3 WWE tournaments that worked (and 1 that didn't)
We all love a good tournament, don’t we?
This is something WWE knows all too well, having recently brought back the famous King of the Ring tournament in 2019. The resurrected King of the Ring, won by Baron Corbin, was well received by many fans and helped to re-establish some of the tournament's past glory.
That legacy was in danger of being eradicated following unsuccessful revamp attempts in 2010 and 2015. What the 2019 edition did show was a strength WWE has that fans don’t get to see very often.
One of the most important purposes these tournaments serve is that they give ample opportunities for superstars who are part of the mid-card and lower mid-card setup to prove themselves. It helps build their profile and legitimize their threat despite being away from the championship gold.
When the company produces tournaments, they usually hit the ball out of the park and there have been many occasions in which they’ve been able to do just that.
So you may be asking, when did the WWE last produce a quality tournament? Well here are three occasions they did so, and one they got completely wrong.
#3. Tournament that worked: King of The Ring
We will get things started with the aforementioned King of the Ring tournament.
First run in 1985, it was an annual fixture of the WWE calendar until 2002. Starting in 1993, King of the Ring even became its own pay-per-view. It was seen by many as the best indicator of who the company deemed as their next big star.
It provided the springboard for many superstars to go on to forge successful careers, such as 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar.
For all the success the tournament has had, it has been tarnished in the eyes of some due to some of the winners who didn’t go on to achieve top honors. Notable examples of this include Mabel and Billy Gunn, whose pushes to the main event level were dropped soon after their King of the Ring triumphs.
Still, the tournament has crowned legends in the wrestling business and has often hosted some of the most memorable matches in wrestling history.
It is an extremely prestegious title to hold and the likes of Booker T, Wade Barrett, Sheamus & Baron Corbin were notable examples of recent superstars who legitizimized their setup in the ring by winning this tournament.