King of the Ring!

[$heriff Tom]

Word making the rounds is King of the Ring will return next week - one night only - 3 hour Raw. 8 man tourney. While I like tourneys with more names involved, this piques my interest. I like it.

I never could understand why the tourney formula is not used more on the freebie tv, especially if you are stacking with bigger names that people will tune in to see anyway.

More to come if this is confirmed or denied tonight. If its not happening for the 3 hour show, maybe we can just ruminate on past KOR tourneys in this thread instead!

[thecaptain15]

Hopefully whoever wins can be 1/2 as successful as King Bookah was!!!

[Ms. Jericho]

[glow=red,2,300]If someone else starts walking around with a scepter and a[/glow] [glow=red,2,300]crown and calling them self "King" whoever, I'ma get mad.


Unless it's Santino of course. [/glow]

[thecaptain15]

King Kennedy has a nice ring to it.....

[Ms. Jericho]

[glow=red,2,300]I believe you mean King Kennedy..........
........ Ken-ne-dy. [/glow]

[$heriff Tom]

Oh....I forgot about the downside of this rumored tourney...another person prancing around in King regalia. I have enjoyed many an incarnation of such, but I am not ready to see it again.

[MSBNYY]

All hail King Santino!!!!

[$heriff Tom]

Neither of the names mentioned here, Kennedy or Santino, need that addition to their character. In fact, it would ruin either character.

[Ms. Jericho]

[glow=red,2,300]NOBODY needs that addition to their character. Booker pulled it off. Don't want to see it happen again. [/glow]

[MSBNYY]

I don't think it would ruin anything--especially Santino. Giving him the KOTR could lead to some amazing comedy--especially now that his Maria feud is getting stale.

[Ms. Jericho]

I think it would work for Santino. Santino is comic genius.

[MSBNYY]

I don't think the plot is set up for a Santino run, but yeah, it would work well.

[thecaptain15]

He can call himself Il Dulche....

[cactusjames]

The Santino/Maria feud isn't stale.....it's done and over. Thus the low point for Santino getting beat by girls. He and Carlito just won the number one contendership for the Tag titles, no need for a King gimmick for him.

I like it, but I don't understand it. First off, like already said, what does this mean for whoever wins? One title shot? A robe, sceptor and crown thing? It's almost pointless as I've stated before in my mind cause of Money in the Bank.

Secondly, it's a three hour Raw, more than just Raw guys will be in it, but still doesn't it cheapen the King of the Ring image by being on free tv? I think it's a played out gimmick that is falling lower on the totem poll by being given away like this. I like the tourney idea on a Raw, but the entire KOTR gimmick is useless and bland now. I think if it's going to happen it should be on PPV to make it feel more important and for some explaination as to why all the rosters are on one show.

And thirdly, and most importantly in my mind is who wins it? do they still use it to boost a mid carder? If so who? Punk's got MITB, he's not winning. Kennedy, while getting some needed tv time is a plus, doesn't need a king gimmick to outshine his brash, obnoxious heel routine. MVP, yeah right. I could see maybe Matt Hardy, it'd be something for him if they aren't planning on putting the US title on him anytime soon.

If I were booking it, my pick would be Edge. I know, he makes less sense than MVP, but I think it'd be good for Edge to be able to claim to be the only guy to win two KOTR tourneys. And since Taker is given the run he should have had last year, it'd be an advantage to be able to boast about that untill he gets the belt back. If not him, give it to Elijah Burke or someone like that who needs a rub right now. Just not Kofi.

This looks good on paper but I could see this being a bust. The gimmick is dead.

[MSBNYY]

I can accept James' first statement. I also agree that I doubt he'll be winning KOTR, but wow he would be a fun king.

I doubt KOTR will have anything close to the meaning it once had. But it might mean a nice push for awhile. Yes, it does cheapen it. Done right, it needs weeks of buildup. But if I'm not mistaken, in recent years, KOTR only had the final four or so on the card, while the rest of it was a regular PPV.

Did they announce the 8 guys?

I was looking at wwe.com, and while they don't name them, there are pictures of Jericho, Umanga, HBK, CM Punk, Batista, Big Show, HHH and MVP.

If that's the list, MVP is probably the best choice. You have to figure there will be a bunch of cheap endings. HBK and Batista will somehow eliminate each other. Big Show will be a heavy favorite, until Kahli comes out and causes his elimination. This will be a good showcase for CM Punk.

[$heriff Tom]

I would not necessarily go by the pictures. During the ads for the KOR tourney they showed a bunch of different people.

I think its a good move to offer it on free TV. It will certainly boost the ratings - that is the whole point. It may also elevate a talent. Its also a change-up in the normal way of things. WWE puts on 52 weeks of original programming a year, 3 different "brands" - this is a fresh option for the TV offering. Last time the full-scale tourney option was used on TV was TWENTY YEARS AGO. This is a dandy move.

Dont look for Kennedy to be involved - he is off filming a C movie. Thats why you have not seen him on Raw recently. I also cant imagine people already at the top of the card or with main event programs already - ie - Taker and Edge and HHH, especially, being involved in this.

And I really, really doubt they are going to go all out on this and have yet another wrestler mimic Harley Race and King Booker, to name two. I think its a "title" this time around, and a way up the card. Lets not get ahead of ourselves, folks.

[$heriff Tom]

Ok, the names are IN!

And, ok, I was wrong. I think they are going about it the wrong way, as to that.

Here you go. Opine.

HHH, Batista, Michaels, Umaga, MVP, CM Punk, Big Show, Chris Jericho.

Hoping for old-times sake we get a HHH / HBK battle out of it (doubtful) - figuring we will see an Umaga / Jericho rematch from this past week, and an HBK / Batista battle to tease their match at the PPV which will see Jericho as ref.

Good for Punk and MVP, wading amongst the big fish. Thinking more on this, it could work out ok.

[MSBNYY]

So basically, the 8 names I mentioned.

I agree this will basically be used to elevate one guy and set up some feuds.

[$heriff Tom]

Balls, you are just an idiot. Cause the pics you saw were part of a story NAMING THE NAMES, and you somehow missed that part of it. I guess you were so busy staring at pictures of topless men to read the text that came with it.

[thecaptain15]

I could see MVP being a good King......

[$heriff Tom]

Again, from all accounts this is NOT about making another "King Character" but about elevating someone into the main events.

Most people on and around the wrestling stratosphere are going with Umaga to win this, which should thrill Balls to no end.

[MSBNYY]

There were no names named in the article when I read it. But thanks for confirming what I had already said about who is in the tournament.

Umanga is useless. The only thing about him that is even remotely good is Regal mispronouncing his name.

[thecaptain15]

Umaga might make a good king as well....

[cactusjames]

See now I'm weary on it. The faves are MVP and Umaga, dark horse Punk. WHY do they need a fucking tourney win, any of those guys? What good does it do for Punk since he has MITB? MVP is a top mid card act/future main eventer, and easily in the top 5 heels in the company, he needs this like he needs a dislocated shoulder. Umaga is a good pick due to process of elimination, but he still needs it like a hole in the head. Despite the unwarranted hate from Balls, he's one of the best big men in the company and in my opinion, in both the big feds.He doesn't need to be King to add anything to his character. Though it would be cool if they do present Umaga with all the King garb and he just goes bezerk and destroys it all so there's no King gimmick.

I just read and saw they took down the pic of the eight guys. Looks like they won't be in it, just a way to create an early buzz. Look for mid card acts to be in it. Good. Makes most of what I said irrelevant.

Seriously, everyone is going to say I'm biased, give it to HBK or HHH. Put them in the final and let's see another 4 star match. Shit, a no contest in the final would be fucking great.That'd set up a nice 6 man for the net week or SD where you have Cena(if he's not too busy trying to win an Oscar)teaming with DX to take in Batista, Orton and JBL. That's how I book it but we know Vince hates making sense so Punk or MVP wins and does damage to their character. This is beyond dumb.

[MSBNYY]

I don't think Punk will win, but I do think there's a chance he will be a finalist. MITB is huge obviously. It shows that they have good confidence in the guy. But most of his exposure to the world is on ECW, which I believe is their lowest rated show by far.

Not everyone watches every show. I don't watch ECW at all, I skim Smackdown, and I pay most of my attention to Raw. I think there are others in my boat. I could be wrong, but Raw is probably rating higher than Smackdown, which means by sheer audience, the most wrestling fans watch Raw.

A guy like me never sees CM Punk except on the rare situations when he appears on another show. I've heard of him, and have seen him a few times, but that's about it. So a KOTR win on Raw is actually a very good exposure for the guy.

I don't think Punk will win, but of the faces, he's the best choice.

I probably hate Umanga more than most, but he really doesn't need this at all--unless they feel his push has waned a bit and they want to re-establish him.

I don't see HBK having a prayer in this tournament. His role is simple--hype up the match with Batista. For that reason, I think both HBK and Batista will be involved in each other's failure to advance.

I think BECAUSE MVP is a top mid card act/future main eventer that giving him the KOTR would indeed be a decent move.

[cactusjames]

I gotta disagree on a few things. MVP has already had matches with Taker and Batista, if he drops the US Belt to Matt Hardy and he goes over to Raw cause of the draft or something like that, he's main event picture right away with Cena, HHH, Jericho, HBK etc. He's firmly established already, he doesn't need it. It's the most logical, but still pointless for him.

And the Punk thing is crazy talk. The rare times you have seen him, havn't his pops been huge? The reason for that is people know who he is. They do watch the other shows, but just going by people who are selective with the viewing, ECW appears on SD and vice versa, so people are familiar with him as long as they keep up. Punk is in the same boat as MVP, just Punk has a bad rep backstage so that's why they can give him the breifcase and sit on him for a while and not make him look bad. If he were in, you're right, he'd be a finalist. And the reason for that is to give the final a big match feel with big names in it. I mean he did win the ladder match at Mania so it's not like he's some big secret on ECW. I have no clue where you form that opinion from. If you don't watch ECW, how would you know how over he is or not?

And the good thing is, the pic on the website was a tease, it's down now so hopefully mid card guys like Morrison, Shelton, Burke, Noble, Yang etc will be in it instead.

[thecaptain15]

All Hail King Yang!!!!

[MSBNYY]

I agree that MVP could go to Raw right now and be on the high end of the card. There's a bit of a glass ceiling on Raw that may hold him back, but overall, he'd be one of the top guys.

You can be established and still win KOTR. Just look at how Booker dealt with it. Before he won KOTR, the guy was a 5 time, 5 time, 5 time, 5 time, 5 time WCW champ.

He was a well established WWE star as well, entertaining millions with his antics. But he won KOTR and rolled with it. He used it to reinvent himself, and move forward.

KOTR would be a good accolade for MVP, though not as impressive since it's not a PPV that was well hyped.

To answer your question about Punk, yes, his pops have been huge on the rare times I've seen him. It's enough to tell me there's something there with the guy. People know who he is, but that doesn't mean everyone watches him every week. And while the audience for ECW is smaller, it IS significant. It's not like being over on ECW is meaningless. KOTR though will only help. I don't expect him to win, but even a good showing is fine. I'd like to see him in the finals.

Before the monopoly, there were a good chunk of WCW wrestlers that I never watched, but knew about. Before his first WWF run, I heard of Ric Flair. I knew he was a top guy, but I rarely saw him wrestle except in a clip or two. The name and face recognition was there, but it's just different when you see the guy all the time.

I'm not saying it's that extreme with Punk. But he could benefit from a run on the other shows, especially Raw. And a KOTR win will only help him.

That's the bottom line--no one would be HURT by a KOTR run. The only real question is who you give it to.

I would give it to MVP.

[cactusjames]

It depends, I think someone doesn't even need to have the robe and shit, I think the wrong person could run it into the ground if they overuse the gimmick in promos. Edge would be perfect for it, MVP could do it so on and so forth. But still, even then it could just end up backfiring on whoever wins. I think it's going to be a very thin line for whoever wins it. They need to keep main event guys out of it as much as possible. Have MVP and Punk just for star power, have a mid carder win. Regardless, I'm interested in seeing what happens good or bad.

And seriously, Punk is so fucking over, he is known and known more than well. I don't know how this is even in question. He's had a following since before he got to WWE, he's the pro wrestling internet darling. So the smarks know him and the little kids and chicks fucking love him too, you talk about MVP and a glass ceiling, Punk can't do shit cause of the agents disliking him and more importantly HHH. His pops are always one of the biggest of the night and very few boo him live. If more people boo Cena than you, you're pretty fucking liked. That said, I totally agree, it's time for him to change brands and become main event. I thought that's what they were doing with Edge screwing him for the ECW title so maybe if Edge gets it back you'll see Punk switch to SD and challenge him.

[$heriff Tom]

Balls, Punk is one of the top merchandise sellers in the company. You treating him like some "great unknown" is totally shortselling him. Forget the ECW part of things, he is on Smackdown nearly weekly, and he is very well known around the fed. For Christs sake, he has even been on Raw a good amount, and has had some very high profile PPV matches.

I can not emphasize enough that this is not a way to get someone to walk around with a cape and scepter. This is not an attempt to bring back what got to be a tired gimmick after so long.

Can we talk about the TOURNAMENT aspect of this, and what winning will do for a guy, and forget about the cape and cowl part of it?? Balls, its not always about the cartoon.