#NEWS: King Of The Ring Returns, Competitors Announced

On last night’s RAW, it was announced that the King Of The Ring tournament will return. And it begins at next Monday’s RAW which emanates from the Xcel Energy Arena in St Paul, MN.

The sixteen-man tournament begins next week and will continue over the next few weeks. It has been four years since the tournament was last held. The last superstar to hold the King Of The Ring title was Bad News Barrett.

The following WWE Superstars have been confirmed as entrants for this year’s King Of The Ring. Eight from RAW and eight from SmackDown Live –

RAW
Baron Corbin
Cesaro
Cedric Alexander
Drew McIntyre
Ricochet
Sami Zayn
Samoa Joe
The Miz

SmackDown Live
Ali
Andrade
Apollo Crews
Buddy Murphy
Chad Gable
Current WWE 24/7 Champion Elias
Kevin Owens
Shelton Benjamin

Blake’s Take: I have a soft spot for the King Of The Ring tournament. It was a Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect semi-final match from the 1993 KOTR tournament that finally made my father a fan. And obviously, there’s the seminal 1996 tournament that gave birth to Stone Cold Steve Austin. How different would the wrestling landscape have been without THAT Austin 3:16 moment. Whichever way you look at it, it’s a great thing that it’s back on our screens. And that list of competitors has some star power in it for sure. My picks? Ricochet, Andrade or Owens. Let’s hope for more KOTR moments this year!