'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After over four years of absence, King of the Ring has finally been brought back by WWE. It is filled with some of the hottest talents on the roster who are ready to break into that next level. It will be a challenge, but WWE does need a bunch of new megastars.
The tournament begins next week on Monday Night Raw, and will play out in the coming weeks, with the culmination possibly happening at Clash Of Champions. The bracket has been decided, which make for a pretty interesting few weeks for the tournament.
Majority of the upper midcard will be a part of this, making it one of the biggest focal points of WWE's product throughout the second half of August and the first half of September. WWE needs to capitalize on this buzz and make this beloved concept a success again after a decade of disappointment in the form of King gimmicks done poorly.
The WWE superstars are there, but it is time for the stories now. Here are the five biggest stories that WWE could tell during the 2019 King of the Ring tournament.
#5 Go Shorty go
One of the more surprising names to be included in the King of the Ring tournament is Chad Gable. Ever since American Alpha broke up due to Jason Jordan finding his dad, Kurt Angle, the former Olympian has struggled.
Gable has been a part of various tag teams on the main roster, teaming with Bobby Roode and Shelton Benjamin after Jordan abruptly left him hanging on SmackDown. However, he has not had much success in singles competition throughout his WWE career. WWE might even be looking to change his name to something ridiculous.
Recently, Chad Gable has had some sort of a rebirth on 205 Live, putting on a belter of a match with Gentleman Jack Gallagher. His inclusion in this tournament could show signs of a brand new surge in momentum on the blue brand, especially with a first-round showdown against his former tag team partner and fellow forgotten man, Shelton Benjamin.
Gable has the capability to completely transform a crowd's reaction towards him - just give him fifteen unrestricted minutes. A mini-run in this tournament could do wonders for his fortunes and his future, whether it is on SmackDown or 205 Live.
#4 Nuclear heat
WWE has booked a stellar field of some of the most talented rising stars in the wrestling industry to be a part of the King of the Ring tournament. Most of them are so-called "Internet Darlings". There are a few exceptions though. Perhaps, the biggest one is Baron Corbin.
The Lone Wolf has not been seen since his chaotic Extreme Rules main event alongside Lacey Evans against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. The brackets have also been pretty kind to him, with most of Raw's biggest names on the other side from Corbin.
Compared to The Miz, Sami Zayn and Cedric Alexander, Baron Corbin may be the strongest in terms of kayfabe. The former Constable could march his way to the final of the entire tournament, with a crazy level of heat from the fans.
He would be the perfect foil to whichever babyface wins it all, but imagine if he is the one to bring home the crown. If WWE's goal was to tick the fans off, the outcome of this tournament would be King Corbin. Surely this is too much, even for WWE's standards. Right?
#3 Overcoming the boss
Kevin Owens is probably the biggest name in the entire King of the Ring field. He is also the one with the biggest ongoing story, heading into the start of the tournament. Owens defeated Shane McMahon at SummerSlam, but the feud is far from over.
He will face McMahon's henchman, Elias, in the first round. This will likely be marred with shenanigans, with the boss getting heavily involved. However, KO should come out on top. Him overcoming McMahon's malicious plots is something that will never tire the fans.
All of his matches will be heavily storyline based, with a potential quarter-final match with Buddy Murphy looming. Owens could win all of his matches despite heavy interference from Shane McMahon, and even Elias, before facing off against Drew McIntyre in the final.
It would make for a tremendous story since McIntyre has been heavily allied with McMahon in recent times. The former Universal Champion could further boost his already glowing CV with a King of the Ring victory, although it would benefit other superstars much more.
#2 The power of 205 Live
Ever since Vince McMahon gave Triple H control of the show, 205 Live has been largely consistent in terms of top-quality action. The three biggest names at the forefront of that change were Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali and Buddy Murphy.
Ali was the first to move to the main roster, making an instant impact on SmackDown Live by defeating Daniel Bryan. Alexander and Murphy moved to Raw and SmackDown respectively during this year's Superstar Shakeup. After months of misuse, both of them have been given opportunities to shine.
The two former Cruiserweight Champions have looked phenomenal recently and could potentially reach the next level, as could Ali. The King of the Ring tournament could prove to be that gateway. Alexander could feasibly win a couple of matches to reach the semi-finals, while Murphy and Ali will square off in a first-round match that could be an absolute classic.
Whoever wins that match could go on to greater things, representing Cruiserweights with immense pride. If WWE wanted to be bold, they could pit a 205 Live rematch in the tournament final. That would make multiple stars.
#1 The giant-slayer
It has been vastly reported that Paul Heyman is a big fan of Ricochet and plans to push him into the main event scene on Monday Night Raw. This tournament could be the perfect opportunity for WWE to insert him right into the mix.
Ricochet has been handed one of the most challenging brackets, with many potential roadblocks. He will face Drew McIntyre in the first round, in a match between two of the favourites to win the entire thing. This means that the former United States Champion could be eliminated after only a single match.
If he does conquer the Scottish Psychopath, he will face the winner of the all-heel clash between Samoa Joe and Cesaro. It is likely to be Joe, which will lead to a Stomping Grounds rematch. If Ricochet does win again, he would likely have to tackle another large man, in Baron Corbin, who is probably the office's favourite.
The One and Only would have to go through a multi-week gauntlet of giants to reach the final, where he could have an instant classic with anyone ranging from Kevin Owens to Andrade, or even Buddy Murphy.
It seems like the King of the Ring tournament and the (Raw) brackets have been designed to put Ricochet over massively, turning him into a main-event megastar under the directorship of Paul Heyman. It's not like he hasn't been called King Ricochet before, it literally is his Twitter handle!
