10 Staples From Wrestling's Past WWE Must Bring Back

1. The King Of The Ring Tournament

Undertaker Kane Unforgiven 1998
WWE

The King Of The Ring tournament, in its 1990s pomp at least, was a veritable star-maker.

It helped Bret Hart define the workhorse New Generation, catapulted Stone Cold Steve Austin to megastardom, and belatedly launched the career of Triple H after his post-Curtain Call fall guy demotion.

Even after Ken Shamrock and Billy Gunn sullied the crown, Kurt Angle and Booker T used their victories - which they didn't particularly need, in truth - to develop their comedic chops. Angle's talk of "summoning" and Booker's "King Bukkkaah" shtick are among the finer entries in wrestling's dubious comedy canon.

In 2016, it is almost impossible to determine which midcard talents we should receive as headliners-in-waiting. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn traded victories and ended up lower down than the totem pole than they were before contesting their singles feud. Cesaro's halted career trajectory seems to be an in-joke shared between the Jekyll and Hyde personalities of Vince McMahon.

The King Of The Ring, in lieu of the meaninglessness associated with the company's midcard titles, would in theory - if taken seriously - press WWE to decide who to crown or fortify as their next main event proposition.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!