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In just a few weeks, the WWE Universe will see the coronation of a new monarch, as the company is set to crown its next King of the Ring.
Over the years, 19 men have been able to claim the throne, though not all Kings ruled equally. Whilst some were able to use the crown as a platform for even better things, others were quickly forgotten about.
In this year’s tournament, 5 Superstars remain, including former United States Champions Ricochet and Samoa Joe, former 24/7 Champion Elias, former Money in the Bank winner Baron Corbin, and Chad Gable.
Though these stars will hope to capture the crown, they should probably make sure that their reigns don’t flop like some of the past kings.
Here are 5 King Of The Ring winners that became megastars (& 5 That didn't.)
#10 Megastar: Triple H
Though he captured the crown in 1997, the reign of King Triple H was supposed to come a year earlier, until real life got in the way.
After the famous "Curtain Call" incident inside Madison Square Garden, the Game was held down, with his King of the Ring win scheduled for 1996, taking place a year later.
After capturing the crown, the King would remain an upper-mid-carder on the show and would take the reins as the leader of DX the following year.
Eventually leaving DX, the Game would rise to the main event in the summer of 1999, capturing his first of 14 World titles.
Outside the ring, Triple H has become one of the most powerful men in wrestling, a WWE Hall of Famer and the COO of the company.
As the husband of Stephanie McMahon, the Game is the heir-apparent to the entire WWE when Vince McMahon steps down, a sign of a true King.
See WWE Smackdown Results, Highlights of the event, & more on WWE Smackdown Results page.
#9 Didn't: Billy Gunn
Though the Game’s career skyrocketed when he won the King of the Ring in 1997, the same couldn’t be said for his DX comrade Billy Gunn, who captured the crown himself two years later.
Defeating fellow degenerate X-Pac in the finals, Gunn would quickly enter a feud with The Rock, though he was never seen as on the same level as the People’s Champion.
Not only did Gunn come up short against the People’s Champion at SummerSlam, but there was practically no mention of his royal accolade, just weeks after he’d become King.
Following his loss to The Rock, Gunn would quickly fall back down the ranks of WWE, re-entering the tag team division with little fanfare, never returning to the highs he had once been at.
Though Gunn and the Road Dogg would capture the WWE Tag Team Titles in early 2014, this reign was quickly forgotten by fans.
Perhaps the worst sign of Gunn's win was that his name would be used as a verb in 2001, when that year's King of the Ring winner Edge, promised he wouldn't "Billy Gunn" his reign.
#8 Megastar: Kurt Angle
After joining the WWE in late 1999, Kurt Angle enjoyed arguably the greatest rookie year in WWE history.
In just a matter of months, Angle would claim the European and Intercontinental Championships, and on June 2000, added the King of the Ring crown to his trophy cabinet, defeating Rikishi.
Instantly seen as a main event player, the Olympian would compete in the main event of SummerSlam later that year against The Rock and Triple H, and at No Mercy, would win the WWF title from Brahma Bull, less than a year into his career.
After winning his first of six World titles in WWE, Angle would enjoy an incredible career in the promotion, which would also see Kurt compete for a World Championship in three WrestleManias (19, 20 and 22), before his departure in 2006, though returned eleven years later to take his spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.
With gold around his neck, on his head and his waist, an unmatched athletic ability and a wizard on the mic, Angle was a megastar after becoming the King of the Ring.
#7 Didn't: Sheamus
When Sheamus won the King of the Ring tournament in 2010, he was already a megastar.
Before defeating John Morrison in the finals in November, Sheamus had already held the WWE Championship twice that same year, and fans expected a third title reign to be around the corner following his huge win.
Instead, Sheamus continued his mid-card feud with Morrison, which did wonders for the career of the former MNM member, though nothing for the King.
Wearing a unique attire, to say the least, to reflect his royal win, Sheamus would come up short against Morrison in their feud, and this would be the first of several losses that would plague the Irish Superstar for months.
In fact, Sheamus would have to wait until March 2011 for his losing streak to come to an end, as he’d only win the United States title from Daniel Bryan after being forced to put his career on the line, though the damage had already been done.
Though he would become a main event star again, holding two more titles, Sheamus' momentum was never the same after his disastrous reign.
#6 Megastar: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart
Bret Hart’s Hall of Fame career speaks for itself, though what fans may not realize is that the Hitman is the only two-time WWE King of the Ring winner in history.
Capturing the crown first in 1991, Hart would retain it two years later on pay-per-view, defeating Razor Roman, Mr. Perfect, and Bam Bam Bigelow all on the same night to do so.
As King, Bret’s popularity with the fans was at an all-time high, and though WWE was set on pushing Lex Luger against then-WWF Champion Yokozuna, they couldn’t ignore the viewers.
Instead, Hart and Luger would both win the 1994 Royal Rumble, and though Bret would lose in the opener of WrestleMania 10 to his brother Owen Hart, he would end the night as WWF Champion, defeating the Samoan Sumo.
With the title, Bret would remain a consistent main event star until his departure from the WWF following the Montreal Screwjob but has since been inducted twice into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Nowadays regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Hart's time as King was one of many accolades of the legendary Canadian.
#5 Didn't: Ken Shamrock
When the WWF signed Ken Shamrock to a contract, fans knew something big was going to happen.
After playing the guest enforcer for WrestleMania 13’s I-Quit match between Bret Hart and Stone Cold, the former UFC legend would become a WWE Superstar in his own right, and in 1998, became King of the Ring.
Defeating his longtime foe The Rock in the finals, Shamrock’s career would never go much higher than this, as unlike former Kings like Austin and the Hitman, he wasn't pushed into the main event picture following his huge win.
In hindsight, perhaps having The Rock win would have been the best option, as the Great One would end the year as WWF Champion, and has had one of the greatest careers in both Sports and Entertainment.
Remaining a mid-carder, Shamrock’s WWE career would end with his release in 1999, and in the 20 years since, Shamrock has never been brought back to the McMahon-led company.
Though he never returned to WWE, Shamrock did play a crucial part in the early days of Impact and was recently announced for some future tapings.
#4 Megastar: Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar’s rise to the top of WWE was meteoric, and along that path, the young Beast captured the King of the Ring throne.
Debuting on the RAW after WrestleMania 18, it’d take Lesnar just 97 days to capture the crown, defeating Test and Rob Van Dam on the same night to do so.
Though winning the King of the Ring is a huge accolade in its own right, Lesnar would follow this up by defeating The Rock at SummerSlam to claim the Undisputed WWE Championship, becoming the youngest man to win the title.
Winning the 2003 Royal Rumble mere months later, Lesnar’s rookie year in WWE would culminate with him winning his second WWE title at WrestleMania 19, from fellow King of the Ring winner Kurt Angle.
After this huge win, Lesnar would have another dominant year in WWE, before leaving after his match against Goldberg at WrestleMania 20.
Returning to WWE in 2012, Lesnar has reclaimed his spot as one of WWE’s biggest stars, being the only three-time Universal Champion in history, an accolade suitable for both a King and a Beast.
#3 Didn't: Bad News Barrett
The most recent King of the Ring winner, Bad News Barrett captured the crown in 2015, in what many fans had hoped would be a career-changing win for the British Brawler.
Despite being the leader of the Nexus in 2010 and at one point, WWE’s top heel, Barrett’s star had fallen significantly over the years, and many fans hoped that defeating Neville in the finals would be the win needed to turn his career around.
Unfortunately, Barrett would have little to no success following his huge win, as it quickly became clear WWE didn’t know what to do with the new monarch.
Despite a high profile tag match with Stardust against Neville and Green Arrow actor Stephen Amell, Barrett would never have any major feuds after his tournament win, and in 2017, left the company to pursue other ventures.
The only bright side, if there is one, to all of this, is that hopefully, WWE will treat their next King with some respect after the disastrous reign that happened four years ago for the King of Bad News.
#2 Megastar: ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin
When Triple H’s King of the Ring victory was postponed for a year due to the Curtain Call, WWE chose to replace the Game with a young Steve Austin.
Arguably one of the best decision WWE has ever made, the Texas Rattlesnake defeated Jake 'The Snake' Roberts in the finals of the tournament, and though the match was fine, what Austin said afterward would make the show a truly historic event.
After defeating Roberts, whose character at the time would use Bible verses in promos, Austin mocked the legend post-match, delivering his infamous Austin 3:16 promo.
From there, the Rattlesnake quickly became one of WWE’s biggest stars, feuding with top tier talents like Bret Hart and The Undertaker.
After winning the WWF Title from Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14, Austin would go on to become arguably the biggest Superstar of all time, which all started with his King of the Ring win in 1996.
Retiring from the ring in 2003 after his WrestleMania match against The Rock, Austin has transitioned into a successful TV and Podcasting career.
#1 Didn't: Mabel
Literally the biggest failed King of all time, the colossal Mabel captured the crown in 1995, defeating Savio Vega in the finals.
Redubbed King Mabel, the Superstar would quickly surround himself with a court, including dubbing his manager 'Sir Mo'.
Mabel's victory did lead to the super heavyweight getting better opportunities, feuding with the Undertaker that same year, as well as main eventing SummerSlam 1995 against then WWF Champion Diesel.
Unfortunately, this main event would be one of the worst in the company's history, as fans didn’t want to see the two large athletes compete, instead favoring smaller more athletic stars of the time like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.
With his King of the Ring push truly over, Mabel would leave the company the next year, before becoming Viscera in the Attitude Era.
Though he is probably best remembered by this name, or as Big Daddy V in ECW years later, the commentators would very rarely even allude to his time as the reigning monarch of wrestling, proving that it takes more than a crown and a throne to make a King.
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