Watch the Throne: Ranking Every King of the Ring Winner

#12 Ken Shamrock, 1998 King of the Ring

This was one of those sad instances where the winner of the tournament that gives the show its name is a mere afterthought to numerous history-making moments on the same show

Ken Shamrock's WWE run lasted just over two years, and strongly resembled Mitch Hedberg's summation of pancakes: all exciting at first, but then by the end, you're sick of them.

Debuting as the referee in Bret Hart and Steve Austin's WrestleMania submission match, Shamrock was pushed heavily through the rest of 1997 as one of the toughest men in the World Wrestling Federation, reaching his first pay-per-view main event in December by defeating WWF Champion Shawn Michaels by disqualification after interference from Triple H.

Shamrock moved on to feuding with The Rock over the Intercontinental Championship, seeming to win the title before losing via disqualification when he refused to break his signature ankle lock hold, Shamrock tore through two members of Rock's Nation of Domination (Kama Mustafa and Mark Henry) and Jeff Jarrett before getting retribution against The Great One himself in the King of the Ring final round.

A very common sight throughout 1998

It was one of the best matches the pair had in their six-month feud, but suffered from sharing a card with two of the most famous falls ever shown on a wrestling broadcast.

His Career After King of the Ring

The rest of Shamrock's summer saw him at odds with another King, Owen Hart, whom he battled in a series of gimmick matches focused on each man's credentials as a submission fighter; Hart got the win in the Hart Family Dungeon, while Shamrock was victorious in WWE's spin on UFC's octagon at SummerSlam.

Shamrock turned heel in the fall, aligning himself with Vince McMahon's Corporation, then became embroiled in a nonsensical feud with Val Venis and Goldust over both Shamrock's Intercontinental Championship and his kayfabe sister (but real-life girlfriend) Ryan; he drifted through a faction of anti-Corporation performers and a feud with Steve Blackman before leaving the company in late 1999, not having lived up to the excitement surrounding his 1997 debut or his 1998 King of the Ring crown.