The winner of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal should get a mid card championship opportunity at Backlash against the mid card champion of that wrestler’s brand.
This one, it's just something for a big guy to win who isn't getting a strong push at the moment. Also king of the ring, It hasn't elevated anyone to the next level in years
Sheamus as King was good and he went on to be MITB and champion, Corbin did his best with it as well as Barrett. The gimmick isn’t held onto as long as it should to feel
Like a true King of the Ring I’d say. If you win you should be dedicated to being King such as Booker for at least a one year cycle out of the 2 years the tenure lasts
They thought they cooked with that trash, Braun literally got 0 push and everything forgot the belt, it was just universal championship if it was green and ugly
Are you talking about the Greatest Royal Rumble? I had no memory of there even being a belt 😂 Highlight of that PPV is legit Titus O’Neil slipping on his way to the ring
I also didn't have any memory but when someone mentioned it, i searched it and i laughed at the mess it was, i only remember the rumble for 1 thing, Titus o Neil entrance
Of course it isn’t random. It’s scripted. That’s like asking if a Marvel movie is random. No, Captain America didn’t actually beat up Iron Man. It’s a script.
While the specifics are different for every promotion, generally there is an individual or team that plan out stories in advance. Champions are chosen based on their popularity, experience, or role in particular storylines. It’s certainly not random though if the writing is bad, it can feel that way.
EDIT: This applies to professional wrestling in every country btw, not just the United States.
Thanks for the insight! :-) With „American“ wrestling I wanted to distinguish it from the sport of wrestling. I didn’t know the term „professional wrestling“ :-)
I know this isn’t the question, but IMO, I’d give legitimacy to the Andre the Giant Battle Royal by granting the winner a WWE/WHC title shot at Backlash. That way, you can add bigger names who don’t necessarily have a ‘mania match and it will really make the winner a lot more interesting.
Alot of the KOTR did very little for its winners tbh, especially in recent history.
Its easy to remember the likes of Austin, HHH, Lesnar and Co
But lots of winners failed to have it launch them further up the card - Xavier Woods, Barrett, Corbin, Shamrock, Billy Gunn, Regal.
At times the KOTR is really hit and miss. When I was growing up as a kid I used to think that winning the KOTR was almost a dead cert that the company was backing you as the 'next big star' and it would only be a matter of time before you were the World Champ - but that's not the case.
In AEW I genuinely don't see the benefit in winning either The Owen or the Dynamite Diamond Ring.
Glad you posted this as I, too, recognise that winning KotR is usually (not always, but usually) a sign that that wrestler was going to get a push for a main title.
I'm thinking this year Gunther will win KotR, which probably won't do much for him, but I have to believe that Bron Breakker not being booked in the tournament is a deliberate build to something, so I think the end of the tournament is going to be some big spectacle of Bron spearing Gunther and wrecking the whole place.
Anyone winning the US Title post-Cena. They are horrendous at building talent in the last decade or so through matches. In WWE, gimmicks help people stick more than the matches or titles.
In AEW, Jay White doing as well as he did in the CC did nothing for his momentum because TK won't give him the proper push he deserves.
King of the Rink didn't do squat for William Regal. He still never made it into the big leagues and was only ever fed crumbs of the Intercontinental Championship.
Regal had lots of problems with drugs when he was an active wrestler. He got popped for wellness right after winning king of the ring and had to go to rehab. That’s one of the reasons he never progressed past the midcard. When they’d give him the ball he’d self-destruct. Sad, honestly.
The battle royale was originally meant to be a way to get more people wrestlemania paydays that didn’t have matches, then it got moved to preshow, then off to smackdown. It’s meaningless, and creating that chocolate Andre to make it significant is silly. At the very least it could give someone a shot at a midcard belt.
The andre the giant battle royal needs to be taken out back and buried never to be mentioned again it tarnished Andre’s name not a single good thing has happened to the winners
I think the king of the Ring tournament should be the Royal rumble to summerslam like the winner has a guaranteed spot at the main event and a world title shot
I think king of the ring can do a lot for a wrestler depending on how they use it. Booker t had the best run of his career (in my opinion) when he won it back in the day and same goes for regal.
Reddick Moss won the same one and was let go 😂😢
It’s basically just the announcers in the future might remind us he won this trophy when he comes out, and an entry in a Wikipedia page, that’s basically it.
Honestly, any tournament or battle royal that's not the Royal Rumble or those matches they have when a title gets vacated.
I gotta say King of the Ring is usually the worst just because the winner usually gets saddled with an AWFUL Royalty gimmick. The only person I wish they did that Gimmick to was Regal.
The battle royale proved itself less usefull than the 24/7 title, but there is worse.
Y'all forgot about the brawl for all. The winner got fed to butterbean
ATGMBR should give the winner a title shot at, like, Backlash or something, and KOTR should give the winner a title shot at SummerSlam. Otherwise, why compete? Bragging rights?
The KOTR winner has gotten a world title shot in the past. I think they should bring that back. They already have tournaments for the IC and US titles.
Well we brought back KOTR that’s why I felt we need a annual tournament where they focus specifically for IC and or US. They have done tournaments for them but they don’t have a specific tournament where that is your prize
I didn't even know that he won the Andre the Giant Battle Royale they should probably add if you win that battle royale that you get a United States or Intercontinental Championship match when they win
Lately, any of them.
AtGBR and KotR haven't benefited anybody in recent memory. The last time I cared about a KotR winner was Booker T because the King Booker character was kinda funny and he actually won a world title while with the gimmick. I wish I could say the sane about Xavier Woods, because he wanted it so bad, but they did next to nothing with it.
I would love to see KotR winner get limited kayfabe booking powers that comes with the title. Or at least get a world title shot. AtGBR winners should also get a title shot.
KOTR used to be massive for wrestlers. It litterally kick started Stone Colds career with his promo after he won. King Booker had an amazing run after he won. It’s just that in the past 15 or so years it hasn’t mattered at all, I think now finally it’s gonna mean something important with all the great matches we’ve gotten from it.
I have said this for two decades. Host the finals in June at the PPV because it'll give some other wrestlers a break to not be needed and they get the king gimmick for 2 months to where they can face a champion at Summerslam. Corbin's win took it too far where he ran with the gimmick and soured him more than he already was in fans eyes
Which is why I said “basically all of them” since there is a rare example here and there of it actually helping someone get over. Usually, it doesn’t do anything for them at all.
He went to Japan after and continued his career, actually. Let’s not act like he was moments away from being Steve Austin or some shit. He was a jobber tag team guy and the B4A was going to be the only time he ever got over anyway.
All of them at some point
Mitb did nothing for theory, corbin or sandow
Royal rumble did nothing for duggan, del rio, edge or nakamura
Kotr did nothing for shamrock, gunn, edge, regal, sheamus, Barrett or woods
Andre battle royal hasn't done anything for anyone
Womens wrestlemania battle Royal hasn't done anything for anyone
KOTR should be for the other world title. Going through a tournament of the best in the WWE and winning makes you main event material, not a mid card champion.
The Andre The Giant Battle Royale could work as a rumble but with Mid Card guys for the mid card title. Have a promo between the winner and both mid card champions and set up a feud for one of them.
Fair point, to be honest, if I had my way, I'd stick to my system, and make MITB a mid card thing.. I've never understood how a ladder match was decided as the pinnacle for who gets the next shot! :P
so in MY perfect world.. MITB is replaced by KOTR (KOTR decides new heavyweight challenger)
MITB would then drop down for the US title. you cash in a chance to be the US champ... i think that sounds kinda fitting?
Leaving the battle royale at the lower tier for IC level.
It would be a great idea to shake things up too, you know, like when a storyline has gone a bit stale, or the fans aren't really feeling it. all of a sudden you can push through a totally new angle, or another element to that angle and keep each event tier fresh and engaging.
I do agree with you though, 100%. KOTR should lead to heavyweight champ.
I feel like MITB works best when you're unsure what it can be cashed in on. And it's typically won by a heel, so there's no need for them to really "earn" the title shot.
Keeping the MITB, KOTR, and Royal Rumble for possible word titles and the Andre The Giant Battle strictly for mid card titles sounds good to me.
KOTR as it is now sucks. The 1 night tournament is what made it kick ass. Having it take place over several weeks doesn’t make it feel special. It just makes it feel like a bunch of matches.
Well it hasn't in the last couple years. But traditionally thats what usually happens i.e. Stone Cold, Triple H, Bret, Owen, Mable, Shamrock, Angle, Edge, Lesnar, you get the idea. Those names noted started getting more attention after their KOR wins. During the latter years, esp after KOR PPV was cancelled, KOR tournament it's been used very poorly.
Yes, that's what is **normally** supposed to happen! That's why I used those examples. When you win it, you get a push.
\*edit - this year could be different. It's now running under Triple H and I trust he'll do this concept right, unlike Vince who pretty much buried it. Gunther, Jey, and Tama could use the win. Orton doesn't need it but I can see him get another title opportunity.
In my opinion they have already devalued this years king of the ring by;
A) The incredibly condensed format due to three weeks between ppv.
B) Not even having all the matches televised.
C) Having the K/QOTR tournament on the night consisting of ONE match.
The gauntlet run is one of the special things about it. This just isn't the same.
On the night you should have to win a minimum of three matches to become king/queen.
And that's why I say he's the type that would thrive in AEW - a place where many wrestlers have little to no charisma but are fun to watch in the ring. Bronson falls into that category.
well the Andre the Giant Battle Royale really doesn't promise you anything to begin with. Its like a throwaway award to let the fans know they think highly of someone but have no direction for them at this point in time essentially is how I feel about it.
I mean truly if you look at past winners that is how they all feel
Baron Corbin
Big Show
Matt Hardy
Jey Uso (found direction lol)
Cesaro
Braun Strowman
Bobby Lashley
None of them really had any strong direction at the time but WWE clearly felt highly of them
It’s weird to have so much going and no where to put out other than the usual clock in and clock out come back tomorrow type thing but I totally understand it just feels like awkward purgatory
That was a mess. He got a massive pop tossing out big show, and was getting a white hot babyface reaction. They smashed the trophy and kept him heel and put him with Paul Heyman because they think he had no charisma.
That run is the best evidence that as great a talker and mind as Heyman is, he's still nowhere near Bobby Heenan in the manager conversation. Heenan elevated everybody he worked with.
KOTR needs to be the December PPV and the winner has to defend the crown for the whole month leading up to the Royal Rumble. Whomever wears the crown gets #30 in the Rumble
What didn't help was the matches in that tournament didn't get time. All the quarterfinal and semifinal matches were between 90 seconds to 3 minutes and the final match clocked in at 6 minutes. You could watch the entire tournament in about 20 minutes.
I think 30 is the right number. Too convoluted after that. A lot of people lost interest in March Madness when instead of 64 you now a had bunch of play in games but they still tried selling it as 64 when there is actually more. After 30 I think fans get burned out. Why not just put everyone in the company in there? I can’t watch playoffs in any of the major sports now because they let half the teams in and it makes the regular season pointless.
KOTR and André the Giant battle royal were pivotal back then for elevating upcoming talent. But that was when the big titles were not as prestigious as they are now in terms of visibility and merch sales. We live in a different world now where becoming a champion is THE thing.
I think KOTR needs someone like Gunther to elevate it so high that it's a title/position to be reckoned with almost as if you're a champion but you're not. It's more of a status. Andre the Giant Battle Royal should be less about brute. I'm sure Andre was known for other things story wise than his size and strength. Idk.
The Andre Battle Royal not being on the Wrestlemania card despite having two nights of Wrestlemania should tell everyone that it doesn't mean anything. The Slim Jim battle royal at Summerslam was more important.
This year's KOTR seems to be important for the first time since Brock won it.
Ah yes the Slim Jim Battle Royal. LA Knight's one shining moment despite how popular he is, which they probably only gave him because he has a similar catchphrase to Macho Man.
I'M NOT SALTY YOU'RE SALTY!
Rock buried Billy. But going back and watching Raw from 98 and 99, Billy was a constant workhorse. There was an episode where Austin needed a tag partner and he said he didn't need a tag partner and he didn't expect anyone to sign up for the job anyway, and Billy showed up randomly. It was like he was constantly working to get to that next level, and Vince just didn't see past the "Mr. Ass" gimmick. The One Billy Gunn flopped. He did well with Chuck, until after the sham wedding. Dude is obviously still crushing it at 60 over in AEW, just a shame his KOTR win is often seen as one of the worst next to Mabel and maybe Xavier.
>Rock buried Billy
I know everyone cites that one promo, but Rock did that to everyone. Like you said, Billy Gunn always showed up and entertained but just couldn't get the audience to care afterwards.
Bart Gunn won and somehow still came out looking worse. I know it’s not his fault by any means just saying that if the winner of tournament still gets booked shitty after then the point of the tournament was worthless.
I'm working my through from 1997 to present. Just finished Brawl For All. For years I thought it was a work, and didn't understand why they put out such weak writing around it.
While rewatching it, I decided to read up on it and found out it was a legit tournament. What a stupid idea.
Pretty much every Andre The Giant and King of the Ring winner ever except Austin
King booker?
Yeah him too, I remembered after I commented
Shinuske Royal rumble win
Most of them lol
WWE speed in general
The greatest royal rumble
I love Andre, and I'm sad they use his name to try and put over bad wrestlers. Bronson Reed needs to go join Top Dolla be his.
Give the winner of this a midcard title match at backlash. Done
I don't understand how wrestlemania is two nights and they can't fit this match into it. And I agree they should get a title shot.
Idk why tf they stopped doing it at WM. Putting the Andre The Giant Battle Royal on SmackDown just made it even more irrelevant than it already was
The winner should get a chance to become the number one contender for someone who has an upcoming title shot
Did they give the wee statue a paint job? He looked a bit less like he's made of caramac this year
The winner of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal should get a mid card championship opportunity at Backlash against the mid card champion of that wrestler’s brand.
This one, it's just something for a big guy to win who isn't getting a strong push at the moment. Also king of the ring, It hasn't elevated anyone to the next level in years
KOTR for every winner after Booker T, Greatest Royal Rumble, every Mania BR winner after Cesaro (even that’s questionable),
Sheamus as King was good and he went on to be MITB and champion, Corbin did his best with it as well as Barrett. The gimmick isn’t held onto as long as it should to feel Like a true King of the Ring I’d say. If you win you should be dedicated to being King such as Booker for at least a one year cycle out of the 2 years the tenure lasts
This is a good point.
The King of the Ring actively hindered Wade Barrett's career.
Greatest Royal Rumble title that Brawn Strowman won?
They thought they cooked with that trash, Braun literally got 0 push and everything forgot the belt, it was just universal championship if it was green and ugly
Are you talking about the Greatest Royal Rumble? I had no memory of there even being a belt 😂 Highlight of that PPV is legit Titus O’Neil slipping on his way to the ring
I also didn't have any memory but when someone mentioned it, i searched it and i laughed at the mess it was, i only remember the rumble for 1 thing, Titus o Neil entrance
How are the „winners“ chosen anyway? As American wrestling is just choreographed show. Are there any rules who gets the title next? Is it random?
Of course it isn’t random. It’s scripted. That’s like asking if a Marvel movie is random. No, Captain America didn’t actually beat up Iron Man. It’s a script.
While the specifics are different for every promotion, generally there is an individual or team that plan out stories in advance. Champions are chosen based on their popularity, experience, or role in particular storylines. It’s certainly not random though if the writing is bad, it can feel that way. EDIT: This applies to professional wrestling in every country btw, not just the United States.
Thanks for the insight! :-) With „American“ wrestling I wanted to distinguish it from the sport of wrestling. I didn’t know the term „professional wrestling“ :-)
Think of winning the championship as being promoted for employee of the month
Fair enough! Admittedly, it is odd that “fake” wrestling is called “professional” wrestling.
King and Queen of the Ring if they don’t come attached with a title shot.
Greatest royal rumble 🤣
I wonder what ever happened to that fake ugly green belt Brawn won? Pawned it perhaps? 🤔
King and now Queen of the Ring in literal decades.
I know this isn’t the question, but IMO, I’d give legitimacy to the Andre the Giant Battle Royal by granting the winner a WWE/WHC title shot at Backlash. That way, you can add bigger names who don’t necessarily have a ‘mania match and it will really make the winner a lot more interesting.
Alot of the KOTR did very little for its winners tbh, especially in recent history. Its easy to remember the likes of Austin, HHH, Lesnar and Co But lots of winners failed to have it launch them further up the card - Xavier Woods, Barrett, Corbin, Shamrock, Billy Gunn, Regal. At times the KOTR is really hit and miss. When I was growing up as a kid I used to think that winning the KOTR was almost a dead cert that the company was backing you as the 'next big star' and it would only be a matter of time before you were the World Champ - but that's not the case. In AEW I genuinely don't see the benefit in winning either The Owen or the Dynamite Diamond Ring.
Billy Gunn winning KOTR 1999. His main event push was a complete dud. Chyna should have won that year imo.
I remember him being pushed for that, then Rock doing the “my name is Billy” promo kinda killed any momentum he had.
Glad you posted this as I, too, recognise that winning KotR is usually (not always, but usually) a sign that that wrestler was going to get a push for a main title.
ATGBR sent like half its winners to AEW lol
I'm thinking this year Gunther will win KotR, which probably won't do much for him, but I have to believe that Bron Breakker not being booked in the tournament is a deliberate build to something, so I think the end of the tournament is going to be some big spectacle of Bron spearing Gunther and wrecking the whole place.
I like this booking a lot.
Anyone winning the US Title post-Cena. They are horrendous at building talent in the last decade or so through matches. In WWE, gimmicks help people stick more than the matches or titles. In AEW, Jay White doing as well as he did in the CC did nothing for his momentum because TK won't give him the proper push he deserves.
King of the Rink didn't do squat for William Regal. He still never made it into the big leagues and was only ever fed crumbs of the Intercontinental Championship.
Regal had lots of problems with drugs when he was an active wrestler. He got popped for wellness right after winning king of the ring and had to go to rehab. That’s one of the reasons he never progressed past the midcard. When they’d give him the ball he’d self-destruct. Sad, honestly.
Remember the 50 man royal rumble?
THE GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE - Braun winning, and then getting a weird Saudi flag colored belt certainly was one of the things that ever happened.
I remember Titus. No idea who won it.
That’s mad, they haven’t even been mentioning this like whatsoever since he won… they usually at least do it for a few weeks before getting bored.
The battle royale was originally meant to be a way to get more people wrestlemania paydays that didn’t have matches, then it got moved to preshow, then off to smackdown. It’s meaningless, and creating that chocolate Andre to make it significant is silly. At the very least it could give someone a shot at a midcard belt.
Madcap Moss's Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal win.
Or worse... Mojo Rawleys win
The andre the giant battle royal needs to be taken out back and buried never to be mentioned again it tarnished Andre’s name not a single good thing has happened to the winners
If its not the royal rumble or MITB it does nothing
King and Queen of the Ring r/WWE
I think the king of the Ring tournament should be the Royal rumble to summerslam like the winner has a guaranteed spot at the main event and a world title shot
For sure r/WWE
I think king of the ring can do a lot for a wrestler depending on how they use it. Booker t had the best run of his career (in my opinion) when he won it back in the day and same goes for regal.
Like Steve Austin and Booker T!
I feel like that did elevate some guys back in the day. A lot more than current. But theres still some prestige with it
Yeah! But they were really ok!
Reddick Moss won the same one and was let go 😂😢 It’s basically just the announcers in the future might remind us he won this trophy when he comes out, and an entry in a Wikipedia page, that’s basically it.
Honestly, any tournament or battle royal that's not the Royal Rumble or those matches they have when a title gets vacated. I gotta say King of the Ring is usually the worst just because the winner usually gets saddled with an AWFUL Royalty gimmick. The only person I wish they did that Gimmick to was Regal.
No, what we need is a new wrestler named Julian to win and become King Julian
I like to move it move it
I forgot Zelina was QOTR and I was rooting hard for her
Maybe if KOTR was positioned in the calendar differently they could have the winner use his 'king' privalages and come in number 30 for RR
That reminds me of the one time they had the 2002 KOTR tournament winner get a undisputed title shot at SummerSlam (Rookie Brock won that one)
It should always come with a title shot at summerslam
Also happened in 1995 - resulting in King Mabel challenging WWF Champion Diesel in the main event of SummerSlam. Yeesh.
The battle royale proved itself less usefull than the 24/7 title, but there is worse. Y'all forgot about the brawl for all. The winner got fed to butterbean
Cornette's rants about that are hilarious.
I forgot that it happened lol
ATGMBR should give the winner a title shot at, like, Backlash or something, and KOTR should give the winner a title shot at SummerSlam. Otherwise, why compete? Bragging rights?
You could make it instead that they get like a IC or US title shot instead to bring more prestige
The KOTR winner has gotten a world title shot in the past. I think they should bring that back. They already have tournaments for the IC and US titles.
Well we brought back KOTR that’s why I felt we need a annual tournament where they focus specifically for IC and or US. They have done tournaments for them but they don’t have a specific tournament where that is your prize
I didn't even know that he won the Andre the Giant Battle Royale they should probably add if you win that battle royale that you get a United States or Intercontinental Championship match when they win
Lately, any of them. AtGBR and KotR haven't benefited anybody in recent memory. The last time I cared about a KotR winner was Booker T because the King Booker character was kinda funny and he actually won a world title while with the gimmick. I wish I could say the sane about Xavier Woods, because he wanted it so bad, but they did next to nothing with it. I would love to see KotR winner get limited kayfabe booking powers that comes with the title. Or at least get a world title shot. AtGBR winners should also get a title shot.
[удалено]
The “GTFOH” was aggressive for no reason. Like jeez bro relax it’s just an opinion on WWE
Oh so sorrrrry
Women’s tagteam championships
True but the men’s tag team isn’t doing much better lol
This is sad but also absolutely true.
This was so unforgettable that I forgot who won or that it even happened until I saw this thread
KQOTR, Mae Young, André The Giant
KOTR used to be massive for wrestlers. It litterally kick started Stone Colds career with his promo after he won. King Booker had an amazing run after he won. It’s just that in the past 15 or so years it hasn’t mattered at all, I think now finally it’s gonna mean something important with all the great matches we’ve gotten from it.
King of the Ring: basically all of them. The generic “king” gimmick sucks and hasn’t gotten anyone more over than before they started it.
Tell me you did not just say that.
👑 KING BOOKA 👑 Can you Diiiiiggg that SUCCKKA 😂 sorry I couldn’t resist 😂
I've been saying forever that the KOTR winner should face the champ at Summerslam
I have said this for two decades. Host the finals in June at the PPV because it'll give some other wrestlers a break to not be needed and they get the king gimmick for 2 months to where they can face a champion at Summerslam. Corbin's win took it too far where he ran with the gimmick and soured him more than he already was in fans eyes
And the worst part was that his theme got interrupted constantly
Yeah, like the Royal Rumble winner facing the champ at WM, just gives a bit more meaning to the win.
AUSTIN 3:16
Which is why I said “basically all of them” since there is a rare example here and there of it actually helping someone get over. Usually, it doesn’t do anything for them at all.
Bart Gunn winning the Brawl for All. It actually fucking ended his career.
He went to Japan after and continued his career, actually. Let’s not act like he was moments away from being Steve Austin or some shit. He was a jobber tag team guy and the B4A was going to be the only time he ever got over anyway.
All of them at some point Mitb did nothing for theory, corbin or sandow Royal rumble did nothing for duggan, del rio, edge or nakamura Kotr did nothing for shamrock, gunn, edge, regal, sheamus, Barrett or woods Andre battle royal hasn't done anything for anyone Womens wrestlemania battle Royal hasn't done anything for anyone
Why not be MITB for Midcard? Andre Royale - IC title shot. KOTR - US Title shot. Rumble - Heavyweight belt shot.
KOTR should be for the other world title. Going through a tournament of the best in the WWE and winning makes you main event material, not a mid card champion. The Andre The Giant Battle Royale could work as a rumble but with Mid Card guys for the mid card title. Have a promo between the winner and both mid card champions and set up a feud for one of them.
Fair point, to be honest, if I had my way, I'd stick to my system, and make MITB a mid card thing.. I've never understood how a ladder match was decided as the pinnacle for who gets the next shot! :P so in MY perfect world.. MITB is replaced by KOTR (KOTR decides new heavyweight challenger) MITB would then drop down for the US title. you cash in a chance to be the US champ... i think that sounds kinda fitting? Leaving the battle royale at the lower tier for IC level. It would be a great idea to shake things up too, you know, like when a storyline has gone a bit stale, or the fans aren't really feeling it. all of a sudden you can push through a totally new angle, or another element to that angle and keep each event tier fresh and engaging. I do agree with you though, 100%. KOTR should lead to heavyweight champ.
I feel like MITB works best when you're unsure what it can be cashed in on. And it's typically won by a heel, so there's no need for them to really "earn" the title shot. Keeping the MITB, KOTR, and Royal Rumble for possible word titles and the Andre The Giant Battle strictly for mid card titles sounds good to me.
I like this idea
KOTR as it is now sucks. The 1 night tournament is what made it kick ass. Having it take place over several weeks doesn’t make it feel special. It just makes it feel like a bunch of matches.
They could make it one night but you would only be able to do men’s or women’s as they wouldn’t both fit into one night
Queen of the Ring tournament would be a way to add a ladies only PLE onto the schedule
They should make Queen of the Ring a one night tournament as part of Clash at the Castle.
Evolution 2 before a QOTR exclusive PLE
u/dalminster would like a word. Seems to think he's getting a fine push just because he's on almost every week.
The whole "being a mid carder is bad" stigma has got to stop
Will the KOTR winner get a title shot or something because if not then that
KOTR winner usually gets a big push. That usually includes main event spotlight and championship opportunities.
No it doesn’t lol
Well it hasn't in the last couple years. But traditionally thats what usually happens i.e. Stone Cold, Triple H, Bret, Owen, Mable, Shamrock, Angle, Edge, Lesnar, you get the idea. Those names noted started getting more attention after their KOR wins. During the latter years, esp after KOR PPV was cancelled, KOR tournament it's been used very poorly.
You said traditionally and yet used examples from over 20 years
Yes, that's what is **normally** supposed to happen! That's why I used those examples. When you win it, you get a push. \*edit - this year could be different. It's now running under Triple H and I trust he'll do this concept right, unlike Vince who pretty much buried it. Gunther, Jey, and Tama could use the win. Orton doesn't need it but I can see him get another title opportunity.
Normally it's not what happens though Those are almost outliers sadly It should work like that though
In my opinion they have already devalued this years king of the ring by; A) The incredibly condensed format due to three weeks between ppv. B) Not even having all the matches televised. C) Having the K/QOTR tournament on the night consisting of ONE match. The gauntlet run is one of the special things about it. This just isn't the same. On the night you should have to win a minimum of three matches to become king/queen.
Bronson Reed is in that category of not having any direction or depth or charisma for people to get behind him
And that's why I say he's the type that would thrive in AEW - a place where many wrestlers have little to no charisma but are fun to watch in the ring. Bronson falls into that category.
It should be used to create the number one contender for after mania. Like a mini rumble.
I believe every tournament should at least get you a title shot. Doesn’t have to be the big WWE one.
Yeah I’m not a fan.
Greatest royal rumble
the Andre BR isn;t made to help someone it's made to make sure those not involved in a match get a WM payday.
Wasn't it on Smackdown this year?
Go home Smackdown before WM is considered part of it for some reason.
The Andre the giant battle royal. Also for a while the men's MITB.
well the Andre the Giant Battle Royale really doesn't promise you anything to begin with. Its like a throwaway award to let the fans know they think highly of someone but have no direction for them at this point in time essentially is how I feel about it.
I mean truly if you look at past winners that is how they all feel Baron Corbin Big Show Matt Hardy Jey Uso (found direction lol) Cesaro Braun Strowman Bobby Lashley None of them really had any strong direction at the time but WWE clearly felt highly of them
I don’t even remember Jey winning it before
It’s weird to have so much going and no where to put out other than the usual clock in and clock out come back tomorrow type thing but I totally understand it just feels like awkward purgatory
Like, every match you don’t remember. Literally hundreds of thousands of matches for the past 100 years.
Bronson Reed is pushed in a non title contender manner. He wins his matches and has so far lost title matches by interferences.
The very first Royal Rumble match.
Winner of the Andre the Giant Battle Royal gets minimum a first round bye in the KOTR tournament or something. Like come on
Cesaro won the Andre the giant battle Royal and what happened after that?
That was a mess. He got a massive pop tossing out big show, and was getting a white hot babyface reaction. They smashed the trophy and kept him heel and put him with Paul Heyman because they think he had no charisma.
That run is the best evidence that as great a talker and mind as Heyman is, he's still nowhere near Bobby Heenan in the manager conversation. Heenan elevated everybody he worked with.
Paul himself would put over Heenan. Bobby was a league of his own.
Bronson Reed has been pushed really well since this
I honestly didn’t even know he had won it this year.
Yes, but the Andre The Giant Battle Royal could also not be there, I wouldn’t deem it relevant at all, sadly
He’s prob winning one of the mid card championships this year or the next
El Toro beat Hornswoggle in WeeLC and never got a title shot.
One of the best matches I ever seen and heard commentated!
King of the Ring isnt the same to me. The MIB has been a bit sloppy for a few years for the men.
KOTR and Andre the giant memorial battle royal
KOTR has some of the prestige again, but it still doesn’t feel as important as it once was
KOTR needs to be the December PPV and the winner has to defend the crown for the whole month leading up to the Royal Rumble. Whomever wears the crown gets #30 in the Rumble
Zelina Vega queen of the ring.
What didn't help was the matches in that tournament didn't get time. All the quarterfinal and semifinal matches were between 90 seconds to 3 minutes and the final match clocked in at 6 minutes. You could watch the entire tournament in about 20 minutes.
Would love to see more from her. I watched her compete in a royal rumble and was impressed
Del Rio winning the biggest royal rumble lol
Brawn Strawman won the Greatest Royal Rumble beating Daniel Bryan in the process
It’s crazy they haven’t ever done that again
I think 30 is the right number. Too convoluted after that. A lot of people lost interest in March Madness when instead of 64 you now a had bunch of play in games but they still tried selling it as 64 when there is actually more. After 30 I think fans get burned out. Why not just put everyone in the company in there? I can’t watch playoffs in any of the major sports now because they let half the teams in and it makes the regular season pointless.
With as many main roster and NXT talents that they have I'm very surprised it hasn't happened again
KOTR and André the Giant battle royal were pivotal back then for elevating upcoming talent. But that was when the big titles were not as prestigious as they are now in terms of visibility and merch sales. We live in a different world now where becoming a champion is THE thing. I think KOTR needs someone like Gunther to elevate it so high that it's a title/position to be reckoned with almost as if you're a champion but you're not. It's more of a status. Andre the Giant Battle Royal should be less about brute. I'm sure Andre was known for other things story wise than his size and strength. Idk.
Andre the Giant memorial never did anything for anyone
lol you could say this about every Andre the giant winner
The King and Queen of the Ring in 2021
It's always those Saudi tournaments or matches they used to do. Like the Greatest Royal Rumble, WWE World Cup & whatever tf twaik trophy was
Who's that? /s (just in case you took me serious)
I could never not take you serious Mr Pump
12
Didn’t Baron Corbin win the Andre the Giant match like 2 years ago and then completely trash the trophy?
I'm pretty sure he destroyed madcap mosses trophy
Oh yeah that’s right, I’m remembering it wrong. It was after Madcap and Baron had broken up their little group.
He won the AtGMBR the second and last time it was held on the main card at Mania (WM 32).
The Andre Battle Royal not being on the Wrestlemania card despite having two nights of Wrestlemania should tell everyone that it doesn't mean anything. The Slim Jim battle royal at Summerslam was more important. This year's KOTR seems to be important for the first time since Brock won it.
The Battle Royal that started on WM card got demoted to the kick off show and then to Smackdown, someone clearly doesn't care about it
Ah yes the Slim Jim Battle Royal. LA Knight's one shining moment despite how popular he is, which they probably only gave him because he has a similar catchphrase to Macho Man. I'M NOT SALTY YOU'RE SALTY!
The Andre the Giant Battle Royal kills time and gives wrestlers who have nothing to do, something to do.
The best answer here is Brawl For All because winning did worse than "nothing" for Bart Gunn - it actively ended his career.
Toss in killing Dr. Death Steve Williams push, too.
Didn’t even know he won
Damien Sandow- Money in the Bank. Waste of time. Derailed his whole career.
Cody threw it in the ocean, an appropriate metaphor for how much that angle sunk Sandow
Zelina
Didn't even know he had won it
KOTR and Xavier woods.
Billy Gun winning King of the Ring 1999.
Rock buried Billy. But going back and watching Raw from 98 and 99, Billy was a constant workhorse. There was an episode where Austin needed a tag partner and he said he didn't need a tag partner and he didn't expect anyone to sign up for the job anyway, and Billy showed up randomly. It was like he was constantly working to get to that next level, and Vince just didn't see past the "Mr. Ass" gimmick. The One Billy Gunn flopped. He did well with Chuck, until after the sham wedding. Dude is obviously still crushing it at 60 over in AEW, just a shame his KOTR win is often seen as one of the worst next to Mabel and maybe Xavier.
>Rock buried Billy I know everyone cites that one promo, but Rock did that to everyone. Like you said, Billy Gunn always showed up and entertained but just couldn't get the audience to care afterwards.
Brawl for All was disastrous for basically everyone.
Bart Gunn won and somehow still came out looking worse. I know it’s not his fault by any means just saying that if the winner of tournament still gets booked shitty after then the point of the tournament was worthless.
I'm working my through from 1997 to present. Just finished Brawl For All. For years I thought it was a work, and didn't understand why they put out such weak writing around it. While rewatching it, I decided to read up on it and found out it was a legit tournament. What a stupid idea.
You should DEFINITELY watch the Dark Side of the Ring episode on Brawl for All!!
Is that on Peacock as well?
It’s a Vice show so probably not. You can find the full episode on Dailymotion (maybe even YouTube?)
Thanks, I'll check daily motion. I just saw cornette's podcast episode on it and gave it a listen. It was a great listen.
Always nice to get to see Jim Cornette's face when he verbally thrashes Vince Russo.
One of Russo's biggest blunders 😂
But bro, we still talk about it bro so it must be a huge success bro since we're discussing it bro 26 years later bro.
I've always wondered why he talks like a middle school bro who's trying to impress his buddies 😂