10 Fascinating WWE King Of The Ring 2001 Facts
8. Angle Was The First Defending King To Make The Finals In 13 Years
In the pay-per-view era of King of the Ring (as well as the occasionally-revived tournaments from 2006 onward), Angle is the only man that has made it to the finals more than once. After felling Rikishi to claim the spoils in 2000, Angle made it to the finals a year later, ceding the crown jewels to Edge.
To find the only other wrestler to make the King of the Ring finals a year after winning it, you'd have to go back to the untelevised tournaments of the 1980s. Specifically, go back to 1987 when a freshly-babyface Macho Man Randy Savage took the crown after pinning King Kong Bundy. One year later, while reigning as WWE Champion, Savage actually lost the finals of the 1988 tournament to Ted Dibiase, who won via countout when Savage became distracted by Virgil during a scuffle outside the ring.