WWE History Vol. 3: The Kings of Wrestling

These days, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a WWE championship.

SmackDown and Raw both have their own 'big belt' titles, the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship, respectively. Then there are the mid-card titles for both brands, the Intercontinental and United States titles. Add in two sets of tag team belts – not counting NXT – and women's titles for both brands, and the 24/7 title, and there are a veritable plethora of title belts floating around.

But during the WWE's Classic Era, there were only two singles championships; The World Heavyweight Championship and the Intercontinental championship.

Vince McMahon was reluctant at the time to have too many champions in the promotion for fears it would be confusing to the fans, especially children. However, there was one accolade that sometimes changed hands between wrestlers; The crown of the King of Wrestling.

Many legendary wrestlers have held the designation as King in WWE, most recently King Wade Barrett. However, the crown was originally intended to be a gimmick, not something to be put up and won or lost.

Thus we begin the colorful and rich history of WWE's kings of wrestling. Enjoy!

Honorable Mention: Jerry "The King" Lawler

Out of all the strange ways one can enter the world of pro wrestling, Jerry Lawler takes the cake. He was working as a Disk Jockey for a Memphis radio station when his gift of gab attracted the attention of promoter Aubrey Griffith. Lawler was offered free wrestling training in exchange for promoting wrestling events on his radio show.

Lawler quickly became a major star, working both as a wrestler and a promoter. He dubbed himself the King and even entered a feud with comedian Andy Kaufman, which blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality.

He also brought a lawsuit against WWE over their use of the King gimmick during Harley Race's reign. It was decided in court that the King gimmick was too general to copyright, thus Lawler lost the case.

As an olive branch, WWE offered Lawler a contract. He would act mostly as an announcer, but also feuded with WWE champion Bret Hart for a long time.

Though Lawler never won the crown officially in WWE, we would be remiss to not mention him in our list of monarchs.

He remains one of WWE's most popular commentators of all time and his partnership with Jim Ross has taken the WWE to new heights.

The First King: Harley Race

The pro wrestling industry is full of tough men. But there are certain athletes who stand out from even this crowd.

Harley Race is one such man. Race was a major star in the NWA territories during the 1970s and early 1980s and frequently held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Harley Race faced Nature Boy Ric Flair in a steel cage during the first ever Starrcade main event.

WWE acquired his contract in 1985, but a major star like Race presented a problem. WWE did not want to publicly acknowledge his accomplishments in other promotions, but at the same time, they wanted fans to recognize Harley Race as a major force in wrestling.

The solution was that he would win the first King of the Ring tournament, and subsequently, be crowned by his manager Bobby Heenan. Not only did this give Race some prestige, but it also kept him out of the world title picture which was dominated by Hulk Hogan during this era.

Harley went all in on the gimmick, demanding his opponents and the fans at ringside bow to his monarch's glory. He worked the crowds up into a frenzy with his pompous ways and was an effective heel.

Race picked up a huge win at WrestleMania III over Junk Yard Dog, who was forced to bow to the king. Other notable feuds included Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who brawled with Race at the first ever Slammy awards.

Race would hold the crown for years until a match against Hulk Hogan gave him a legit injury when he dove through a table. Bobby Heenan soon announced that there would be a new king, however.

The Second King: Haku

Tonga Fifita is a Samoan native who grew up in the laid back environment of the Samoan islands. When the king of Samoa wanted to learn about Sumo wrestling, he sent Tonga to Japan to study the ancient art.

Unfortunately, the Sumo establishment didn't take well to foreigners in their beloved and sacred sport. Sumo wrestlers are considered to be Shinto priests, and it was believed that a foreign Sumo wrestler would offend the Japanese people.

With his Sumo career stagnant, Fifita would turn to wrestling. He joined the All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, ironically competing as King Tonga.

When Tonga came to WWE, he was redubbed Haku and was pushed as a babyface. He would achieve fame by body slamming Big John Studd and winning Bobby Heenan's 15k challenge, though of course, the Brain refused to pay him.

After this feat of strength, Haku would eventually join the tag team division teaming with Tama in the Islanders. They turned heel and feuded with the notable teams of the day, such as the British Bulldogs.

When Tama left the company, Haku was soon managed by old nemesis Bobby Heenan. After Harley Race's injury forced him out of action, the Brain crowned Haku the new King of Wrestling.

Haku feuded with notable babyfaces of the day, including Harley Race, who, after returning from injury, was furious that his crown had been abdicated without his consent.

Haku wound up facing off against Race's old nemesis Hacksaw Jim Duggan. This would prove to be the final act in King Haku's legacy.

Haku would feature at the top of anybody's list of WWE superstars who were legitimately tough. His exploits outside the ring have been well documented and his no-nonsense approach made him one of the most feared wrestlers of all time.

The Third King: Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Finally, a King we can all relate to; Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

During Haku's reign as King, WWE decided that the crown could be a sort of unofficial 'third title' in the promotion. It would be used to give recognition and prestige to those Superstars who were otherwise deemed unfit to be World or Intercontinental champion.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan's reign began after he defeated Haku for the crown in a televised match. Despite being a member of royalty, Hacksaw would continue his blue-collar ways and goofy mannerisms.

Duggan's biggest match as King came against 'Ravishing' Rick Rude, who he challenged for the Intercontinental championship.

King Duggan also found success in tag team matches, teaming with Demolition to defeat old nemesis Andre the Giant and the Twin Towers.

However, no king reigns forever, and soon there would be a new man to wear the crown; Macho Man Randy Savage.

Despite winning limited titles with the WWE, Duggan holds the distinction of being one of the few superstars to have won both the title of the king and the Royal Rumble battle royal match.

The Fourth King: Macho King Randy Savage

Randy Savage as the King of Wrestling.

Randy Poffo, better known to fans as the beloved Macho Man Randy Savage, was originally a pro baseball player in the minor leagues. His batting practice technique consisted of hitting a suspended truck tire, which proved to be so effective it's still used today in the MLB by some coaches.

After a shoulder injury derailed his major league dreams, Savage turned to wrestling. He had a stellar career already before joining WWE. At WrestleMania III, he put on a star-making performance against Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat. The match was so good Savage was hand-picked to be Hulk Hogan's successor as WWE Champion.

Once Savage's reign as champion was over, he was still a fixture in the WWE. He entered into a feud with King Hacksaw, and wound up winning the crown.

Savage changed his name to the Macho King, and dubbed his valet Sensational Sherri the Queen. The duo ran roughshod over the babyfaces of WWE's classic era, including a notable feud against Dusty Rhodes.

The Macho King has a unique distinction in that he never officially lost his crown. Rather, after costing the Ultimate Warrior his title, he was forced into a retirement match, which he lost.

The Fifth King: Booker T

Booker T was the first king in WWE for many years.

After Macho King was forced to retire, the WWE sort of swept the crown and scepter under the rug. The title of King was forgotten for many years as the WWE focused on more 'relatable' gimmicks, such as TL Hopper the wrestling plumber, or Duke Droese the wrestling garbage man.

The crown was ceremoniously given to the King of the Ring tournament winner each year, but they didn't make a practice of wearing it afterward as part of their gimmick.

However, in the Ruthless Aggression era, the crown was brought back when Booker T won the 2006 King of the Ring tournament. Now calling himself King Booker, he and his queen Sharmel would demand respect from all the babyfaces in WWE.

Booker played the gimmick to perfection and even referenced the same in his Hall of Fame speech as one of the highlights of his career.

Vince McMahon was a huge fan of King Booker, and he would even win the WWE World Title during this period. He was forced to defend his belt against the champions of Raw and ECW, and came out the winner.

Eventually, Booker T would leave the company, leaving the WWE once more without a king.

The Sixth King: Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett is a former bare-knuckle fighter, which is how he wound up with a bent nose. When he joined WWE, he was assigned to the NXT show, which was, at the time, not so much a brand as a reality show competition.

He won the NXT season, gaining a WWE contract. However, he would enlist the rest of his NXT rookies into The Nexus and run roughshod on the WWE as part of that faction, most notably defeating John Cena and forcing the latter to join The Nexus.

After the Nexus disbanded, Barrett would go on to form a rather forgettable faction called Corre.

The WWE tried again with Barrett, letting him win the King of the Ring tournament. Much like Booker T had done years prior, he took the crown and scepter as part of his full-time gimmick.

Eventually, Barrett would abandon the gimmick, and WWE has as of yet to crown another. But never say never!

There you have it: A history of the Kings of Wrestling in WWE. If you have questions or comments, please leave them after the article, and as always thanks for reading!

Edited by Amar Anand