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This past Monday on Raw, it was announced that the famed King of the Ring tournament was making a return on the upcoming episode of the red brand. Soon after, the participants for the tournament were announced. One of those 16 men will go on to win the whole thing, and will be crowned as King of the Ring 2019.
The tournament was once a yearly staple in WWE, and turned mid-carders into legit megastars on several occasions over the course of the past three decades. WWE Superstars like Brock Lesnar, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Edge have all won the tournament early on in their careers.
The lineup for this year's tournament consists of the likes of Drew McIntyre, The Miz, Kevin Owens, Ali, and Andrade. As usually is the case, some Superstars didn't make it to the lineup. Let's take a look at 5 Superstars who should have been a part of King of the Ring.
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#5 Xavier Woods
Let's start off with the Superstar who inspired this article! Xavier Woods has been a part of The New Day for a good while now. He recently posted one of his usual hilarious tweets on his official Twitter handle, hinting at the fact that he is upset at not being a part of the King of the Ring tournament.
Kofi Kingston has had an incredible 2019, and although Big E and Xavier Woods won the WWE SmackDown Live Tag Team Championship at Extreme Rules, there has to be something more that WWE can do with both of them. Xavier has shown tons of promise in the past when it comes to entertaining the fans, and a spot, plus a couple of wins in the tournament could have done wonders for him, in regards to a potential mid-card run sometime in the future.
#4 A returning Rusev
Remember Rusev?
The Bulgarian Brute has not been seen on WWE TV for a long while now. He competed in a Battle Royal at Super ShowDown, but hasn't wrestled on the blue brand recently. Rusev has now posted a photo on his official Instagram handle's story, showing off a new look that mimics the one that Robert Roode recently donned.
This could have been a good way to bring back Rusev on TV. If his new look is here to stay, this tournament could have been a fresh start for him. Rusev didn't even needed to win the whole thing. A strong showing in the tournament, followed by a loss in the semi-finals or even the finals could have cemented him as a force to be reckoned with in the near future.
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#3 R-Truth
It's hard to argue against the fact that R-Truth is the most entertaining entity on the WWE roster at the moment. Ever since the WWE 24/7 title came into being, Truth has become the cornerstone of this storyline, and has won the title a dozen times! R-Truth could have been the perfect dose of hilarity this tournament needed. There's no way Truth would have won the whole thing, but he surely would have provided some light-hearted comedy in the midst of the tournament.
Truth is currently the most beloved WWE Superstar on the roster. He was voted the most popular champion in WWE around a couple of months ago. It would have benefitted WWE by including Truth in the tournament and capitalizing on his popularity.
#2 An NXT debutant (preferably Matt Riddle)
The King of the Ring tournament is making a comeback after a long time. This tournament usually gives WWE its next big star. Now that WWE has a bunch of NXT Superstars all set to make their way to the main roster, at least one of them should have debuted in the big leagues by entering the tournament.
There are several NXT prospects who could have taken a spot in the tournament. Matt Riddle has been making waves for a long time. Riddle could not only have entered the tournament, he is someone who is believable enough to win it in the end! Riddle could have gone back to NXT for a one-off match with Killian Dain to finish off their feud, and then resumed his climb to the top of the main roster.
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#1 Aleister Black
Aleister Black was recently seen having a weird exchange with none other than The Fiend, on Twitter. The two Superstars teased a confrontation and the fans on social media went wild! There's certainly not a need for this feud to take place so soon, as WWE needs to build these two up for a while before giving us the dream match.
The Fiend will keep on destroying Superstars one after the other to become a credible villain. As for Black, a spot in the tournament and a victory in the end would have elevated him as a major star on the blue brand. It would have been a major accomplishment for him and would have made him a credible opponent for Wyatt somewhere down the line, when he faced The Fiend.
Nevertheless, Black can still be pushed as a legit star. Hopefully, we do get this feud, culminating in a match at next year's WrestleMania.
