10 Moments That Destroyed WWE's King Of The Ring
8. Back-To-Back Disapointments
If Shamrock's tournament victory was a bit anti-climactic after the disappointment of not facing Dan Severn in the tournament, the 1999 edition didn't do much to follow-up. Shamrock seemed poised for big things after his June victory, but that potential never materialized.
After having a couple of high-profile matches against WWE Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin on Monday Night RAW in the fall of 1998, Shamrock slid down the card. A disappointing heel turn gave way to him winning the Intercontinental Championship, a considerable demotion considering he was a world title contender just weeks prior.
In 1999, WWE seemed ready to take a chance on long-time veteran of the company and tag-team specialist, Billy Gunn. Fresh off a D-Generation X split, Billy Gunn seemed to fall behind only Triple H as the talent WWE wanted to push. Unfortunately for Billy, the 1999 King Of The Ring was not much different than the 1998 King Of The Ring in terms of squandered potential.
By this time in WWE history, the King Of The Ring's reputation had begun to suffer considerably. By the end of 1999, there had been nearly as many failures as there had been success stories and it was clear that the crown was no longer a guarantee to get over.