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On the RAW after SummerSlam 2019, WWE made a groundbreaking announcement as the company confirmed the return of the prestigious King of the Ring tournament. In the aftermath to a historic SummerSlam pay-per-view, the return of the King of the Ring definitely will have a major impact on both RAW and SmackDown Live.
The King of the Ring tournament was initially hosted by WWE in 1985 and was held annually till 2002, with the exception of 1990 and 1992. From 1993 to 2002, King of the Ring was held as a pay-per-view, however, in 2003 the event's pay-per-view slot was replaced by Bad Blood.
After a four-year hiatus, the King of the Ring made its return in 2006 as an exclusive event for the SmackDown brand. The tournament then made its return as an inter-brand event for RAW and SmackDown in 2008, 2010, and 2015. The King of The Ring is now set to make its return in 2019 for both RAW and SmackDown Live.
Past King of the Ring winners include the likes of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, Harley Race, Bret Hart, Owen Hart, and Brock Lesnar. The first King of the Ring tournament was won by Don Muraco, whereas, the latest winner of the King of the Ring is Bad News Barrett, who won the last KOTR tournament in 2015.
With WWE officially announcing the return of the King of the Ring, the first two competitors for this year's KOTR tournament have now also been confirmed. RAW's lead commentator Michael Cole noted during the show that Drew McIntyre and Cedric Alexander are the first two names confirmed to be joining the King of the Ring 2019 tournament.
The announcement was followed up by a barnburner of a match between McIntyre and Alexander with the former coming out as the winner of the contest that brought the entire Scotiabank Arena to its feet.
The King of the Ring 2019 tournament kick starts next week on RAW and expect a few more names to be added to the lot over the course of the next week.
