Fantasy Booking: Fictional King of the Ring Tournaments 2007, 2009, 2011-2014

Fantasy Booking: Fictional King of the Ring Tournaments 2007, 2009, 2011-2014
September 17, 2014
By Ryan Porzl



Here is part II of my Fictional KOTR Tournament. Once again, the rules are the same. I can only use wrestlers employed by the WWF/E and I can't pick anyone that's injured. Also keep in mind that the months will change because I'm using the month that held the last real King of the Ring tournament. For example, the 2006 KOTR was held in May so the 2007 one will also be held in May. 2008 was held in April so 2009 will also be held in April. Finally, 2010 was held in November so every one after that will be held in November.

The 2007 King of the Ring would take place in May 2007 and I would pick CM Punk to win. Punk was clearly a superstar in the making. His gimmick, look, and move set were unique and not seen in the WWE. He's a very good wrestler, very good talker, very charismatic and he was a future WWE Champion in the making. My other options would be Johnny Nitro and Kenny Dykstra. Both have great skills and potential to go far in the WWE. Nitro was also someone the WWE clearly saw something in as they began his singles run around this time. No doubt, a King of the Ring tournament would definitely be useful to take Nitro to the next level. Both were also coming out of teams and stables with Nitro's MNM team ending back in March while Dykstra's Spirit Squad ended the previous November. A King of the Ring win would help begin their singles careers in style. Ultimately, I went with Punk since he has the most potential to go far. Unlike Nitro, he was ready for that next step. With both on the ECW brand, Punk was the better choice since he could become the next star of the ECW Brand. Dykstra is a third choice mostly because he wasn't as ready as Punk and Nitro and the WWE didn't have many ideas for him. My finals would be Punk vs. Tommy Dreamer. It wouldn't be the best match given that Dreamer has had his share of injuries but it would be a solid match. The biggest reason for doing it would be a torch passing type match. Dreamer has always been the face of ECW so who better for Punk to beat and make him the face of the new generation of ECW?

The 2009 edition would be held in April 2009 and I would select Evan Bourne as the winner. Bourne was an exciting high flyer and another wrestler that brought something different to the WWE. He also had a colorful personality so he was a guy who could catch on in the ring and out of it. His high flying style wasn't seen regularly and could not only get him over but allow the WWE to do different style matches. Like Punk in 2007, Bourne had been on the main roster for a year and the KOTR could be used to establish him as a new star. My other options would be Mike Knox, The Brian Kendrick, and Paul Birchill. Knox was a talented big men who moved around very well as he is able to do high crossbodies & cartwheels and was a decent talker. The Brian Kendrick had potential as a talker and wrestler. He had a good personality and his only weakness was his size. Then there's Paul Birchill who was another exciting wrestler with a good look and a decent talker. He was a jack of all trades type wrestler as he was able to do power moves and be very agile. He also had a unique finisher in the c4 or Walking the Plank which was like a back flip Rock Bottom. He is British which could be beneficial since the WWE travels around the world more often and could use international stars. Unfortunately, none of them had any direction, Bourne is the more unique, and probably had the most potential. My finals would be Bourne vs. Mike Knox. This would be a little man vs. big man type match which should be very good and it would be one of those matches where I hope to establish two men.

The 2011 King of the Ring would be held in November 2011 and my choice to win would be Ted Dibiase Jr. Dibiase was a talented wrestler with a lot of potential. He had good wrestling skills and could cut a good promo. It also didn't hurt that he is a Dibiase and has a legendary father. Dibiase had also just become a fan favorite for the first time and this could be something to give him something to do and for fans to take him seriously. Dibiase definitely had the talent to be a future WWE Champion and a great secondary champion. Once again, there were some good options as I would also consider Jack Swagger, Tyson Kidd, and Zack Ryder. All three are very talented. Swagger is a great athlete with an amateur background. Ryder was getting very popular by this point thanks to his skills as well as using social media. Kidd was about to become a fan favorite so a King of the Ring win would be a great way to begin a new chapter in his career like Dibiase. Ultimately, I wouldn't go with Swagger and Ryder since Ryder won the United States Title shortly after this while Swagger would win it from him in early 2012 so they didn't need it. The WWE would also show they weren't fully committed to Ryder a few months later. Kidd had a lot of talent but I think Dibiase needed it more. John Morrison could've been someone to consider in order to revive his career but he was on his way out. My finals would be Dibiase vs. Cody Rhodes. These two had a lot of history as they were former tag team partners. At the time, Dibiase had been Rhodes' sidekick and left him to become a fan favorite. They also had a match for Rhodes' intercontinental title which Dibiase lost. By doing this, it allows Dibiase to win a blow off match and come off very good without taking the IC title away from Rhodes.

The following years King of the Ring took place in November 2012 and I would have Zack Ryder win. Yes, Ryder is someone that isn't for everyone. He can come off as annoying to some but he is talented and very popular. He would be my choice because I feel the WWE dropped the ball with him when they de-pushed him earlier in the year and buried him despite being very popular. By giving him the King of the Ring, I would hope it would help him regain momentum. Ryder would likely never become a WWE Champion but he would be great competing and winning the secondary titles like another United States title and/or the intercontinental title. As far as other options go, there's a lot of great talent but not many who are ready for that next step or need the boost. Dolph Ziggler would seem to be a good choice but he already had the money in the bank briefcase for the world heavyweight title so he didn't need this. Both Damien Sandow and Antonio Cesaro would be great but both had been on the main roster for less than a year and Cesaro was also the United States Champion at the time. The members of the Shield made their debut that same month so no need to give it to them. My finals would be Ryder vs. Alberto Del Rio. This wasn't my first choice. I would've preferred doing Ryder vs. Kane so Ryder can get that comeback win after Kane beat him up throughout the early part of the year but with Kane as a fan favorite as part of Team Hell No, it wouldn't be the same. I also would've wanted to go with Ryder beating Swagger. These two had history as Ryder lost the United States title to Swagger earlier in the year and I don't believe he got a rematch. However, Swagger was off TV and was about to get repackaged so that was out. I'll pick Del Rio because he's a former WWE Champion so it would be a nice win for Ryder. At the same time, Del Rio was about to become a fan favorite so it wouldn't hurt for him to lose as a villain.

The 2013 King of the Ring was held in November 2013 and my selection would be Cesaro. Cesaro was another awesome talent who is another jack of all trades. He is very strong and can do power moves. He moves around the ring very well and could keep up with cruiserweights. He also had an European style that was different as well. Along with his ring abilities, Cesaro is charismatic and can cut very good promos. He's another person that could be a top star for years to come. My only thing would be he was teaming with Swagger. I'm not a fan of having tag teams win a singles tournament but they never won the belts or were that major of a team and given his talents, I'll make an exception. He was also a guy the WWE saw something in as he was in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in February and won the Andre the Giant Memorial battle royal at Wrestlemania XXX in April. I actually have some other good options to go with in 2013. One would be Daniel Bryan as he was already had two very short WWE title reigns and was sent down to the midcard by this point. A King of the Ring win could keep him relevant. However, he was already very popular and didn't need it as much. I would also consider Damian Sandow. Sandow was another very good talent who was good in the ring and better on the mic. By this time, Sandow was just coming off cashing in his money in the bank and failed to win the world heavyweight title from John Cena. By winning the tournament, it would be a good bounce back. Ultimately, I wouldn't go with it because he just had the money in the bank and it didn't seem right to have him immediately win the tournament. My finals would be Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston as it should be a very good match and I can't think of anything better since wrestlers like The Shield and the Wyatt Family were villains. Bryan didn't need to lose again and Punk didn't either. I already used Rhodes and Mysterio so I'm trying to keep it fresh. I would also not want Big E or Rhodes since they were champions (Big E was intercontinental champion and Rhodes was a tag team champion) and there were no plans to give Cesaro a belt. I wouldn't want Cesaro to win the tournament then go into a title feud where he doesn't win the title.


The 2014 King of the Ring was held in November 2014 and my choice to win would be Bray Wyatt. This one is a no-brainer. From late 2013 – early 2014, Wyatt and his Wyatt Family stable were the hottest act in the WWE. Along with his gimmick of a southern cult leader, Wyatt has amazing amounts of charisma, is an amazing talker, and a very good wrestler. Wyatt is another guy who comes off as a star and future WWE Champion in the making. Unfortunately, Wyatt lost a lot of steam in 2014 after a feud with John Cena in the spring and then he & his stable losing repeatedly to Big Show and Mark Henry towards the end of the summer. By giving him the King of the Ring, I would hope to jump start his career and momentum. My second choice for a winner would be Dean Ambrose. Ambrose probably has the most potential out of the former members of the Shield. He's a much better wrestler than Roman Reigns and a much better talker than Seth Rollins. He also comes off as a unique talent with his character being an insane fan favorite which is much different than the usual superhero fan favorites the WWE prefers. I would also want him to win because he could be someone the WWE loses in the shuffle. Right now, he doesn't have that big push that Reigns has and he doesn't have something like the money in the bank briefcase like Rollins does. My finals would be Wyatt vs. Sheamus. Sheamus is the reigning United States Champion as of writing, a former WWE Champion, and a former World Heavyweight Champion. By given Wyatt a win over Sheamus, that could prove to fans he's back and someone to take serious again. Also if Sheamus is still United States Champion then that could lead to a feud over the title which could continue the Wyatt rebuilding.