WWE.com and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly looks at past King of the Ring winners and how they used it to elevate their careers.
THE SETUP
The King and Queen of the Ring winners will be crowned at WWE Night of Champions on Saturday, June 27, and the winners will earn championship matches at SummerSlam. History shows that not every KOTR and QOTR winner have been able to capitalize fully on the opportunity, but more than a handful have used the crown as a career turning point. As we wait to see who will rise this year, here are my top five former King of the Ring winners, plus one Queen of the Ring winner, who embraced the crown and used it to the fullest.
KING OF THE RING
1. Bret "Hit Man" Hart (1991 and 1993): Bret Hart remains the only back-to-back King of the Ring winner. Winning the first tournament transformed him from being part of the successful tag team of The Hart Foundation into a true championship contender. Hart would eventually win his first World Championship after his initial KOTR crowning, but he lost the gold to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX. Hart then rebounded and ran through the gauntlet at the 1993 KOTR, defeating Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow. Hart would win the Royal Rumble in early 1994 and then hold the WWE Title four times over the next four years, totaling close to 500 days and establishing himself as one of the most accomplished Superstars in the company throughout the second half of the 1990s. Hart might not be immediately associated with the KOTR, but it is hard to deny his success after mastering it.
2. Booker T (2006): What made Booker T’s reign so special is that there was nobody who embraced the crown more than King Booker. After the KOTR took a four-year break, Booker T re-ignited his storied career at the 2006 event. Booker was unique because he came over from WCW as an 11-time Tag Team Champion and five-time WCW World Champion. Once he got to WWE, he was involved in some rivalries that led to Hardcore, Intercontinental, Tag Team and United States Championships before using the 2006 King of the Ring Tournament to spark his career. After defeating Bobby Lashley in the final, Booker won his first and only World Heavyweight Title in WWE. Booker embraced everything about being the King that gave a second life to what was already a Hall of Fame career.
3. Kurt Angle: (2000): Angle followed the path of some before him. After winning the European and Intercontinental Championships, Angle ran through a tough and sizable draw in the KOTR tournament, defeating Bradshaw, Bubba Ray Dudley, Chris Jericho, Crash Holly and Rikishi in a month to earn the crown. Angle would win his first WWE Title four months later and quickly ascend as one of the faces of the company and an eventual WWE Hall of Famer. It was a stepping stone to becoming one of the best that ever did it.
4. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (1996): There is no debating what winning the King of the Ring did for Austin and WWE. The 3:16 mic moment directed at Jake Roberts launched Austin’s career into the stratosphere and changed WWE forever. That in itself deserves a vote for being the most important and impactful. If it weren’t for the two years that Austin was able to ascend to the top of the card and become what he is today, maybe he would be higher. Austin never did embrace the actual crown like the others, but the others never had the belief in the concept to be successful. Putting Austin at No. 4 almost feels wrong, considering the magnitude of the win.
5. Edge (2001): You can make a valid argument that Edge is the poster child for what winning the King of the Ring Tournament can mean. Edge began as an excellent tag team Superstar alongside Christian, which eventually led to being part of The Brood and The Ministry of Darkness. When the King of the Ring in 2001 came around, after he came up short one year prior, Edge won the tournament and became a serious singles player, winning the U.S. Title and Intercontinental Title multiple times. It was a slow burn to the top before Edge ripped off seven World Championships within the next decade, but you can point to his KOTR win as the catalyst for it all.
Honorable mentions: Harley Race, Brock Lesnar, Randy Savage
QUEEN OF THE RING
Jade Cargill (2025): The Queen of the Ring hasn’t had the history that the men’s version has had, with only three installments to choose from that have included Zelina Vega, Nia Jax and Jade Cargill. Of those Superstars, one jumps off the page, The Storm. Even though she was defeated at SummerSlam by Tiffany Stratton after winning the crown, Cargill took the Queen’s status to new heights and became the WWE’s Women’s Champion within six months. Cargill got premium matches at WrestleMania 42 against Rhea Ripley and at Clash in Italy earlier in the month. Cargill might not have embraced the Queen gimmick, but she’s undoubtedly had incredible success after winning it.
