Vince McMahon failed to rewrite King of the Ring's history: What did he attempt?
The King of the Ring Tournament has served as a platform that has launched some of the greatest superstars in WWE history. From Stone Cold Steve Austin to Triple H, to most recently, Xavier Woods. However, while there can be no denying how iconic the premium live event is, there was a time when Vince McMahon seemingly tried to erase some of its history. So, what exactly did he attempt to do?
Well, for the longest time, especially in the 1990s, Vince McMahon tried to convince the WWE Universe that the inaugural King of the Ring Tournament was in 1993. The reality is, that the tournament was officially started in 1985, but that didn't stop Mr. McMahon.
The former Chairman of the company even went so far as to have the announcer at the 1996 tournament refer to Stone Cold Steve Austin as the fourth winner when he was actually the ninth.
McMahon had seemingly tried to forget the accomplishments of Tito Santana, Ted DiBiase, Randy Savage, Harly Race, and the first-ever King of the Ring, Don Muraco.
Fortunately, this became far too tedious over time, and WWE now acknowledges those who won before 1993. Nevertheless, it's easy to forget that there was a time when that wasn't the case.
This year's King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring Tournaments are shaping up quite nicely
This year, the King and Queen of the Ring 2024 is scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. With about a week left before the premium live event, WWE has planned for a stacked card.
Not only will Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul go head-to-head with their titles on the line, but there is also the prospect of watching Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, Sami Zayn, Chad Gable, and Bronson Reed in action.
But, one cannot forget about the King and Queen of the Ring Tournament finales. In the women's division, IYO SKY will be taking on Lyra Valkyria in the semi-final of RAW, while Nia Jax, Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and Tiffany Stratton battle it out in the quarter-finals on SmackDown.
Meanwhile, the King of the Ring tourney has some incredible matches in store. Jey Uso will face Gunther in the RAW semi-final, and the SmackDown semis will see Randy Orton or Carmelo Hayes take on either Tama Tonga or LA Knight.
It's safe to say that the King and Queen of the Ring Premium Live Event will be a must-see. And, with several days left before the event, there is still so much more WWE can do to make it that much more exciting.