WWE King of the Ring tournament preview and predictions
The King of the Ring Tournament has returned. Sixteen superstars will compete for the right to be crowned King. We take a look at the field.
The King of the Ring tournament is back for the first time since 2015. The tournament was a heralded event in the 1990s and into the 2000s used primarily to coronate up and coming WWE Superstars. Past kings include Bret Hart (the only two-time winner), Randy Savage, Steve Austin and Booker T. The last Superstar to earn the title was Bad News Barrett in 2015.
This year, the bracket will field 16 Superstars, eight from the Monday Night Raw brand and eight from SmackDown Live. The tournament will begin on the August 19 episode of Raw, with the finals commencing on the Clash of Champions pay-per-view on September 15.
The selected Raw Superstars are The Miz, Ricochet, Cedric Alexander, Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn and Cesaro. The SmackDown entrants are Kevin Owens, Ali, Apollo Crews, Chad Gable, Elias, Andrade, Shelton Benjamin and Buddy Murphy.
Gonna have to show these fools who’s the real #KingOfTheRing. #KOTR #SuperherosAreReal 👑 pic.twitter.com/MfwLhqht2L
— Ricochet (@KingRicochet) August 16, 2019
The first round will offer a few interesting pairings, including Samoa Joe versus Cesaro, Ali versus Buddy Murphy and former tag-team partners Shelton Benjamin versus Chad Gable. Early favorites for taking the crown are Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens. Both would be great options to carry the banner for the next year. There’s also an argument for Ricochet, whose Twitter handle is @KingRicochet, which does all the heavy lifting for the WWE creative team.
Murphy has a match of the year candidate under his belt from battling Roman Reigns on SmackDown Live. He and Ali have history from 205 Live which should make for an excellent match. Crews and Andrade have had their run-ins in the not-so-distant past, which makes that contest exciting. Then we have our new 24/7 Champion, Elias, who will surely have to aware of his surroundings while facing Owens.
There is an argument to be made for each superstar. Some of these Superstars need the “King” moniker to stay relevant. Expect the final four of WWE’s rendition of March Madness to include McIntyre, Alexander, Ali and Andrade.
It’s been hundreds of years since there’s been a Scottish king on the throne. Like me, they were great leaders & intellectual savages. Like me, they took what was meant to be theirs. Like me, they were gods amongst men. Kingdom come. #KingOfTheRing #Raw
— Drew (@DMcIntyreWWE) August 13, 2019
McIntyre would be a heavy favorite over Cedric and Andrade, and Ali will tear the house down. Clash of Champions’ final showdown should feature McIntyre versus Ali in a traditional David and Goliath-type matchup. McIntyre has been on a path to clean the entire division of wasted talent. Meanwhile, Ali was set to receive a similar boost that Kofi Kingston has over the first half of the year but an untimely injury prevented such.
More times than not the King of the Ring winner is a heel. Forecasting McIntyre as the new King of the Ring is just too easy. It’s time for WWE to buck that trend and coronate Ali as the 2019 King of the Ring, allowing him to complete his underdog story. Once the heartbeat of 205 Live and the self-proclaimed soul of SmackDown Live, now he can climb the ranks to become King. This victory will finally allow Ali to entrench himself within the SmackDown Live landscape.
Prediction: Ali wins King of the Ring Tournament
Winning King of the Ring would establish Drew McIntyre as top heel. dark. Next