5 WWE King of the Ring winners who went on to become main event superstars 

King of the Ring is one of the most prestigious WWE tournaments dating back to 1985. Don Muraco defeated The Iron Sheikh to become the inaugural 'King.'

Over the years, WWE has seen prominent superstars like Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, Booker T, Kurt Angle, Edge, the late Owen Hart, and Triple H win the tournament.

For some, winning King of the Ring has been a stepping stone to becoming the main event superstars as their careers have progressed.

The last King of the Ring Tournament was held in 2019, where Baron Corbin emerged victorious by beating Chad Gable. King Corbin recently lost his title to Shinsuke Nakamura in the 'Battle for the Crown' match, making Nakamura the reigning King in WWE.

In this article, we dive into five WWE King of the Ring winners who became main event superstars.

#5 Triple H - King of the Ring winner in 1997

Triple H fka Hunter Hearst Helmsley won the King of the Ring tournament in 1997 by beating Mankind. Winning this prestigious tournament gave him the much-needed push as he formed the infamous D-Generation X with Shawn Michaels soon after.

In a couple of years, The Game won his first WWE Championship in 1999 when he beat Mankind and became one of the biggest heels in the Attitude Era.

His career has since been what dreams are made of, being a former fourteen-time World Champion, five-time Intercontinental Champion, two-time European Champion, and a two-time Royal Rumble winner. Triple H remains one of the very best superstars of his generation and a true legend in WWE.

#4 Booker T - King of the Ring 2006

Booker T became King Booker after defeating Bobby Lashley during the King of the Ring tournament in 2006.

His career has reached new heights since then. In the same year at The Great American Bash, Booker defeated Rey Mysterio to win his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

On earning his maiden world title in WWE, Booker proclaimed himself as 'The King of the World'. The title win would also make King Booker the sixteenth Triple Crown Champion and eighth Grand Slam Champion in the history of WWE.

#3 Brock Lesnar - King of the Ring 2002

Brock Lesnar made his WWE debut in March 2002, and in June, he won the King of the Ring by beating Rob Van Dam.

One surely knew, looking at The Beast in 2002, that he was cut for big things. After winning the tournament, Lesnar beat The Rock at SummerSlam to become the Undisputed WWE Champion at 25, making him the youngest champion.

Lesnar also became the second-fastest superstar to win the WWE Championship in 126 days after making his debut. Since then, The Beast Incarnate has gone on to become one of the best in WWE.

#2 Bret Hart - King of the Ring winner of 1991 and 1993

Bret Hart won his first King of the Ring tournament in 1991 after beating Irwin R. Schyster. He was earlier seen as a tag-team wrestler with his partner Jim Neidhart as part of the Hart Foundation but became a prominent singles competitor following the tournament.

In 1992, Bret won his first WWE Championship after beating Ric Flair, becoming the cornerstone of WWE right up until 1997. In the process, Hitman would put over many superstars, the likes of Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, his late brother Owen Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin, thereby anointing him as a true main eventer.

The Excellence of Execution also won the King of the Ring title for the second time in 1993 when he beat Bam Bam Bigelow in the first-ever stand-alone King of the Ring pay-per-view.

#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin - King of the Ring winner 1996

Winning the King of the Ring in 1996 was the coming of age of Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake beat Jake Roberts in the finals and dropped the iconic "Austin 3:16" promo.

Austin won the Royal Rumble in 1997. He had a fantastic match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 and then dethroned Shawn Michaels as the new WWE Champion at WrestleMania the following year. The bout against HBK at WrestleMania 14 was iconic as Mike Tyson was the special guest enforcer referee while Austin won his first WWE Championship.

No WWE Superstar saw such massive momentum by winning the King of the Ring as Austin. The win made him one of the biggest names in the Attitude Era.