By 2001, the 'King Of The Ring' concept had long since lost a lot of the lustre it had previously held. Duff winners such as Mabel and Billy Gunn had done nothing for the premise, but the tournament had previously helped launch the careers of several others. Names such as Triple H, Steve Austin and Kurt Angle were all aided by their King Of The Ring victories. Unfortunately, Edge can't claim to join that list. The Canadian would eventually go on to become a top star in WWE, but the King Of The Ring wasn't a major reason why. The win was overshadowed by the ongoing 'Invasion' angle dominating screens, so Edge didn't really have much time to crow about his big win. On television, Edge blasted Billy Gunn for his failure as King Of The Ring, but he was arguably just as big a flop with the trophy. As soon as the Pay-Per-View ended, fans were already moving on from the results. This was a shame, because the 'King' gimmick should have meant more, but Edge's win was merely forgettable just weeks after it happened.
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.
