Fantasy Booking: King of the Ring Tournament Winners 1985-1987

Fantasy Booking: King of the Ring Tournament Winners 1985-1987

August 9, 2014

By Ryan Porzl

On and off since 1985, the WWE has hosted the King of the Ring tournament. Many of the tournament winners are some of the greatest names in WWE history. Wrestlers who became superstars, legends, and hall of famers. But what if those stars got injured? What if they couldn't compete and someone else had to win? Who would it be? Well I know who I would pick. This article will go through the first three KOTR tournament. Who I would choose and why I would I choose them. Keep in mind I can only select wrestlers from that time period and not just anyone. With each year, I will also pretend what happened in real life the previous year happened since I can't predict if my choices would be successful or not and how much that would change things. I'm also going to pretend the 1985-1991 tournaments meant as much as the later ones.

I don't own the picture

We'll start with the inaugural King of the Ring tournament which was held on July 8, 1985. The first winner was former two time Intercontinental Champion Don Muraco. Muraco was a great choice but with him out, my choice to win would be another hall of famer in “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff. Orndorff was one of the brightest stars of this period. He was a good talker, had a great look, and was one of the best wrestlers in the world. He also did different styles in the ring as he could be a technical wrestler but also match power with many of the strongest wrestlers in the WWF. Meanwhile, a King of the Ring tournament would be very beneficial. By July 1985, Orndorff was coming off taking the pinfall loss at the first Wrestlemania and just became a fan favorite. Given his talents, Orndorff would be a great first King of the Ring winner since you know you can invest in him in the future because he's someone that can be a believable main eventer that can put on great matches. The tournament would also reestablish Orndorff after coming up short in the Wrestlemania I main event. This could be a good boost for him. Having also become a fan favorite, it would a great way to kick off his run and make him a force. I would even want the finals to be Orndorff vs. “Cowboy” Bob Orton. The two have history with Orton accidentally costing Orndorff and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper their match at Wrestlemania I after Orton tried to come off the top rope and knock Hulk Hogan out with his cast. However, Hogan (who was being held by Orndorff) moved and Orndorff took the blow from the cast. Orton was also a very talented and reliable wrestler in his time so you would be able to have a very good match as the finals.

The following year's tournament took place on July 14, 1986. The winner of the tournament was the multiple time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race. But with Race not becoming the new King of the WWF, my choice would be Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. As a wrestler, Steamboat was on a level very few were on. He wrestled in many classic matches and stole the show more than once. While he lacked in charisma and mic skills, his wrestling skills more than made up for those weaknesses. Meanwhile, in real life, Steamboat would begin his feud with “Macho Man” Randy Savage a few months later that led to his Intercontinental Title win at Wrestlemania III. As a result, a KOTR win would be a good stepping stone to that feud and the title. I would probably put someone like King Kong Bundy as the final opponent. This could be a David vs. Goliath type match with the same outcome. With Bundy coming off main eventing Wrestlemania 2, he would be a great opponent for Steamboat to defeat in the finals and show he's one of the top players in the World Wrestling Federation.

The 1987 tournament was held on September 4, 1987. That year's winner was former Intercontinental Champion and future two time WWE Champion “Macho Man” Randy Savage. With no Savage, I'll go a very different route and pick The One Man Gang. The Gang had just come into the WWF shortly before this so the King of the Ring would be a great way to establish him right out of the gate as a force to be reckoned with. With Andre's health beginning to decline and King Kong Bundy already having feuded with Hulk Hogan a year earlier, the Gang could be built up as a fresh, new monster villain and bring new blood to the big men. He would also be good as a new foil for Hogan and later Randy Savage. OMG was a talented big man who was believable in his role and marketable so he could provide good and financially successful matches and programs. I would have him win in the finals against Tito Santana. By this point, Santana was just beginning his tag team Strike Force so it wouldn't be a bad thing to have Gang beat him and show dominance in a one-on-one match. Meanwhile, Santana was already a former two time Intercontinental Champion and a former Tag Team Champion so having OMG beat a wrestler and WWF veteran in Santana would give him even more credibility and establish him as a big threat to any champion and/or veteran.