Very early comments on the King of the Ring

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

KOTR could kick so much ass this year.

 

Look at the people who are in that midcard KOTR range:

 

RVD

Lance Storm

Christian

Edge

Booker T

DDP

Hurricane

Tazz

Val Venis

Mr. Perfect

X-Pac

Tajiri

 

AND people who will be back from injury/on tv:

 

Mike Awesome

Kanyon

Rhyno

Raven

 

Theres 16 people that could put out a great tournament.

 

I'm going to keep this in mind throughout the NWO stuff...just to make me happy.

 

I'm also going to pretend that it won't come down to Rikishi vs. Test.

[Guest goodhelmet]

In terms of the top eight, you can pretty much scratch X-pac, Hurricane and Tajiri from the list (they're just not hosses). I personally could see Booker winning but would like Lance Storm to go far. King of the Ring is another show that usually suffers from bad booking. Dammit WWF, as Benoit said "Prove Me Wrong"!!!!!

[Guest Flair5000]

At the moment, I'd say Booker would be my favourite too, especially as he will probably have turned face by then. RVD doesn't need it and I can't think of any midcard heels they might push in the near future.

[Guest Tony149]

Booking will make or break the KOTR. I see Booker T winning. If not him, then RVD. Although I wonder if the WWF would give him the KOTR win.

[Guest RSK]

You really think Booker will be a face by KOR. That would be so Cool. He is nothing as a Heel. Teaming with Test makes it even Worse.

 

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Anyhow, I think that they will give it to DDP or Booker, Your right RVd doesn't need the Push from a KOR win.

 

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Look at last years winner test and what he has done with that win nothing. If the WWF wants to do something special make KOR mean something again. Use it to the wrestlers advantage and play it up.

 

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I can see it now...

 

Booker winning KOR and the next night on RAw making his way to the Ring and Cutting a Promo on whoever is the Champ. that he beat out 16 of the best in the WWF and he now wants a Title Shot to be the Best. (Make the Champ still Jericho and you will have a great storyline going there. Jericho is the only one Booker hasn't Wrestled and lost to that will be a Way to even more push him.)

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Anyhow, I think that they will give it to DDP or Booker, Your right RVd doesn't need the Push from a KOR win

 

 

 

He doesn't need the win to get over...but it's not exactly like he's getting any other kind of push.

[Guest RSK]

thats true RVd isn't getting any push since HHH came pack, I hope that he gets a Title Shot at Regal and gets the IC belt to become tops in the Mid-card atleast. Regal as IC Champ doesn't work for me.

[Guest Tony149]

Edge won last years KOTR. But he hasn't done much either, except bore people with his matches with Regal.

[Guest old_mort_wwfe]

Edge pretty much "Billy Gunn-ed" the King of the Ring faster than Billy Gunn himself did it, now that takes talent. Pretty sad to think that an Edge/Christian reunion may be the only way to save him..if even that works.

[Guest Will Scarlet]

I was just thinking about this topic the other day, and I thought that all conventional logic says to have either Booker T or RVD win the King of the Ring, so, knowing the WWF, they will probably give it to...William Regal.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

I think Benoit is a strong candidate to win.

[Guest RedDiesel]

KOTR should be a strong event this year, especially if they allow the final three rounds to take place on the PPV.

 

I could see Benoit, Booker, or Rob Van Dam winning. If Mr. Perfect happens to get himself over before KOTR, he could possibly have a shot.

[Guest TheDames7]

Edge pretty much "Billy Gunn-ed" the King of the Ring faster than Billy Gunn himself did it, now that takes talent.

Thats not necessarily true.  At this point in 99, the year Gunn won, he was already back with Road Dogg and had been since Sept.  He was a singles wrestler for 3 months.  Edge is at least still alone.

 

Dames

[Guest TheDames7]

Its funny, everyone pretty much said the same thing about KOR'00, when Benoit, Guerrero, Jericho, Angle were all in the tourney.  3 of those guys were eliminated in the first round...

 

Dames

[Guest Tony149]

That's why the booking of the event needs to be good. KOTR 2000 could of been awesome, but the WWF botched the booking.

[Guest TheDames7]

OK....KOR'00 was like this:  

 

Beniot- Rikishi - Rikishi

 

Guerrero- Venis - Venis

 

Crash-Buchanan - Crash

 

Angle -Jericho.  -Angle

 

If it had gone like this....it would have been a much better show:

 

Benoit - Rikishi - Beniot....Venis who was fueding with Rikishi at the time costs him the match.  

 

Guerrero - Venis - Rikishi returns the favor, and Eddie advances.  Rikishi was the IC champ at the time and they could have fueded over that.  

 

I'd switch these matches around.  

 

Jericho - Buchanan - Jericho wins

 

Crash -Angle - Angle wins, but Crash makes a big comeback.  

 

Next Round you got Beniot - Eddie....classic match, with Benoit going over.  

 

Jericho - Angle with Jericho going over, accidentaly due to Stephanie interference...advancing the love triangle thing with Kurt Angle.  This keeps the heat on Angle, as he forgives Steph so easily, and HHH doesn't like the fact that Steph bothered to help in the first place.  

 

Jericho-Beniot finals......you make the call.  These guys were fueding over the IC title earlier in the year, even at the ppv before it, where Beniot went over clean, so this could have been the blow off.

 

Thats a f'n tourney.  The right guys go over, Angle doesn't lose any heat, because lets face it, the KOR title didnt do anything for him, it was working with HHH in the love triangle that did, and we get some kick ass matches.  

 

Dames

[Guest Kinetic]

Edge hasn't "Billy Gunn"-ed his KOTR reign.  If anyone's fucked it up, it's been the bookers.  The downplayed the Edge-Christian breakup after a few weeks, which has hurt both of them in the long run.  Then they put him in a dull, pointless feud with Regal--a guy who seems almost incapable of having a good match in the WWF.  Don't blame Edge for bungling this...he was simply following orders.

[Guest WWF4Life]

I think Test will win the King of the Ring tournament this year. That'd be pretty cool. =)

[Guest Kinetic]

I think Test will win the King of the Ring tournament this year. That'd be pretty cool. =)

Tell me you didn't just say that.

[Guest WWF4Life]

I think Test will win the King of the Ring tournament this year. That'd be pretty cool. =)

Tell me you didn't just say that.

What's wrong with Test as King of the Ring? He's a better choice than Lance Storm. Storm could win the tournament three years in a row, nobody would care. =)

[Guest Your God]

As many of you have pointed out here, booking is everything.  Many, many times in the past, the WWF has had surefire winners and then pissed on their chance for an excellent show.  I mean, how hard was it to book KOTR 95--give hotly rising star Shawn Michaels the crown and have him wrestle The Undertaker in the final match, giving the fans what they want.  Last year's show was another example; booking killed it as Angle was most likely preparing for his excellent bloodbath with Shane and not concentrating on what could have been classic encounters with both Edge and Christian (although the first match was decent and, IMO, underrated).

 

What makes me a bit weary is, right now, the WWF is having so many problems trying to book main event feuds with the nWo, Rock, Austin, etc.  If they can't book something as surefire as that, how are they going to book the complex angles and storylines leading up to the possible crowning point for a new WWF star?  My own reassurance is knowing that June is still quite a while away.

 

Booking aside, one needs to wonder about who will get the nod.  RVD seems the best choice as he can get over on fan support and ringwork alone and not on angles.  Same for Benoit, although he's more of an internet fave while RVD is more of a crowd fave.  Booker T would also be good, although, to be fairly honest, there are others I'd rather see advance to the next level.   DDP has no chance because, as we've seen since his WWF debut June, he's Bischoff's boy and without Uncle Eric, he's lost in the WWF shuffle.  Perfect I highly doubt, although he would be ideal to go to the final round so the winner can boast about being put over the legendary Curt Hennig.  Hennig's gift of overselling would also help the newcomer get over big time.  Helms is a jobber, and the WWF has no faith in Lance Storm, so I'd say to put your money on either Booker, Benoit or RVD.

 

Of course, this could change by June, so let's just wait a little while longer and see where the WWF is going...

[Guest The Masked Yodeler]

Test is better than Lance Storm?

 

Are you Jim Ross?

[Guest The Fett]

How will they determine KOTR this year with the roster split. Will each side have a tournament and the 2 winners face against each other or what?

[Guest WWF4Life]

Test is better than Lance Storm?

 

Are you Jim Ross?

No, I'm not Jim Ross. I just think it would benefit Test more if he won the tournament, not Storm. It's gunna take a hell of a lot more to get Storm over to the masses than just winning the KotR.

[Guest The Man in Blak]

I'd place my money on RVD or Benoit.  Benoit would probably get it to cement his comeback, while they might give it to RVD to give them a launching pad for a higher-level push, though he doesn't necessarily need it.

 

Another big factor here is whether the roster split goes down and how that will affect who is even in contention for King of the Ring.  If they're planning on making Raw the WWF "entertainment" show, then some of the competitors may get shuffled to the "other division", leaving a not so happy KotR field as we thought.

 

Or it could lead to a division vs. division tournament with the King of the Ring, giving one of the feds bragging rights...which would be a good thing.  Not only would it possibly give the KotR a little bit more prestige, but it could potentially get the "other fed" on the map.  I wonder if the WWF has this is mind...

[Guest dreamer420]

Will Rhyno be back in time?  If he is then I would say that he is a lock.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

It's gunna take a hell of a lot more to get Storm over to the masses than just winning the KotR.

You could say the same for Test.......

[Guest Tony149]

Like it's been said. The roster split could get the KOTR off to a weird start. I doubt the WWF even knows what they want to do for KOTR. I guess it may be the first show that both WWF's appear on.

[Guest saturnmark4life]

I hate KOTR whether it does anything for the participants or not. But only because they never book it correctly, like as the main attraction of the show for a start. I'd love The Book to take it, but seeing as they flat out refuse to have him win i doubt it. I'd say Test, but without the alliance he dosen't have any success. I'd say Christian would be my pick. Although that would be kind of sad, just a way of saying you're EXACTLY a year behind Edge.

[Guest Army Eye]

No, I'm not Jim Ross. I just think it would benefit Test more if he won the tournament, not Storm. It's gunna take a hell of a lot more to get Storm over to the masses than just winning the KotR.

uhh right.  Storm has gotten none of the huge push that Test has, and he still gets much more of a crowd reaction when he does a promo (in other words, a reaction) than Test ever does.