett and elevate the shield to the next level without worrying about a competition witch has lost its credibility and in with the last 3 winners prancing about in a crown not really elevating them from mid to upper card as the last 3 winner have been sheamus regal and booker t one who was main event status at the time and the other two well and truly past their best

 

[L@RISANO]

It would be a great idea if KotR was brought back and it would surely generate some interest especially if it was done as a way to elevate some of the MidCard guys rather than let it focus on the Main Event Stars.

My choice to win such a tournament would be Barrett, Sandow or Cesaro.

Sandow's Look and Gimmick would suit him being a "King Sandow". Whilst Barrett's Bad News gimmick would also be interesting as well.

But imagine, Paul Heyman and how he would be if Cesaro was to win a KotR tournament. Now,That would be a sight to behold and something to look forward to going forward.

 

[oldschool26]

I agree. Mix up the matches. King of the ring
Can be brought back to be something special.
And sandow would definitely suite winning.
Maybe use the tournament to crown a king but
The winner getting a USA title shot finally
Taking the belt off Ambrose who doesn't really
Need it as of now. Lets say evolution comes out
And costs Ambrose the title. We would then see
The USA title defended regularly. It also adds more
Depth and importance to the mid card. Same as what they're
Doing with intercontinental. Lets say for now

intercontinental Roster :
big e, Barrett, sheamus, rvd,cesaro,swagger, fandango,big show
Drew McIntyre, santino, bo Dallas, darren young

USA roster :
Sandow, del Rio,Kingston,Christian, Titus oniel, Kidd, mark Henry, rusev
Brodus clay, Jinder mahal, Adam rose, Cody rhodes

Tag:
The usos, rybaxel, los matadors, Wyatt family, mysterio/sin cara
The ascension,heath Slater & zac Ryder, Gabriel & bourne
The miz/dolphins ziggler

Just my opinion if wwe aren't going to split the shield
And give reigns a run with the USA title

 

[rbv13]

If the King of the Ring tournament were to return I would flip it into a major marketing tool. I would coincide the event with the European launch of the Network and rather than being used as a launching pad for young or misused mid carders I would load it with star power. The event would air live on a Saturday from the UK as a Network Exclusive. The card would vaguely tie into current storylines but ultimately would stand on its own to provide a unique flavor. The card would consist of seven King of the Ring tournament matches, a WWE WHC match, a Tag Title match and one pre show match.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

KotR could be a great PPV for the WWe at this moment in time. Under the original premise, they would have seven matches to begin with. So imagine they have a tournament with all the guys in pushes at the moment:

Bray Wyatt
Cesaro
Bad News Barrett
Rusev
Roman Reigns
US Champ: Dean Ambrose
IC Champ: Big E Langston
Damien Sandow

Throw in a Divas Match with Paige and another up and comer and whoever the tag champs are against, say, the Ascension. No Cena, no D-Bry, no Evolution, no Lesnar. Make this the testing ground to see how much these guys have been accepted by the WWe Universe.

 

[Sheamus' Suntan]

I wish they would bring back KOTR. I think it not only gives a great platform, but also allows the use of a timeless gimmick, and it should be done in one PPV, not in a series of RAW showings.

Winners in a 2014 setting? It's pretty difficult to call, but I'd have to go with one of the below;

Wade Barrett
Can I have some Decorum please? goes hand in hand with a king, and the promos would be golden. The monarchy and british link go hand in hand also. Barrett almost automatically comes off as someone who should win a KOTR tournament JUST to have the gimmick.

Bo Dallas
I love the OP's first punt with Dallas. You know what? Dallas could make this work. "Now do you Bo-lieve in me, my royal subjects?" I'd like to see it.

Cesaro
"My client, the King of Swing, the king of the Ring, CESARO" THAT is the sole reason why I would have Cesaro win the KOTR tournament.

 

[theblasterkid]

Sandow would be great! WWE should get rid off Payback and Battleground and replace it with KOTR and something like Halloween Havoc from WCW. I say Halloween Havoc because it would be perfect for The Wyatts and The Shield to be featured on the poster and perhaps Kane; remember he never really got his revenge in the Wyatts feud. In my opinion, the other B PPVs are fine though. This gives me an interesting idea for my universe in 2K14!

 

[Dagger Dias]

I wouldn't mind seeing it come back. I highly doubt it will return in PPV form though. Goodness knows anything is better than the 100% useless Battleground PPV brand! Replace that with King Of The Ring. Having the tournament be the entirety of the show likely wouldn't draw in today's WWE, so I would want to see the semi-final and final of the King Of The Ring matches be on the PPV if they brought it back. Include a World Heavyweight Championship match, a Divas match, a midcard or tag team title match, and a filler or two and there's your card. The King Of The Ring final should close the show.

As for who should win it? The Butcher brought up some good names. Sandow would benefit a great deal from it, he's doing nothing now and it would help him regain some momentum he lost after losing his Money In The Bank cash-in attempt. Barrett and Cody come to mind too. Maybe Kofi, he's never going to be able to break into the upper card without something like this. Heyman could lead Cesaro into winning it to add more to his list of things his clients did to brag about. Butcher also mentioned Bo Dallas. I hope none of us would have to endure the torture of having to "Bo-lieve" in Dallas as a threat to anything if he won King Of The Ring. He's annoying enough as it is.

 

[Big Sexy]

The KOTR tournament at its peak was a great way to push guys and I'm not sure why they got rid of it in the first place. If they do bring it back I think they should bring back the ppv itself and not just the tournament. I agree with what has already been said about both Payback and Battleground being irrelevant so they could easily be replaced. I would even take it a step further and give the KOTR winner a WWE Title shot at an upcoming ppv.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

Why can't it work? WWE has currently only one main championship which leaves the bottom of the main event scene floating into oblivion.

I could see this initially being a 8 man tournament.

First Round - (1)Sheamus Vs. Cody; (2)Big Show Vs. Rusev; (3)Ziggler Vs. Del Rio; (4)Cesaro Vs. Wade Barrett.

Second Round - (1)Sheamus Vs. Ziggler; (2) Rusev Vs. Barrett

Finals - Sheamus Vs. Barrett with Barret going over.

If Wade Barrett wins this thing it could be a hell of a stepping stone for him that he can even mix into his current gimmick. He could sit on a king booker style chair and make the announcement that King Barrett has some bad news. Plus him having an english connection also seems like a factor that would best suit him to be the KOTR.

Wade Barrett is a hell of a talent who nearly falls into oblivion every few months but if he were to have a solid gimmick to fall back on than I think its worth the investment of the concept returning. Also I think it should mostly feature the bigger names who are former/should have been former world champions.

Even in this scenario, Barrett is still going to be behind a string of other performers (Cena, DB, Orton, Batista, Lesnar, HHH).

King of the Ring is difficult now unless you have 2-3 of your top talents involved which won't happen as they are involved in stories. King of the Ring is a great concept, but if your top 5-6 guys are not involved, the winner doesn't get much of a boost with it

 

[laodaron]

The KotR would suffer much like the MitB now suffers. If you don't have your 3 or 4 top tiered guys winning it, what's the point? Do I think for a second that fucking Wade Barrett can carry being the WWEWHC in the near future? No. Do I think that Dolph Ziggler can be the WWEWHC? No. Therefore, another midcard tournament, this time ending up with the midcarder being the KotR, would be a travesty. It's like Damien Sandow being the MitB winner. Who REALLY looked at that and was like, yep, that guy's gonna win the belt for REAL, and hold it for a few PPVs. Not a single rational soul, that's who. If you're not doing it for the title shot, then what's the point? For a guy to alter his gimmick to "King Blank" for a year?

Another midcard non-storylined Tournament would devastate the midcard and undercard in the WWE. It's lazy booking and lazy writing to just put a strap on the midcarder without a proper feud and fight, and ends up hurting their career in the modern product.

 

[rge2010]

I would love to see The King of the Ring return, albeit in a slightly different format.

Everyone is always complaining about ways to make The Intercontinental Title more relevant, so why not hold a King of the Ring Tournament with mostly up and coming midcard talent/lower level main event talent with the winner earning a shot at The Intercontinental Title at Summerslam... if they have the right competitors, maybe they can even main event ala Bret Hart vs British Bulldog at Summerslam 92.

Havent they just done a tournament for that?! That is a piss poor prize. KOTR winner should get a shot at the WWE Title.

KOTR should involve the entire roster, or at least 32 superstars. Storylines can continue with ease. The semi finals and the final should end at KOTR PPV. Antonio Cesaro should win this event. That would propel him into the Main Event picture and give him some winning credibility.

Antonio Cesaro vs Randy Orton in the final would be great. Cesaro vs Bryan at Summerslam.

 

[L@RISANO]

What if the King of the Ring PPV is done every 3/4 years as a Special Event type and is used to propel someone into the Main Event scene?

Keep the guys in the Main Event mainstays out of the tournament but have Every other roster member(25-30 guys) in the Tournament with the Tournament taking up the bulk of programming.

At the PPV itself, they can have the Final Rounds(maybe Semis and Finals) with the Final being the Main Event of the Actual KotR PPV.

The winner then wouldn't just get a shot at the WWE WHC, but would get a chance to establish themselves as a Main Event Mainstay going forward.