Created in 1985, the King Of The Ring was crafted as little more than a device with which to draw fans out of their homes to live events. The advent of Pay-Per-View was still really a developing force in the mid-80's, and the emphasis was still very much on ensuring that as many fans as possible bought tickets to come and the see the product in person. Don Muraco would win the very first King Of The Ring title in July, 1985, beating The Iron Sheik in the final to be crowned. Muraco didn't really use the 'King' gimmick as such, simply crowing about being the King Of The Ring in fairly standard terms, and it wasn't until the following year that taking on the royal schtick would become tradition. 'King' Harley Race was crowned in 1986, before the likes of Ted DiBiase and even Tito Santana would win the tournament in subsequent years. It's perhaps surprising that the WWF never decided to make the attraction a Pay-Per-View before 1993, it would have made an ideal addition to the calendar a long time before then.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
