411’s WWE Greatest Moments Report: King of The Ring

-Written: 7.14.26
-Source: A&E
-Run Time: 30 Minutes (w/ commercials)

-Michael Cole is our host and narrator.

-There are only two possible choices to finish in the top spot and I think one is clearly above the other, but we will see what they do. Also, we had an earlier episode where they ranked the greatest King of the Ring winners, but this is about the PPV as a whole.

-They actually note the concept started in 1985 and then became a PPV in 1993.

10. A Pedigree Performance
–King of The Ring 1997

-This show was not good at all, but started the Mankind/HHH feud, so it had that going for it. HHH gets the Crown a year after he was initially supposed to win it. He beats Mankind with the crown after the match and the push began. The King gimmick always works better when a heel wins it.

9. The Smell of De-Feet
-King of the Ring 1995

-I’ll be getting to this one later in the year. A year earlier, The Bret/Lawler feud started and this was the blow-off as Bret beats Lawler in a Kiss My Foot Match. KO is great as he breaks up laughing recalling Bret putting Lawler’s foot in his Lawler’s own mouth. Funny stuff and Lawler was great at rolling with something like that.

8. The Next Big King
-King of The Ring 2002

-Rookie Brock Lesnar debuted a few mouths earlier and destroyed everyone, including RVD in the Finals, to win King of the Ring. He then earned a Title Match against The Rock at SummerSlam, but gave it up to face Hogan inside Hell in a Cell. Wait, that didn’t happen?

-Commercials!

7. A Maverick’s Nightmare
-King and Queen of The Ring

-Weird one as I barely remember Logan Paul facing Cody Rhodes. I do remember the cool spot of Logan hitting a frog splash through the announce table with a drone flying over him. Cody gets the win and he calls the match a BANGER.

6. A Bonzai to Hulk-a-Mania
–King of The Ring 93

-Hogan gets turfed from the WWE and loses the WWF Title to Yokozuna. Sure it took an exploding camera, but Yoko got the win with a leg drop. Undertaker notes when you beat The Golden Goose like that you have arrived. Hogan puts over Yokozuna and says the win gave him the momentum he needed. I still contend Hogan putting Yoko over here was better than if Hogan had lost to Bret at SummerSlam. Make a Monster for Bret (or someone) to beat instead of Bret beating Hogan and risking Hogan fans not supporting him (see Ultimate Warrior).

-Commercials!

5. Quest for The Kingdom
–King of The Ring 1994

-Owen vs. 1-2-3 Kid in the greatest 4 minute match you will ever see. Waltman says they crammed a lot in that match and they were cooking. No kidding. Go watch it as it is great. Owen then beats Razor in the Finals to become The King of Hearts. Owen is great!

4. Shattering Expectations
-King of The Ring 2001

-Speaking of great! You have Shane McMahon vs. Kurt Angle in one of the most brutal matches of all time. KO says it was his favorite match for a very long time. Shane proved here he would do anything in a match. The suplex through the glass is still brutal and the fact it took three times before it broke. SHANE GOT DROPPED RIGHT ON HIS HEAD ON CONCRETE. Just a bloody brawl and it’s amazing both men could walk after the match. Shane says he still has scars on his head from that match. I bet!

3. His Royal Excellence
–King of The Ring 93

-Bret had a chip on his shoulder falling Mania IX and went out and had three matches where he wanted to prove he was the best in the company. He calls the Finals against Bigelow a lost classic that people don’t talk about. Punk won’t say it’s Bret’s greatest moment, but it’s one of them.

-Commercials!

2. A Giant Leap for Mankind
–King of The Ring 1998

-This should be #1, but they can’t help but drool over Austin 3:16 moment. We all know the deal as Mick Foley gets tossed off the Hell in a Cell in a moment replayed more than anything other than possibly Hogan slamming Andre. The second bump is the sick one and I still maintain Lawler’s call of “That’s it, he’s dead,” is one of the best ever. You believed what he was saying.

1. The Book of Austin
–King of The Ring 1996

-Of course it’s this moment because they want you to believe Austin cut the promo and was immediately a made man the next night. They forget to mention he wasn’t really pushed until the Bret feud 5 months later and they didn’t even put him on the SummerSlam main card. It’s a heck of a clip and Austin came up with a great soundbite and catchphrase off the top of his head. HHH says he was watching and half way through thought Austin was being made. Sure you did! Probably saying, “that should have been me.” Historically, yes, it’s a big moment, but it became that after Austin started getting pushed. Foley/Undertaker was amazing in the moment and is still insane, but I get why they put Austin in the top spot.

-Fun list and they touched on the moments you would expect. The only weird inclusion was Logan Paul vs. Cody Rhodes and they probably could have thrown the first Queen of the Ring winner in here, but whatever I guess. Thanks for reading!