King of the Ring (1987)

Last updated
King of the Ring
Promotion World Wrestling Federation
DateSeptember 4, 1987
City Providence, Rhode Island
Venue Providence Civic Center
Attendance12,000 [1]
King of the Ring tournament chronology
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1986
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1988

The 1987 King of the Ring was the third annual King of the Ring professional wrestling tournament produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). 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.

Contents

Production

Background

The King of the Ring tournament was an annual single-elimination tournament that was established by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1985 with the winner being crowned the "King of the Ring." The 1987 tournament was the third King of the Ring tournament. It was held on September 4, 1987 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island and like the previous years, it was a special non-televised house show. [2] [3]

Storylines

The matches resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by World Wrestling Federation's writers. [4]

Event

There were a total of eight matches in the first round. Haku managed to pin Brutus Beefcake with a roll-up after Beefcake was momentarily distracted by Tama at the ringside. Rick Martel triumphed over Danny Spivey (who substituted for Koko B. Ware) with a small package. King Kong Bundy managed to defeat the One Man Gang via count-out. SD Jones (who substituted for B. Brian Blair) secured a victory over Sika with a small package. Danny Davis emerged victorious over Tito Santana via count-out after Santana got distracted and chased Jimmy Hart around the ring. Junkyard Dog successfully defeated Tama using a cradle. Jim Brunzell got Ron Bass pinned with a dropkick. Randy Savage pinned down Nikolai Volkoff with his finishing maneuver, the flying elbow smash. [3]

In the quarterfinals, a total of four matches were played. Haku and Rick Martel battled to a 15-minute time-limit draw. King Kong Bundy elbow dropped SD Jones to secure the pin. Danny Davis won over the Junkyard Dog by way of count-out. Randy Savage successfully pinned down Jim Brunzell with his signature move, the flying elbow smash. [3]

In the semifinals, only one match was played, as Bundy received a bye. Randy Savage beat Danny Davis with his signature maneuver, the flying elbow smash. For the only non-tournament match, Jake Roberts managed to defeat WWF Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man via disqualification after Honky Tonk Man used Hart's megaphone as a weapon. [3]

For the finals, Randy Savage successfully pinned King Kong Bundy with his signature finishing move, the flying elbow smash, after Bundy missed an opportunity to splash Savage. [3]

Results

No.Results [1] StipulationsTimes [5]
1 Haku defeated Brutus Beefcake King of the Ring tournament first-round match11:52
2 Rick Martel defeated Dan Spivey King of the Ring tournament first-round match12:44
3 King Kong Bundy defeated One Man Gang by count-outKing of the Ring tournament first-round match3:06
4 Special Delivery Jones defeated Sika King of the Ring tournament first-round match6:04
5 Dangerous Danny Davis defeated Tito Santana by count-outKing of the Ring tournament first-round match8:58
6 Junkyard Dog defeated Tama King of the Ring tournament first-round match6:23
7 Jim Brunzell defeated Ron Bass King of the Ring tournament first-round match7:30
8 Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated Nikolai Volkoff King of the Ring tournament first-round match10:02
9Haku vs. Rick Martel ended in a drawKing of the Ring tournament quarter-final match15:00
10King Kong Bundy defeated Special Delivery JonesKing of the Ring tournament quarter-final match4:02
11Dangerous Danny Davis defeated the Junkyard Dog by count-outKing of the Ring tournament quarter-final match7:30
12Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated Jim BrunzellKing of the Ring tournament quarter-final match12:55
13Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated Dangerous Danny DavisKing of the Ring tournament semi-final match9:06
14 Jake Roberts defeated The Honky Tonk Man (c) (with Jimmy Hart) by disqualification Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship 10:58
15Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated King Kong BundyKing of the Ring tournament final match13:04
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Tournament bracket

First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
            
Haku pin
Brutus Beefcake 11:52
Haku 15:00
Rick Martel Draw
Rick Martel pin
Dan Spivey 12:44
BYE
King Kong Bundy 
King Kong Bundy CO
One Man Gang 3:06
King Kong BundyPIN
Special Delivery Jones 4:02
Special Delivery Jones pin
Sika 6:04
King Kong Bundy 13:04
Randy SavagePIN
Tito Santana 8:38
Dangerous Danny Davis CO
Dangerous Danny DavisCO
The Junkyard Dog 7:30
Junkyard Dog pin
Tama 6:23
Dangerous Danny Davis 9:06
Randy SavagePIN
Jim Brunzell pin
Ron Bass 7:30
Jim Brunzell 12:55
Randy SavagePIN
Randy Savage PIN
Nikolai Volkoff 10:02

References

  1. 1 2 "WWF King Of The Ring 1987". Cagematch. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. Beaston, Erik (August 18, 2019). "WWE King of the Ring: Everything You Need to Know About Historical Tournament". Bleacher Report . Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "WWF – 1987 Results". The History of WWE. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  4. Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks . Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  5. "WWF King of the Ring '87 at Providence Civic Center wrestling results - Internet Wrestling Database". Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved October 8, 2019.