On Monday’s episode of Raw, it was announced that the King of the Ring tournament is returning and will begin on next week’s program.
A 16-man tournament will air over the next several weeks consisting of talent from Raw and SmackDown.
On Raw, they have announced The Miz, Ricochet, Cedric Alexander, Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro.
SmackDown will feature Kevin Owens, Ali, Apollo Crews, Chad Gable, Elias, Andrade, Buddy Murphy, and Shelton Benjamin.
The King of the Ring was a concept that dates to 1985 and was a themed event for house shows until being added as a yearly pay-per-view in 1993. Winners included Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Edge, and Brock Lesnar along with less successful picks like Billy Gunn and Mabel. It was shelved after the 2002 pay-per-view and brought back for television in 2006, 2008, 2010 and last done for a WWE Network special in 2015 where Wade Barrett won the tournament.
