From 1993 to 2002, The WWF/E King of the Ring was the next big pay-per-view show after WrestleMania, bridging the gap between The Showcase of the Immortals and SummerSlam. But The King of the Ring actually began in 1985 as a specialized tournament for WWF house show audiences. During it's initial years, the crown was even defended in sanctioned WWF matches, changing hands/heads in one-on-one matches. Beginning in 1993 it became a stand-alone event, crowning a new king once a year on pay-per-view, until it ceased to be after the 2002 tournament. Since then, the tournament has come back infrequently, playing itself out on Raw and Smackdown in 2006, 2008, and lastly in 2010. From the inception of the crown, 20 superstars- ten World Champions, nine Hall of Famers, and an unfortunate handful of duds in-between- have worn the crown. Some embraced the king title, incorporating it into their gimmick. Some won the tournament, ignored the crown, and used the tournament victory to catapult themselves to superstardom. And some failed to deliver after the crown was placed on their head, and dipped back down the card once their push proved unsuccessful. The Top 10 listed successfully used the tournament win to move up in the company, or incorporated the crowd/robe/and royal attitude seamlessly into their persona, or managed a combination of both. The past winners who did not make this cut are: Don Muraco, Ted DiBiase, Tito Santana, Haku, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Mable, Ken Shamrock, Billy Gunn, William Regal, and Sheamus. Now, bow to the greatness of the Top 10 WWE Kings of the Ring.
The 'House is a father of two and husband of one in Minnesota. He is an improv comedian, and in his spare time follows WWE, MLB, The Simpsons, and Bob's Burgers. Growing up he was a huge fan of He-Man, and refuses to believe that it was in fact terrible.
