King of the Ring | |||
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Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
Date | July 8, 1985 | ||
City | Foxborough, Massachusetts | ||
Venue | Sullivan Stadium | ||
Attendance | 23,000 [1] | ||
King of the Ring tournament chronology | |||
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The 1985 King of the Ring was the inaugural King of the Ring professional wrestling tournament produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The tournament was held on July 8, 1985 at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts as a special non-televised house show. The inaugural 1985 tournament was won by Don Muraco. In addition to the tournament, there was only one other match during the night. In this match Hulk Hogan pinned Nikolai Volkoff to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. The event drew 23,000 people of which 20,000 were paid. [2]
In 1985, in an effort to boost attendance at their house shows, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) scheduled their July 8, 1985 event as a tournament called the King of the Ring. It was a single-elimination tournament in which the winner would be crowned the "King of the Ring." The inaugural tournament was held at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts as a special non-televised house show. [3] [4]
A second tournament was scheduled for 1986, also as a non-televised house show, thus establishing the King of the Ring tournament as an annual event. The event continued to be held as a special non-televised house show up through 1989 and in 1991; a tournament was not held in 1990. A tournament was also not held in 1992, but it returned in 1993, this time as a pay-per-view (PPV) entitled King of the Ring. Only the final few matches of the tournament took place at the PPV with the first few tournament matches being held prior to the PPV. The PPV would continue until 2002, the same year that the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), after which, the tournament would only be periodically held across episodes of Raw and SmackDown , although the final match of the 2006 tournament took place at the Judgment Day PPV, while the semifinals and finals of the 2015 tournament aired as a WWE Network-exclusive event. [3]
No. | Results [1] | Stipulations | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jim Brunzell defeated The Spoiler | King of the Ring tournament first round match | ||
2 | Tito Santana defeated Terry Funk by disqualification | King of the Ring tournament first round match | ||
3 | The Iron Sheik defeated B. Brian Blair | King of the Ring tournament first round match | ||
4 | Ricky Steamboat defeated Greg Valentine | King of the Ring tournament first round match | ||
5 | Les Thornton defeated Steve Lombardi | King of the Ring tournament first round match | ||
6 | Don Muraco defeated Junkyard Dog | King of the Ring tournament first round match | ||
7 | Pedro Morales defeated Johnny V | King of the Ring tournament first round match | ||
8 | Paul Orndorff vs. Bob Orton, Jr. ended in a double disqualification | King of the Ring tournament first round match | ||
9 | Jim Brunzell defeated Tito Santana | King of the Ring tournament quarterfinal match | ||
10 | The Iron Sheik defeated Ricky Steamboat | King of the Ring tournament quarterfinal match | ||
11 | Don Muraco defeated Les Thornton | King of the Ring tournament quarterfinal match | ||
12 | The Iron Sheik defeated Jim Brunzell | King of the Ring tournament semifinal match | ||
13 | Don Muraco defeated Pedro Morales | King of the Ring tournament semifinal match | ||
14 | Don Muraco defeated The Iron Sheik | King of the Ring tournament final match | ||
15 | Hulk Hogan (c) defeated Nikolai Volkoff | Singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship | ||
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First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
Don Muraco | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
Junkyard Dog | 10:58 | ||||||||||||||||||
Don Muraco | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
Les Thornton | 6:22 | ||||||||||||||||||
Les Thornton | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
Steve Lombardi | 6:43 | ||||||||||||||||||
Don Muraco | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
Pedro Morales | 14:52 | ||||||||||||||||||
Paul Orndorff | DDQ | ||||||||||||||||||
Bob Orton, Jr. | 15:06 | ||||||||||||||||||
BYE | |||||||||||||||||||
Pedro Morales | |||||||||||||||||||
Pedro Morales | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
Johnny V | 1:06 | ||||||||||||||||||
Don Muraco | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
Iron Sheik | 12:55 | ||||||||||||||||||
Tito Santana | DQ | ||||||||||||||||||
Terry Funk | 13:48 | ||||||||||||||||||
Tito Santana | Draw 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Jim Brunzell | 20:00 | ||||||||||||||||||
Jim Brunzell | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
The Spoiler | 7:15 | ||||||||||||||||||
Jim Brunzell | 7:43 | ||||||||||||||||||
Iron Sheik | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
Ricky Steamboat | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
Greg Valentine | 19:59 | ||||||||||||||||||
Ricky Steamboat | 10:55 | ||||||||||||||||||
Iron Sheik | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
The Iron Sheik | PIN | ||||||||||||||||||
B. Brian Blair | 8:06 |
1. ^ Tito Santana fought Jim Brunzell to a time limit draw; Brunzell then won a coin toss to determine who would continue in the tournament.
King and Queen of the Ring, formerly and still commonly known as King of the Ring, is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in 1993 and centers on the men's King of the Ring tournament, which had been established in 1985, and beginning in 2024, the women's Queen of the Ring tournament, which was established in 2021 and originally known as the Queen's Crown tournament.
James Brunzell is an American retired professional wrestler. Best known for his successful tag teams, Brunzell performed for various wrestling promotions during his 21-year career.
The 1988 Royal Rumble was the inaugural Royal Rumble professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 24, 1988, at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The event aired as a television special on the USA Network on the same night as Jim Crockett Promotions' Bunkhouse Stampede pay-per-view (PPV) and was centered on the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. It would be the only Royal Rumble event to broadcast as a television special, as beginning with the 1989 event, it began airing on pay-per-view. After the launch of the WWE Network in 2014, this inaugural Royal Rumble was included with the rest of the Royal Rumble events in the PPV section.
The 1998 King of the Ring was the sixth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that featured the 12th King of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 28, 1998, at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The 1995 King of the Ring was the third annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that featured the ninth King of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 25, 1995, at the CoreStates Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This pay-per-view is somewhat notorious among WWE fans as it is considered one of the worst ever pay-per-views produced by the company.
The 1994 King of the Ring was the second annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that featured the eighth King of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 19, 1994, at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The tournament to determine which wrestler would be crowned King of the Ring actually began the month before the pay-per-view, as the wrestlers gained entry in the tournament by participating in qualifying matches. These matches were held throughout May 1994 on WWF television programs, although the WWF did not explain how wrestlers were selected to compete in the qualifying matches. The second, third, and fourth rounds of the tournament were televised on the pay-per-view broadcast on June 19.
The 1997 King of the Ring was the fifth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that featured the 11th King of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 8, 1997, at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
The 1996 King of the Ring was the fourth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that featured the 10th King of the Ring tournament. The event took place on June 23, 1996, from the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The 1993 King of the Ring was the inaugural King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation and featured the seventh King of the Ring tournament. It was the first of ten King of the Ring events produced as pay-per-views; an 11th exclusively aired on the company's livestreaming service, the WWE Network. The inaugural event took place on June 13, 1993, at the Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio. Ten matches were held at the event.
The 2001 King of the Ring was the ninth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that featured the 15th King of the Ring tournament. It was the final King of the Ring PPV and tournament held under the WWF name as the promotion was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May 2002. The event took place on June 24, 2001, at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The main event was a Triple threat match, a match involving three competitors, for the WWF Championship. Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho to retain the title. The undercard featured the 2001 King of the Ring tournament, which was won by Edge.
The 2000 King of the Ring was the eighth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWE) that featured the 14th annual King of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 25, 2000, at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The main event was a six-man tag team match between the McMahon-Helmsley Faction and the team of The Rock and The Brothers of Destruction. Triple H's WWF Championship was defended in the match. Rock pinned Vince to win the title. The undercard featured the 2000 King of the Ring tournament, which was won by Kurt Angle. The 2000 edition was the largest King of the Ring tournament, with 32 competitors taking part.
The 1999 King of the Ring was the seventh annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that featured the 13th King of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 27, 1999, at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The 2010 King of the Ring was the 19th edition of the King of the Ring tournament produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The tournament was held as a special episode of Raw that aired on November 29, 2010, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; qualifying matches were held the previous week. Unlike the previous 2008 tournament that featured wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brand divisions, the 2010 tournament only featured wrestlers from Raw and SmackDown following the closure of the ECW brand in February 2010. The 2010 tournament was won by Raw's Sheamus, who defeated John Morrison, also from Raw, in the tournament final and subsequently became known as King Sheamus.
The 2015 King of the Ring was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was the 11th King of the Ring event and was held on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois. Unlike previous King of the Ring events, which aired on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) from 1993 to 2002, the 2015 event was livestreamed exclusively on WWE's online service, the WWE Network, which made it the first King of the Ring event to air on the platform, as well as the first dedicated King of the Ring event since 2002. The event featured the semifinals and finals of the 20th King of the Ring tournament, which was won by Bad News Barrett, who defeated Neville in the final and subsequently became known as King Barrett.
The 1986 King of the Ring was the second annual King of the Ring professional wrestling tournament produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The tournament was held on July 14, 1986 at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts as a special non-televised house show. The 1986 tournament was won by Harley Race.
The 1987 King of the Ring was the third annual King of the Ring professional wrestling tournament produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The tournament was held on September 4, 1987 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island as a special non-televised house show. The 1987 tournament was won by Randy Savage. In addition to the tournament, there was one other match during the night. In this match Jake Roberts defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man with Jimmy Hart via disqualification, after Hart accidentally hit Honky Tonk Man with the megaphone.
The 1989 King of the Ring was the fifth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling tournament produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The tournament was held on October 14, 1989 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island as a special non-televised house show. The 1989 tournament was won by Tito Santana. A tournament was not held in 1990 but returned in 1991.
The 1991 King of the Ring was the sixth King of the Ring professional wrestling tournament produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The tournament was held on September 7, 1991 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island as a special non-televised house show. The 1991 tournament was won by Bret Hart. In addition to the tournament, there was only one other match during the night. In this match The Beverly Brothers defeated The Bushwhackers in a tag team match. A tournament did not occur in 1992 but returned in 1993 as the promotion's annual June pay-per-view.
The King of the Ring tournament is a men's professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held periodically by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1985, the winner of the inaugural tournament was Don Muraco. The prize for winning the tournament is being crowned the "King of the Ring"; some wrestlers have incorporated this into their character, such as adorning king's attire and acting and speaking with a regal attitude. On two occasions, the tournament has awarded an additional reward, that being for a world championship match. The tournament is also notable for beginning "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's rise to stardom after he won the 1996 tournament. The most recent 2024 tournament was won by Gunther.
The 2021 King of the Ring was the 22nd edition of the King of the Ring tournament produced by WWE. It was held between wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. Tournament matches began on the October 8, 2021 episode of SmackDown and continued to be held across episodes of Raw and SmackDown. The tournament concluded at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view and livestreaming event on October 21. It was the first King of the Ring tournament since 2019. WWE also introduced a female counterpart called the Queen's Crown tournament, which was held simultaneously with the 2021 King of the Ring tournament. Raw's Xavier Woods defeated SmackDown's Finn Bálor to win the 2021 tournament and subsequently became known as King Woods.