5 ways WWE can make a King of the Ring tournament significant again

WWE’s King of the Ring was once deemed one of the promotion’s biggest premium live events alongside the likes of WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble. Unfortunately, as the years passed, the event lost its luster and was scrapped by the company.

WWE has used the event as a springboard for the careers of notable greats like Bret Hart, Triple H, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. In line with this, it is also where the latter’s infamous "Austin 3:16" speech took place in 1996.

Recent talks are now suggesting that it could be making a comeback under Triple H’s regime, though it is still a bit hazy how WWE would go about reviving it. There are several ways the promotion could make the event relevant in the present day, and here are some pitches for that.

#5. WWE King of the Ring can be significant again by having superstars choose a preferred spot at Royal Rumble

Royal Rumble is one of WWE’s biggest events as the winner of this 30-man battle royale secures a title opportunity at WrestleMania. That said, it would be advantageous for a wrestler to be able to handpick their spot at the free-for-all premium live event.

Having such a stipulation injected into the King of the Ring event would take the stakes up a notch. Furthermore, participating superstars have another reason to be amped up while competing as they will be getting more than a crown, robe, and scepter.

#4. WWE Superstars will be guaranteed a match at WrestleMania

Every wrestler’s dream is to be a part of wrestling history by having a match on The Grandest Stage of Them All – Wrestlemania.

A clause like this within King of the Ring would be a great opportunity for wrestlers – especially those who are not getting much of a push – to climb up the ranks, as this would be a compelling narrative for the tournament.

It could also be an avenue for the promotion to renew its championship holders as they might stumble upon some diamonds in the rough.

#3. A title shot for the King of the Ring winner

Another interesting stipulation that can be added to a reworked King of the Ring is a guaranteed title shot to whomever wins the tournament.

For the uninitiated, WWE threw in such a provision in the tournament only once. This took place in its 2002 installment, which was won by Brock Lesnar.

Additionally, the inclusion of a title match for the King of the Ring winner would likely create quite a buzz across the WWE Universe, making it worth the watch.

#2. King of the Ring: Battle of the Brands

The idea is reminiscent of WWE’s Worlds Collide event, which is an interbrand melee between the promotion’s wrestling stables. However, Worlds Collide only featured the company’s developmental stables NXT and NXT UK (to be rebranded as NXT Europe).

Instead of just the black and gold brand, WWE could have both SmackDown and RAW enter the fray. Each of these brands conducts their respective eliminator matches to pick its representatives for the tournament. The culmination would be at King of the Ring to determine who lords over all.

Moreover, this could also create fresh matchups that are never-before-seen by the WWE Universe and at the same time become a hot topic within the wrestling community.

#1. An all-women KOTR tourney

There’s no denying that women wrestlers have taken WWE by storm. This is due to the fact that the promotion has given focus to its women's division over the years and their progression within the company can now be felt.

The Evolution pay-per-view from 2018 is a prime example of this. Female superstars of SmackDown, RAW, and NXT exhibited their skills and athleticism within the squared circle and this has been well-received by fans.

With that in mind, it is fitting that another all-female event should be introduced by WWE, and what better way to do it than by rolling out a Queen of the Ring premium live event?

One might argue that the promotion has already done such an event in the form of the Queen’s Crown tournament in 2021. While this remains true, it cannot be deemed a proper counterpart for King of the Ring due to the number and length of its matches.

If this can be tweaked to be at par with KOTR and make it an annual premium live event, the promotion could potentially have another moneymaker of an event on its hands.