WWE King of the Ring 2019: Analysis and Predictions
Way back in 1985, the WWE held its first King of the Ring tournament. Originally, its main purpose was to get Harley Race over with the WWE audience, since he had previously worked for rival NWA.
The WWE didn't want to acknowledge Race's previous world title reigns but still wanted him to be treated like a prestige act.
The tournament has been held sporadically ever since. Some King of the Ring winners goes on to greatness, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin or Bret Hart. Others, like Wade Barrett, saw no real benefit from winning the tournament.
The King of the Ring tournament became a way for WWE to elevate mid-card talent to the next level.
Whoever manages to clinch the victory in the arduous single-elimination tournament will be crowned King of the Ring, and potentially springboard right into the main event scene.
After a four year hiatus, the King of the Ring tournament is returning. Here are the brackets, analysis, and predictions of the winners for WWE's prestigious tournament.
First Round Bracket #1: Cesaro vs. Samoa Joe
The first match of the 2019 King of the Ring tournament pits two former Ring of Honor World champions against each other in what promises to be a hard-hitting but technical contest.
Samoa Joe never backs down from anyone and has displayed an ability to take an enormous amount of punishment and keep coming back for more. His striking and power game is hard to overcome, but even then you must still contend with his submissions.
Cesaro is one of the few WWE Superstars who is just as strong as Joe, and possibly stronger.
His power and skill often overshadow the fact that he is one of the most accomplished technical wrestlers on the roster.
Who will win between these two titans?
Predicted Winner: Samoa Joe
Both men are true beasts of the mat game, but Samoa Joe has a slight experience edge, and most importantly he's been booked to look strong in the recent past. Cesaro has kind of been in limbo since his Bar tag team partner Sheamus has been shelved with an injury. All signs point toward a Joe win here in the first bracket.