[WWE] King oe Kings?

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 6:47 pm

Yes, as the WWE's King oe the Ring event is almost upon us, and I once more bemoan the eact that the point is deeated by the removal oe the quarter einals erom the pay per view...

In your opinion, who was the best KotR?

Based on pereormance in the tourney, and the way their career responded aeter the victory... is it really a launchpad? or just a cheap way to get somebody over?

Let battle commence!!

Blaster_86 · Post by **Blaster_86** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 6:59 pm

Well for some of the people up there it did nothing but for people like Bret Triple H and Austin it really launched them up soit's a close call.

I'm gonna go with Bret.

Redstreak · Post by **Redstreak** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 7:38 pm

I gotta go with Triple H, he has solidly evolved ever since he won that tourney. Billy Gunn was the biggest waste of space, but if ya look at the others, it's clear that they are by and large main eventers(Edge will be when he comes back from injury), so it does tend to do what it's supposed to.

Dinobot · Post by **Dinobot** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 7:41 pm

Originally posted by Redstreak
I gotta go with Triple H, he has solidly evolved ever since he won that tourney. Billy Gunn was the biggest waste of space, but if ya look at the others, it's clear that they are by and large main eventers(Edge will be when he comes back from injury), so it does tend to do what it's supposed to.

Bret Hart - the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. I haven't really watched wrestling since Owen Hart's death.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 9:10 pm

Personally, I wouldn't really go with Bret.

Why? Because he was already established before winning the tourney. He'd already been a two time tag team and intercontinental champion, and was just coming off a five month reign as WWF champ. I could probably argue that Hart was only given the KotR victory as a way of making up for the fact that the belt was pushed straight onto Hogan after he dropped it, and he wasn't getting a rematch for a year... In fact, the only thing the win really sprung Bret into was a two year feud with Jerry Lawler...

Owen didn't really achieve the great things he should have done... 1994 was an absolutely great year for him... heel turn at the Rumble... pins Bret cleanly on the day his brother wins the WWF title... KotR victory... headlining SummerSlam in a great cage match... and finally screwing Bret out of the title at the Survivor Series... all that before winning the Tag Titles at WM XI.... but, he could have been so much more...

The less said about Mabel the better.

Austin's career was definitely springboarded by it... but I think it odd that after the two previous heel kings got a title shot at SummerSlam, Austin wasn't even on the card later in the year, whilst HBK fought to a serious of pathetic non-finishes with Vader... ah well, takes all sorts...

Helmsley, on the other hand... upto that point, he'd been pretty much a gimmick... a stale gimmick at that. Second rate imitation of Steven Regal, and going through the motions for Duke Droese and Henry Godwinn... his deserved push stolen due to the incident at MSG, despite a run with the IC title, he'd gone off the boil and could probably be classed as a joke...
Then he got the Crown, and pulled out a ruthless streak. Started to veer away from the bluebood gimmick, and pulled some strings backstage to get himself paired up with buddy Michaels... the rest, they say, is history.

It's all about the game.

Dinobot · Post by **Dinobot** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 9:28 pm

Owen didn't really achieve the great things he should have done... 1994 was an absolutely great year for him... heel turn at the Rumble... pins Bret cleanly on the day his brother wins the WWF title... KotR victory... headlining SummerSlam in a great cage match... and finally screwing Bret out of the title at the Survivor Series... all that before winning the Tag Titles at WM XI.... but, he could have been so much more...

Why he never got a run with the World strap I'll never know.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 9:38 pm

Originally posted by Galvatron84

Why he never got a run with the World strap I'll never know.

Wasn't a big enough draw.

The bulk of fans want to see big guys with loads of presence battling it out. The steroid scandals meant all the big guys were shoved out of the spotlight... so, whilst 1993-97 was full of technically superb guys who were great workers, the company was in financial problems, and was getting thrashed by WCW (headlined by Hogan, Savage, the Giant, Hall, Nash, Goldberg... see a pattern?) in the ratings...

Then came Austin and Maivia, and the fact that WCW was killing itself...

Dinobot · Post by **Dinobot** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 11:16 pm

Owen Hart was a better wrestler than all those guys you mentioned Brend. Thats what annoys me.

At the height of his feud with Bret they should have given Owen a title run.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 11:21 pm

You think it doesn't annoy me? I know damn well that the smaller guys are the better wrestlers (they have to be, by necessity in order to stand a chance)... but the fact of the matter is that the humanoids would rather watch two musclebound jabronies pound each other with a three-move arsenal for seven minutes than watch two people actually wrestle for half an hour...

That's why they made Diesel champ... that's why they made Yokozuna champ... same with the Big Show... and with Hogan's latest run. Bastard bookers.

Blaster_86 · Post by **Blaster_86** » Sat Jun 15, 2002 11:37 pm

It seems almost anyone Trained in the Dungeon is deserving of a title run.

Owen, Bret, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, all great wrestlers, I still wannna find out if Edge and Christian trained with Stu.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 12:11 am

I think maby as Stone Cold's 3:16 quote was coined which made his name go stella I'd give it to him.

I'd say HHH but he has yet to reach Austin like heights even though he has been a wicked character and entertainer.

Dinobot · Post by **Dinobot** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 12:48 am

That's why they made Diesel champ... that's why they made Yokozuna champ...

That's why I very rarely watch wrestling these days. Does "wrestling" even come into it now?

Blaster_86 · Post by **Blaster_86** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 1:19 am

Originally posted by Galvatron84

That's why I very rarely watch wrestling these days. Does "wrestling" even come into it now?

When Certain people are in the ring.

Dinobot · Post by **Dinobot** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 1:26 am

Say the main event of a card was Undertaker VS Hogan - not going to be a great match. If, say, Edge and RVD VS The Hardy's was on the undercard they would be told not to put on the potentially great match they could so as not to totally outshine the main event and raise the crowds expectations leaving them disappointed by the end of the card.

Unicron · Post by **Unicron** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 2:14 am

Originally posted by Galvatron84
Say the main event of a card was Undertaker VS Hogan - not going to be a great match. If, say, Edge and RVD VS The Hardy's was on the undercard they would be told not to put on the potentially great match they could so as not to totally outshine the main event and raise the crowds expectations leaving them disappointed by the end of the card.

I see you know what happened in WCW. Guys like Hogan and Nash and Hall actually told (or had the management tell) the Cruiserweights to tone down their matches so the older, bigger names wouldn't look bad.

Grimlock · Post by **Grimlock** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 2:28 am

I'm going with Owen with Angle a close second.

And Brend, your missing all of the pre-ppv kings as well, you know, the ones that got carried to the ring in a chair by like 6 other people. *Edit* I went and found the ones I couldn't remember, Those being:

1985: Don Muraco
1986: Harley Race
1987: Randy Savage
1988: Ted Debiase
1989: Haku
1990: Hacksaw Jim Duggun
1991: Tito Santana
1992: Bret Hart

I'm not quite sure on the order though, but i know Bret won it twice, and I have a feeling Haku became king because Harley Race had to retire it, so the order might be bit screwed, but i'm pretty sure they are all the pre-ppv kings.

Dinobot · Post by **Dinobot** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 2:41 am

Originally posted by grimlock
I'm going with Owen with Angle & Shamrock a close second & third.

And Brend, your missing all of the pre-ppv kings as well, you know, the ones that got carried to the ring in a chair by like 6 other people, I think there were 5 before 1993 Harley Race, Haku, Macho Man, Jim Duggun and Bret Hart again, meaning Bret won it two years in a row. I'm pretty sure on those, not certain though.

Yeah in 1992 Bret Hart beat Irwin R. Schyster (sp?) in the final.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 10:49 am

Originally posted by grimlock
And Brend, your missing all of the pre-ppv kings as well, you know, the ones that got carried to the ring in a chair by like 6 other people.

Mhm. I did it on purpose, being as I wanted the poll to be about the one-night ppv tournaments, rather than people who got the crown by beating the last king... to the best of my knowledge, the first one-night tourney was in 1992, which I omitted because twas one by the same guy who did it again in '93...

... King Duggan.... I'll never forgive you for reminding me of that...

Grimlock · Post by **Grimlock** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 2:27 pm

Originally posted by Brendocon
... King Duggan.... I'll never forgive you for reminding me of that...

*Insert sadistic maniac laugh here*

Actually the other kings were also tournaments to, I can provide brackets for all except for Haku and Duggan, I think my order is wrong though cause Haku got it from Race cause Race was injured.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Sun Jun 16, 2002 5:12 pm

Eh, I just assumed it was a whoever beats the king becomes the king kinda thang... I thought Savage became the Macho King by beating Duggan...

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