The month of May is normally a lull period for the WWE as the company usually takes its foot off the gas following Wrestlemania. However, the last few weeks of television have been compelling as the focus of both Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown have been centered around the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments, with the finals taking place in Saudi Arabia next Saturday.
For background, King of the Ring was a staple of the WWE calendar throughout the 1990’s and early-2000’s, running annually as a pay-per-view from 1993-2002. Effectively serving as a bridge between Wrestlemania and SummerSlam seasons, the tournament was used as a device to showcase up and coming superstars, from Owen Hart, to Triple H, to Kurt Angle, to Brock Lesnar. The most famous case of KOTR launching a star was in 1996, when newly crowned winner Stone Cold Steve Austin delivered his era-defining Austin 3:16 promo, setting him on the path to becoming one of the most iconic.
Despite the lore and history of the tourney, it stopped being an annual event following 2002 and would be brought back infrequently over the next two decades. Part of this stems from repeated stories that Vince McMahon hated tournaments, stemming from the failure of the tournament focused Wrestlemania 4 in 1988. Part of it can be attributed to the rise of Money in the Bank as the WWE’s go-to early summer ppv, as the MITB briefcase has become one of the most recognized gimmicks in all of wrestling. While recent tournaments have brought a brief spotlight to acts like Baron Corbin, Xavier Woods, and inaugural Queen’s Crown winner Zelina Vega, those editions almost feel like outliers when looking at the history of the tournament as a whole.
This year, however, has been different. Since announcing the ppv during Wrestlemania 40 last month, the company has gone out of its way to make it feel like a big deal and it began when Gunther became the first person to announce his entry. More and more men’s and women’s superstars announced their inclusion over the next few weeks, setting up a full 16-person bracket for both tourneys.
Beginning on May 6, the tournaments have worked wonderfully for multiple reasons.
First off, it has served as a showcase piece for some of the newer stars on the main roster. Ilja Dragunov, Lyra Valkyria, Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Tama Tonga, and Carmelo Hayes are some of the rising stars who have gotten an opportunity to display their talents both as characters and in-ring performers in these tourneys.
Second, the company has given several matches actual time for these stars to tell good stories in the ring. Gunther vs. Sheamus was a 20+ banger and was a good way for the returning Celtic Warrior to re-introduce himself to the fans. Dragunov wrestled two 13+ minute barnburners against Ricochet and Jey Uso, both of which could be argued as being the best matches of the tourney so far. Friday’s bout between Stratton and Bianca Belair was a great athletic showcase and they were able to get time on Smackdown, which notoriously cuts matches short due to its time constraints as a two-hour shows.
Third, already established stars have gotten a chance to level up in starpower over the last few weeks. After losing the WWE Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania, Iyo Sky is a top contender to win Queen of the Ring and she’s starting to hold her own outside of the orbit of Bayley. Meanwhile on the men’s side, just look at these Jey Uso entrances man.
Finally, these tournaments have effectively tied together and advanced several stories on both shows. The men’s Raw semifinal features Jey Uso vs. Gunther, two forces of nature right now who have crossed paths in recent months. The Smackdown semifinal features Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga, a continuation of the story being told with the reconfigured and more ruthless Bloodline under Solo Sikoa. Meanwhile, we appear to be angling towards a Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky final on the women’s side. This potential matchup has plenty of history with Belair feuding with Damage CTRL from SummerSlam 2022 onward.
For all of these reasons, the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments this year has already been a success. The WWE has put purpose behind each individual matchup and several stars have been elevated in the process. Instead of being held every few years or so, this needs to be an annual event. Create opportunities to build stars and bolster storylines in the “lull” of early summer and it will pay off at your bigger shows later on.