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On Monday Night Raw, Sasha Banks' big return wasn't the only thing that wowed the fans. During the show, WWE announced that the famed King of the Ring tournament was making its return next week on Raw! Later on in the night, Drew McIntyre took on Cedric Alexander and Michael Cole confirmed that the two competitors would be a part of the tournament.
The King of the Ring tournament was originally held in 1985, which was won by Don Muraco. The tournament got its own PPV in 1993, with Bret Hart defeating Bam Bam Bigelow to win the whole thing.
Over the course of the past few decades, the King of the Ring tournament has given WWE some of the biggest Superstars of all time, and is identified as a stepping stone for Superstars who would go on to become megastars in the company down the line. Let's take a look at 5 biggest King of the Ring winners, and where are they now.
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#5 Kurt Angle (2000)
Angle came to WWE as a celebrated athlete after he bagged gold in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Angle debuted in WWE at Survivor Series 1999, defeating Shawn Stasiak in the process. In 2000, Angle aligned with Edge & Christian, ad feuded with Too Cool and Rikishi. Angle defeated Rikishi in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament.
This kicked off a legendary career, with Angle becoming one of the most decorated athletes in WWE history, over the course of the next several years. He headlined WrestleMania 19 against Brock Lesnar, and went on to have classics in future 'Mania events, against the likes of Eddie Guerrero and Shawn Michaels.
Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017 and became an on-screen GM of the Monday Night Raw brand. He lost his final WrestleMania match to Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35, and soon took the role of a backstage producer in WWE - one that he holds in
#4 Edge (2001)
After cementing himself as a bonafide tag team wrestler alongside Christian, Edge was given a singles push when he defeated Kurt Angle in the King of the Ring tournament finals. Edge soon went on to feud with Christian, who had betrayed him a while after the former had won the tournament. Edge was one of Paul Heyman's SmackDown Six, who was responsible for saving the blue brand from getting canceled in 2002.
Edge went on to win the first-ever Money In The Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 21, which resulted in him getting a major push which culminated in him defeating John Cena to win his first WWE title.
Over the next several years, Edge won multiple WWE and World titles, and feuded with the likes of The Undertaker and Batista. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012, and was recently seen at SummerSlam 2019, when he attacked WWE Superstar Elias with a thunderous Spear. He still makes sporadic appearances for WWE.
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#3 Bret Hart (1991, 1993)
Dubbed as The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be, Bret "The Hitman" Hart is widely regarded by many as one of the greatest Superstars in WWE history. He is the only 2-time King of the Ring winner, winning the tournaments in 1991 and 1993. Hart defeated Irwin R. Schyster to win his first King of the Ring crown, and put down Bam Bam Bigelow 2 years later to cement his place in WWE history as the only two-time KotR winner.
He was the face of WWE back in the mid-90s, after Hulk Hogan left for WCW. Hart was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. He was recently seen unveiling the AEW World title at the promotion's first show, Double or Nothing. He also made an appearance at SummerSlam 2019 in a backstage segment with Seth Rollins.
#2 Brock Lesnar (2002)
Brock Lesnar had possibly the greatest rookie year of any Superstar in history. He won the King of the Ring tournament in 2002, by defeating Rob Van Dam in the finals, which earned him a shot at the WWE title. Brock never looked back since then, as he went on to put down The Rock at SummerSlam 2002 to become the youngest WWE Champion ever. He headlined WrestleMania 19 with Kurt Angle and won his 2nd WWE title at the event. Lesnar left WWE in 2004, following his loss to Goldberg at WrestleMania 20.
He came back to WWE in 2012, following a dominant UFC stint. Lesnar has since become a mainstay in WWE and has won the top title on several occasions. He recently lost the WWE Universal title to Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2019.
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#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin (1996)
After a short-lived WCW career, Stone Cold Steve Austin came to WWE as The Ringmaster. The push that was supposed to be given to Triple H, went to Austin after The Game was punished for being a part of the infamous Curtain Call incident in Madison Square Garden.
Austin defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the finals and gave possibly the greatest promo in WWE history. He soon got into a rivalry with WWE owner Vince McMahon, and was primarily responsible for WWE's triumph over WCW at the end of the Monday Night Wars. Austin was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. He has made several appearances since then and was recently seen celebrating with WWE legends on the Raw Reunion episode.
