The King of the Ring tournament used to be one of the biggest events of the year. Back when WWE only held a handful of pay-per-views every 12 months, the KOTR was special because of its format.
The show featured a three-round tournament. Whoever was able to defeat all three opponents in one night was crowned the new King and was given a big push coming out of the event.
Things have changed in recent years, and not for the better. WWE hasn't held a proper PPV for the tourney since Brock Lesnar won in 2002. The few that followed took place on regular WWE shows over the course of a few days.
With so many PPVs having the same generic feel these days, WWE would be wise to consider bringing the King of the Ring back. This slideshow will look at five things WWE can do to make the event special again.
#5 Make it a One-Night event again
The last time WWE used the King of the Ring concept was in 2015 when Bad News Barrett won. The tournament was held over the course of two nights, which took away some of the magic that the event used to have.
When the KOTR was its own pay-per-view, WWE held all three rounds in a single evening. This meant that the winner and runner-up had to fight in three matches in one night.
Also read: WWE News: Wade Barrett criticises WWE over King of the Ring win
The whole point of the tournament was to find the Superstar who was good enough to beat three separate opponents in a row. The winner had to have endurance and toughness.
Winning all three matches and being crowned the King of the Ring has helped legends like Steve Austin, Bret Hart and Randy Savage move from mid card status into the main event scene, and it could do the same for someone currently on the roster.
#4 Open the tournament to all brands
With the exception of WrestleMania, Survivor Series, SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble, WWE has made every pay-per-view exclusive to either the Raw or SmackDown brands.
If the KOTR were to return as its own event, WWE should not only open the tourney to competitors from both brands, but it should also include Superstars from NXT.
Using the tournament as a way of pushing a developmental talent to the main roster would give that person a huge boost in exposure and show the fans why they should be cheering for him.
NXT has almost become more like a third brand than a developmental system. It's still where rookies hone their skills, but the TakeOver events are often more entertaining than the main roster PPV airing the same weekend.
Using all three brands for the tournament would also allow WWE to create some matches we have seen before so it can test the chemistry between two wrestlers for a potential feud. There's no downside to including Raw, SmackDown as well as NXT into the KOTR mix.
#3 Treat the KOTR like a big deal
WWE used to treat winning the King of the Ring tournament just like winning a championship. The winner was given a huge push following the event, and they often went on to become a world champion.
The last Superstar to truly benefit from becoming the KOTR was Booker T. He employed the King Booker gimmick for a long time and used it to become the top heel on SmackDown for a couple of years.
Sheamus, Barrett and William Regal were the last three winners, and none of them capitalised on it like the others had done it before them. WWE turned the tournament into a watered-down version of what it used to be.
If WWE hyped the return of the King of the Ring PPV as a big deal for months in advance, people would actually get excited about it again. Qualifying matches could be held in the weeks leading up to the event to make it feel even more legitimate.
#2 Give the tournament its own PPV
The last King of the Ring tournament in 2015 was held across two nights. The first set of matches took place on Raw, and the second set aired in place of an episode of Main Event on the WWE Network.
How is anyone supposed to take the tournament seriously if it doesn't even get its own pay-per-view? With the increase in PPVs on the calendar following the brand extension, management could easily find a place for it.
WWE is the greatest marketing machine in the world. If management put half as much effort into pushing the King of the Ring PPV as it does WrestleMania, the event would be a huge hit.
#1 Give the winner a title shot
Bring crowned the King of the Ring is an accomplishment in its own right, but once the tournament is over, there is no guarantee that the winner will receive a major push. Just look at Sheamus and Barrett to see how winning the KOTR can backfire.
There needs to be more than a crown and sceptre on the line to make people care about what happens to the winner after the tournament has ended. Giving them a title shot would fix this problem.
Even if the winner only received a chance to fight for the Intercontinental or United States Championship, it would still be better than nothing. In fact, making the prize a shot at one of those titles might help make it look more prestigious.
WWE could hold the event right before SummerSlam so the winner goes on to headline the second-biggest PPV of the year. It would be to SummerSlam what The Royal Rumble is to WrestleMania.
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