Armchair Booking: King Of The Ring 2019

The King of the Ring tournament has been mysteriously absent from WWE since Wade Barrett’s win in 2015. With WWE’s unbelievably stacked roster, it would be an easy task for them to piece together an exciting multi-man tournament; one that would guarantee fantastic wrestling and potentially change someone’s long-term career. Tournaments like the Cruiserweight and Mae Young Classics have proven to be huge hits with the WWE Universe. The WWE creative team have learned that after putting on some top-quality matches, the victor receives a fresh wave of momentum that propels them into relevancy.

Fans love seeing a wrestler fight marathon after marathon against the best wrestlers a brand has to offer – I mean, just look at the G1 Climax over in New Japan. WWE could be in dire need of a KOTR tournament, with many of Raw and SmackDown’s most talented names falling into obscurity. An eight man, single elimination tournament could help put the spotlight on WWE’s best and brightest, producing a new main event star to help take them into a new, competitive era.

So if I were to book a KOTR here in 2019, here would be my star-studded line-up:

Finn Balor

Shinsuke Nakamura

Aleister Black

Ricochet

Andrade

Samoa Joe

Ali

Buddy Murphy

It’s hard to narrow down the sheer depth of WWE’s main roster to just eight superstars, but if we’re looking to create a well-rounded tournament that appeals to fans of all styles, then what better line-up than that. All entrants are on the cusp of being a huge hit on their respective brands. Superstars like Balor, Nakamura and Ricochet are already established as major players on the roster, but are still looking for a slight push into the main event scene. On the other hand, Andrade, Ali and Buddy Murphy have proven that they can get over through performance alone. Giving these superstars a platform to compete on such a consistently excellent basis would help sell them to the last few doubters.

Ideally, the KOTR winners spot should go to a superstar who can rock the gimmick. Former winners like Booker T, Kurt Angle and William Regal have all adapted the ‘king’ character to help bring them to championship glory – King Booker being our personal favourite.

So looking at our line-up, thinking of who could not only hang in each match and then successfully take on the outlandish gimmick after, I can’t think of a better winner than ‘The King of Strong Style’ Shinsuke Nakamura. WWE have failed to make Nakamura a prominent star since his feud with AJ Styles around WrestleMania 34. Despite his United States Championship run in 2018, Shin has been lost in the shuffle as part of a nothing tag team with Rusev. A huge with at a KOTR event would help re-establish him as one of WWE’s biggest superstars.

Nakamura has had prior tournament experience outside of WWE. Competing in NJPW’s coveted G1 Climax tournament, going on to win the finals against Tetsuya Naito in 2011 and having some absolute classics with the likes of Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi in following years. Shinsuke has been one of the most solid performers throughout the G1’s history, constantly wrestling at such an incredible standard against all-comers, never giving into fatigue.

Perhaps putting Nakamura in the finals with one of the budding stars of the line-up – Ricochet or Ali – would not only provide the means for a legendary bout but could make two stars instead of just one. After Shinsuke walks away with the win, he could start embracing the flair and swagger that came with his latter performances in NJPW. Nakamura would often arrive dressed in Freddy Mercury inspired entrance attires; long, red capes filling the ramp, whilst he sports a magnificent crown. I can’t imagine a better fit for the ‘king’ character. 

If WWE were willing to grant the superstars competing in the KOTR freedom to perform however they like, without the usual restrictions faced on an episode of Raw or SmackDown, then we could be guaranteed some show-stealers from the likes of Nakamura. Outside of a small handful of matches, Shinsuke Nakamura hasn’t really tapped into what made him so special overseas, seeing that in a tournament style would certainly put him back into the hearts and minds of his fans.

This not only goes for Nakamura, but could also apply to a lot of the names featured in this line-up. Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and Aleister Black have all settled for a slightly toned-down version of their style on the main roster. Allowing them to go back to their roots would help produce some instant 5* matches, bringing the KOTR back into prominence for being a star-making factory.

New Japan’s G1 Climax is famous for it’s ability to take someone with very little reputation and turn them into one of the most talked about names in all of wrestling. Former cruiserweight mainstays like Buddy Murphy and Ali could really benefit from performing in similar incredible matches. Even if they don’t walk out with the big win, the quality of their in-ring action alone could send them into superstardom.

From any angle, a KOTR tournament would benefit the WWE main roster massively. Everyone involved would be given the chance to shine, establishing them as the cream of the crop amongst a very stacked roster. So long as the WWE booking team grant them the time and the freedom to wrestle in the styles that brought them to the plate, there’s no way this could be a failure.

If a KOTR tournament was to take place in 2019, who would you book as your line-up, who would end up sitting on the throne at the end of the event? Drop some comments down below.