8 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2006
4. Giving SmackDown KOTR Was Inspired
Did you know? The 2006 King Of The Ring tournament was exclusive to SmackDown. The 8 men involved were: Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, Matt Hardy, Booker T, Chris Benoit, Finlay, Bobby Lashley and Mark Henry. Of note, Angle vs. Randy, Hardy vs. Booker and Benoit vs. Finlay were all worthwhile quarter finals (Benoit vs. Finlay was particularly rugged - those 2 beat the snot out of one another).
Eventual winner Booker got a bye in the semis due to Kurt’s injury, then beat Lashley in the final to take the crown. That coronation led to his memorable ‘King Bookah’ gimmick, and the rest is history. Honestly, bringing KOTR back after a 4 year hiatus was welcome, and running it as a TV special that’d peak on PPV at Judgment Day was an even better call.
WWE got every beat of this bang on the money.
The tourney gave several episodes of SmackDown a fun hook to keep them must see, and it didn't hurt that the lineup for the '06 King sprint was strong. Realistically, any of these guys barring maybe Finlay could've ended up with the crown. 'King' Randy could be a bit of an out there nickname, right enough!
It seemed like Booker T was destined to fail as he tried to get the royal gimmick over, but then something incredible happened. Book made it work. He was so OTT that it somehow clicked with fans and became one of the best periods of his run. Nobody could've predicted that going in, especially once it became clear that Booker was going to put on a dodgy accent.