Every WWE King Of The Ring Winner Ranked

First introduced in 1985, there have been over 20 Kings of the Ring to date and, as with all WWE stipulations, some of them have been far better than others. 

Becoming king can be a huge opportunity for a burgeoning superstar to grab the brass ring, but kings of the past haven’t always been put in the position to do that. Others, on the other hand, took their sceptre and smashed the glass ceiling with it on the way to becoming some of the biggest names in the business.

This is every WWE King of the Ring Winner Ranked. 

22. Mabel - 1995

The absolute worst King of the Ring in WWE history, Mabel’s reign is often pointed to as being the lowest point of one of the company’s most creatively-bankrupt periods in the New Generation era. 

The former Men on a Mission man gained possession of the crown after beating The Undertaker and then Savio Vega in two horrible matches. There would have also been a third Mabel match but, fortunately, Shawn Michaels vs. Kama went to a time-limit draw in the quarter-finals which provided Mabel with a bye and shorter path to the final. 

While his entrance was fun, Mabel was dreadful inside the squared circle and he didn’t get any better after winning King of the Ring. His tournament triumph earned Mabel a WWE Title shot in the main event of SummerSlam against Diesel and the two competitors proceeded to have a stinker, with Mabel injuring Kevin Nash after sitting down on the WWE Champion’s lower back. Mabel was then gone from WWE one year after his King of the Ring triumph.

One of the worst elements of Mabel’s King of the Ring win was there were better options on offer, including The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Lex Luger. 

21. Tito Santana - 1989

In theory, Tito Santana should have been a great king. He was a great worker, dependable, likeable and probably could have done some really good things with the gimmick. 

Unfortunately, his win occurred when the King of the Ring tournament was pretty much a house show gimmick designed to beef up ticket sales once a year and it was anyone’s guess as to whether WWE would actually do anything with the winner or not. 

Santana beat Bad News Brown, The Warlord, Akeem and, finally, former Strike Force partner Rick ‘The Model’ Martel in the final on a non-televised live event in 1989.

From there, he never really pushed on, basically occupying the same spot he always had, and losing the final of an Intercontinental Title tournament to Mr. Perfect. Santana eventually went on a sabbatical and, when he returned, was El Matador the bullfighter. 

20. Don Muraco - 1985

Don Muraco has the distinction of being the first ever King of the Ring tournament winner, but he didn’t do much with the gimmick. 

The early kings weren’t exactly pushed and often didn’t embrace royalty as part of their gimmick. Muraco became king by beating the Junkyard Dog, Les Thornton, Pedro Morales and the Iron Sheik at a 1985 house show. 

Muraco lands at this spot due to being better than Mabel by default and more memorable than Tito Santana, simply because he was the first winner. There isn't much more to say beyond that, however.

19. Ted DiBiase - 1988

Ted DiBiase, a featured WWE talent in the golden era, was certainly a deserving king and his King of the Ring win was his first significant accomplishment in the company. As was the case in the 1980s, though, his win was simply for the benefit of those in the arena that night. 

DiBiase defeated Brutus Beefcake, Ken Patera and Ron Bass before unseating 1987 King of the Ring winner Randy Savage in the final. DiBiase’s win didn’t provide him with a push on WWE TV, however, and he simply found himself feuding with Hercules.

Even the Million Dollar Man couldn't find a price for that King of the Ring push.

18. Billy Gunn - 1999

WWE tried on several occasions to make Billy Gunn a fully-fledged singles star but it just never worked, with the 1999 King of the Ring win being another failure. 

The 1999 King of the Ring tournament told the story of the dissension of DX and, after defeating Viscera, Ken Shamrock and then Kane, Gunn beat X-Pac in the final. None of the matches were memorable and Gunn’s victory fell flat. 

It would only get worse for Gunn when he came face-to-face with The Rock, who dismantled him on the microphone and in the ring, re-christening Gunn as ‘Billy Bitchcakes’. Their feud continued all the way into early 2000, with The Rock winning their singles feud in a Kiss My Ass Match at SummerSlam 1999, while the New Age Outlaws would emerge victorious against a variety of teams featuring The Rock to remain WWE Tag Team Champions. 

Two years on from his King of the Ring win, new king Edge vowed to not “Billy Gunn”, a metaphor for not screwing up his tournament win. 

17. William Regal - 2008

The idea of William Regal becoming King of the Ring and receiving a big push on the back of it should have been fantastic.

Arguably the perfect archetype for being the king, Regal found himself in the tournament after using his Interim Raw General Manager powers to book himself in a quarter-final match against Hornswoggle. Regal, of course, won and defeated Finlay with relative ease in the semi-finals to set up a showdown for the crown with CM Punk. Regal overcame the Straight Edge Superstar in a short but surly bout via submission, becoming the first person from the United Kingdom to be crowned King of the Ring.

Regal kicked off a feud with the returning Mr. Kennedy following his King of the Ring win but just one month later, Regal was gone from TV after losing a Loser Gets Fired Match due to a 60-day suspension for violating WWE’s wellness policy for the second time.

This ultimately derailed the momentum Regal had and while he continued to claim to be King of the Ring upon his return, the moment had well and truly passed as he transitioned into feuds with Jamie Noble and Santino Marella, with it being several months until Regal was somewhat hot again as he feuded with CM Punk over the Intercontinental Title.

16. Bad News Barrett - 2015

The 2015 King of the Ring was the first for five years and the first tournament since 2002 to have its own dedicated show. It was a smaller field, but featured a good mix of established stars and those looking to have their moment and break out. 

Wade Barrett was somewhere in the middle, as he’d been a featured part of the show for five years but creative had blown hot and cold with him, something that wasn’t helped by some ill-timed injuries.

Looking to get back on track, Barrett defeated Dolph Ziggler and R-Truth before scoring a win in the final against Neville following a Bull Hammer. 

Barrett was a reasonable mid-card king as he continued to feud with Neville after the tournament, but his move to the League of Nations moved Bad News firmly into the background. Barrett then exited WWE following WrestleMania 32 as the League of Nations, mercifully, came to an end.

15. Xavier Woods - 2021

After years of mentioning in interviews that he wanted to compete in a King of the Ring tournament, Xavier Woods received his wish in 2021 as WWE revived the concept and created the Queen’s Crown Tournament to add some spice to the 2021 Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. 

Woods was featured in a tournament that included Finn Balor, Jinder Mahal, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, New Day stablemate Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio and Ricochet in a field which could have seen any of the talents emerge with the crown. It was ultimately Woods who achieved the honour, defeating Ricochet and Jinder Mahal before he overcame Finn Balor in the final in Saudi Arabia to accomplish a lifelong dream. 

While a nice moment, it was very much the peak of Woods’ run as a singles competitor and he received precisely zero push in the aftermath of Crown Jewel 2021, instead settling back into his tag team with Kofi Kingston outside of being known as King Woods and wearing all of the regalia until March 2022.

14. Baron Corbin - 2019

The King of the Ring returned after a four-year hiatus in 2019 with a 16-man dual brand television tournament.

In a tournament that featured the likes of Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Andrade, Drew McIntyre, Chad Gable, and Mustafa Ali, Baron Corbin ended up as the winner, beating The Miz, Cedric Alexander, and then Samoa Joe and Ricochet in a Triple Threat before overcoming Chad Gable in the final. 

The tournament itself was okay but was stretched over a month of TV which somehow made it seem small time overall. The matches themselves were mostly decent and Corbin, to his credit, adopted the king persona from the beginning, but he remained King Corbin for far too long and there wasn’t too many who were upset when Shinsuke Nakamura beat him for the crown and forced a gimmick change. 

The gimmick change to Sad Corbin ended up being better than anything he did as King of the Ring, especially when compared to his dog food-infused feud with Roman Reigns. 

13. Sheamus - 2010

The 2010 WWE roster was one in transition as stars of the 2000s such as Triple H entered the twilight of their full-time careers, while a new breed of talents were being featured on the company’s programming.

This led to a mix of talent in the 2010 King of the Ring tournament which featured the likes of Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, John Morrison, Jack Swagger, and Kofi Kingston, who all would have been logical winners. 

It was ultimately Sheamus, though, who won the tournament. The already-two-time WWE Champion beat R-Truth and Kofi Kingston before he received a bye to reach the final. Sheamus then defeated John Morrison with a Brogue Kick to earn the crown. 

The gimmick as king suited Sheamus as he came into his own on promos and wore a green robe. He would also be pushed after ditching the king moniker in February 2011, becoming United States Champion and later World Heavyweight Champion within the ensuing 14 months.

12. Ken Shamrock - 1998

In mid-1998, WWE were riding a serious wave of momentum as the Attitude Era came into full flow and everyone on the card was getting over. Raw featured top stars like Steve Austin, Mankind, Kane, and The Undertaker while the company continued to build up the likes of The Rock and Triple H.

Another talent being pushed at the time was Ken Shamrock as The World’s Most Dangerous Man brought a different aura to WWE due to his UFC past. 

Shamrock was one of the favourites at the 1998 King of the Ring pay-per-view and it was hardly surprising when he advanced to the final with wins over Kama Mustafa, Mark Henry, and Jeff Jarrett to book his place in the last match against The Rock. The two rivals then fought back and forth, with Shamrock emerging victorious by submission with an Ankle Lock. 

WWE continued to slowly build Shamrock following King of the Ring as he feuded with Owen Hart, had reigns as Intercontinental Champion and WWE Tag Team Champion with Big Boss Man, and had a rivalry with The Undertaker.

Shamrock became mired in the mid-card as 1999 progressed, however, and he was gone from WWE at the end of the millennium as he looked to resume his MMA career. 

11. Harley Race - 1986

During Vince McMahon’s time at the top of WWE creative, the company would often refuse to acknowledge a wrestler’s accomplishments outside of the company, often crafting an entirely new persona for the talent as well.

This even applied to legendary former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Harley Race, who debuted in WWE as ‘Handsome’ Harley Race in 1986. To showcase to WWE fans how influential Race was, WWE booked Race to become King of the Ring at a house show by defeating George Steele, Billy Jack Haynes and Pedro Morales. 

A great heel, Race played up the king gimmick on TV with a crown and sceptre, while making his way to the ring to Great Gate of Kyiv from Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition. After winning a match, Race would also force his fallen opponents to bow and kneel before him. 

Race would have high-profile feuds with Junkyard Dog, Jim Duggan, and Hulk Hogan as he reigned as king for two years until he sustained an injury during a match with Hogan.

This led to King Haku, as Race’s manager Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan transferred the crown to another member of the Heenan family. Upon his return, Race would try and regain the crown until his loss to King Haku at 1989’s Royal Rumble, with Race exiting WWE soon after.  

10. Gunther - 2024

With Vince McMahon gone from WWE and Triple H firmly established as the head of WWE Creative, the 1997 King of the Ring winner revived the tournament and also created Queen of the Ring in 2024, announcing that the winners would challenge for their brand’s top titles at SummerSlam. 

The 2024 King of the Ring tournament featured a 16-man field which included the likes of Sheamus, Ilja Dragunov, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Ricochet, Jey Uso, Finn Balor, AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight, Santos Escobar, Angelo Dawkins, and Tama Tonga. One man was above the rest as the likely winner, though, in Gunther and Der Ring General went on to win the tournament, defeating Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, and Jey Uso on his way to the final in Saudi Arabia against Randy Orton. 

Gunther then defeated Orton in a very good match that was marred by a botch as both of Orton’s shoulders weren’t down for the crucifix pin which scored Gunther the victory. 

The win, though, only further cemented Gunther as a top WWE star, arguably a position he already inherited due to being one of the most protected WWE talents of the modern era with incredibly long reigns as NXT UK and Intercontinental champion since debuting for WWE in 2019.

His King of the Ring win, though, provided Gunther with a World Heavyweight Title shot at SummerSlam and the Austrian duly won the belt from Damian Priest before reigning with the big gold belt until WrestleMania 41. 

9. Edge - 2001

The 2001 King of the Ring field was stacked, being full of popular performers that could have easily been booked to win it including The Hardy Boyz and Raven. 

In the end, the final four was Edge, Christian, Rhyno and 2000 King Kurt Angle. The Olympic Hero even reached the final but ultimately fell to Edge following interference from Shane McMahon. 

Edge was the perfect King of the Ring in 2001 too, taking his trophy everywhere and becoming a fan favourite in 2001 while his success fuelled jealousy within Edge's tag team partner Christian that exploded when he smashed the trophy over his storyline brother’s head. This led to an entertaining feud over the Intercontinental Title, which Edge had won at SummerSlam.

Edge has never really looked back since becoming King of the Ring and he is pushed within pro wrestling to this day.

8. Hunter Hearst Helmsley - 1997

Had Hunter Hearst Helmsley not been involved in the Curtain Call, he would have been King of the Ring one year earlier than when he eventually won the tournament in 1997.

Everything worked out, though, and Helmsley was in a much better position to become King of the Ring. He also had an interesting path to do so, actually losing to Ahmed Johnson by DQ in his first-round match.

The Blue Blood threatened to sue WWE management by claiming he had not been told he could be eliminated via DQ and he ended up filling in for an injured Vader, defeating Crush, Ahmed Johnson, and Mankind on his way to becoming King of the Ring. 

The King of the Ring win and resultant feud with Mankind only helped establish the future HHH as a star and he would form D-Generation X with Shawn Michaels soon after. 

Interestingly, Paul Levesque supposedly hated the king garb so much that he broke a couple of crowns and lost a few sceptres in order to avoid wearing the attire. Paul Levesque the booker, though, appears to be a big fan, having revived King of the Ring and established Queen of the Ring in 2024.

7. Brock Lesnar - 2002

WWE were looking to create a new star in 2002 and they duly did so, elevating Brock Lesnar to King of the Ring and cementing him as the Next Big Thing.

Lesnar had only been on the WWE main roster for a couple of months, having debuted in the aftermath of WrestleMania 18. Brock had been dominant on TV, amassing a winning streak which continued into King of the Ring as he defeated Bubba Ray Dudley and Booker T in televised tournament matches before he overcame Test and Rob Van Dam at the King of the Ring pay-per-view. 

With the winner receiving a shot at the Undisputed Title at SummerSlam 2002, Brock was the correct choice and he went on to win the gold in the Rock vs. Brock showdown at the Biggest Party of the Summer. 

While we didn’t see him in a cape, Lesnar is one of the iconic Kings of the Ring. 

6. Owen Hart - 1994

Tired of being in the shadow of big brother Bret, Owen Hart turned on his sibling, beat him at WrestleMania X, and then sought to do what The Hitman had done one year prior by winning the 1994 King of the Ring. 

The Rocket had a clear and obvious chip on his shoulder as he got past Doink the Clown, Tatanka (giving the Native American only his second on-screen pinfall loss in two years), 1-2-3 Kid, and Razor Ramon to become the King of Harts. 

Like Bret, he had beaten a series of diverse opponents en route to the throne and really established himself as a breakout star in the process. His performance against Kid, in particular, made him look like a killer and at the end of the night he was ready to step up and challenge The Excellence of Execution for the WWE Title. 

While Owen never won the big one, his King of the Ring victory set him up nicely for that main event run, leading to some predictably excellent matches against his brother, the best of which took place inside a steel cage at SummerSlam. 

5. Kurt Angle - 2000

WWE went big in 2000 as that year’s King of the Ring tournament featured a mammoth 32-man field with five rounds of matches. 

Kurt Angle had only been on television for around six months by the time the King of the Ring tournament started, but he had already been a European and Intercontinental Champion and was looking set to be a star for years to come. 

WWE’s roster was deep at the turn of the millennium, but Angle was the obvious choice to win the tournament and he did so by beating Bradshaw, Bubba Ray Dudley, Chris Jericho, and Crash Holly before overcoming Rikishi in the final.

In his heel persona at the time, Angle celebrated his win like a madman and wore the appropriate garb. 

The King of the Ring win also led to Angle being moved swiftly to the main event scene as he worked with The Undertaker before involving himself in a love triangle with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.

Soon after this, Angle was pinning The Rock to become WWE Champion for the first time at No Mercy and he would remain champion for 126 days to cap off one of the best first years in WWE history.

4. Booker T - 2006

While the King of the Ring has often been used to establish a future star, the concept was used to great effect in providing Booker T with a career renaissance in 2006. 

The five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion was somewhat lost in the shuffle in 2006, having moved on from his feud with Chris Benoit over the United States Title and lost to The Boogeyman at WrestleMania 22. The King of the Ring tournament was revived at the perfect time, though, and the SmackDown-exclusive tournament featured high-calibre talents with Booker T joined by Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, Matt Hardy, Chris Benoit, Finlay, Mark Henry and Bobby Lashley. 

Booker defeated Matt Hardy in the quarter-finals and received a bye to the finals due to an injury to Kurt Angle. Booker T then defeated Lashley in the final at Judgment Day, with a loss being a rare occurrence for Bobby in the early months of his WWE career. 

The king gimmick was absolutely perfect for Booker T and he embraced it wholeheartedly. Believing himself to actually be a king, Booker achieved instant success as he beat Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Title just two months after his coronation at Great American Bash. Booker also formed his King’s Court faction with Queen Sharmell, Sir William Regal and Sir Finlay, with Regal famous for shouting “All Hail King Booker!” as the former Harlem Heat man made his way to the ring with the big gold belt. 

Even after losing the World Heavyweight Title, Booker remained entertaining as a fallen king and remained a featured talent across WWE programming until he was granted his release in October 2007.  

3. Steve Austin - 1996

The 1996 King of the Ring tournament was filled with suitable choices to become king and the field came down to an eclectic final four of Marc Mero, Vader, Jake Roberts and Steve Austin. 

On the night, Stone Cold beat Mero in a great semi-final, but got injured in the process and needed a trip to the emergency room to get sewn up. Far from a negative situation, it actually played into Austin’s hands, as he got back just before his final with The Snake. 

Moments before walking to the ring, Michael Hayes informed the Texas Rattlesnake that Jake Roberts had cut a religious-themed promo on him beforehand. That was all Austin needed to hear, as after his routine victory to become king, he cut what is arguably the most iconic promo in wrestling history. 

The Austin 3:16 speech did more for his career than any match ever could and it couldn’t have happened without the unique circumstances of the King of the Ring pay-per-view.

The rest for Steve Austin is history as he went on to become one of the biggest performers ever to step inside a WWE ring. 

2. Randy Savage - 1987

Randy Savage’s case is a curious one, as he won the tournament in 1987 but didn’t fully adopt the gimmick of being ‘Macho King’ until two years later. 

Once again, the tournament was a special one-off house show, with Macho Man beating Nikolai Volkoff, Jim Brunzell, "Dangerous" Danny Davis and, finally, King Kong Bundy for the crown. 

Despite being the King of the Ring winner, the gimmick was hardly mentioned on WWE programming as Savage was in the midst of a babyface turn and was preoccupied with winning back the Intercontinental Title, which he failed to do against the Honky Tonk Man. He did become WWE Champion at WrestleMania IV, though, and went on to form the Mega Powers and later lose the belt to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania V. 

A few months on from the Mega Powers exploding, Savage found himself as king once again after he beat Jim Duggan in September 1989, with Savage capturing the crown due to Duggan’s previous win over King Haku, who had been made king by Bobby Heenan in the absence of Harley Race. 

This made Savage the Macho King, which was made official with an in-ring coronation hosted by The Genius, during which Ted DiBiase gifted Randy an expensive sceptre. 

Savage was perfect as the Macho King as he, along with Sensational Queen Sherri, looked and played the part as well as anyone, having a memorable feud with ‘commoners’ Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire. Savage remained the Macho King up until his retirement match loss to the Ultimate Warrior at  1991’s WrestleMania VII. 

1. Bret Hart - 1991 & 1993

The best king there is, best king there was and, probably, the best king there ever will be, Bret Hart is the only man to be named King of the Ring twice. 

Hart first won the tournament at a house show in 1991, becoming the final non-televised King of the Ring in the process. Hart was Intercontinental Champion at the time and won the tournament by defeating Peter Doherty, who was subbing for The Texas Tornado, Skinner, and Irwin R. Schyster. 

Two years later and at the very first King of the Ring pay-per-view, The Hitman proved just how good he was inside the squared circle as he took on and defeated Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow in three excellent and very different matches, putting over the tournament in its first true public showing in the process. 

The win came at an important time for Hart, having been an afterthought in the final moments of WrestleMania IX after he lost the WWE Title to Yokozuna, who promptly dropped the belt to Hulk Hogan.

The night established Hart as one of WWE’s top stars and set him on the path back to the WWE Title, which would find itself around his waist once again at WrestleMania X. 

Hart’s King of the Ring win also set up his multi-year feud with Jerry Lawler, who claimed to be the one true king of wrestling and blasted Bret with a sceptre as King of the Ring came to an end.