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WWE King of the Ring to Make a Return in June 2017?

News broke a few weeks back that, in lieu of the reemerging two-PPV-a-month format, that WWE’s yearly pay-per-view, Money in the Bank is going to be a Smackdown Live exclusive event for 2017, leaving the Raw roster supposedly with no similar opportunity. Yeah, Smackdown Live has been the land of opportunity, but doesn’t that give the Raw men’s roster a lack of promise? Luckily for them, there is an event that could be making a comeback as it usually does around the same time as the MITB Ladder Match: The King of the Ring.

History of the Event:

While the last incarnation of it may not have done anyone any justice (King Barrett? Could we at least push him a little then, too) the King of the Ring catapults stars into the main event scene whether they have been there before, or not. Bret and Owen Hart, Stone Cold, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Edge, Brock Lesnar, and Booker T, to name a few, all won the tournament before continuing or beginning their big main event pushes. In fact, starting with the 1993 King of the Ring there is a trend that proves that WWE may have the tournament up their sleeves for a reboot this year: a decade long period of the tournament took place in June. This is a trend that was only broken for the past four incarnations, but when WWE used it as a platform for a big push, it was almost always in June. Coincidentally there is also another catapult for main event status that month and it’s on the opposite brand: Money in the Bank, showing that WWE really could be gunning for the return of the event on Raw.

That’s cool, but who could win it?

This is where the article devolves into an even bigger fantasy booking escapade, because A) who knows if this is what WWE is planning (besides me, the omnipotent God himself) and B) there is another heavily rumored occurrence of the past that is said to be making a comeback: the WWE Draft. But following those rumors, it is safe to say that a couple of changes are set in stone. 1) The New Day getting traded to Smackdown 2) AJ Styles going to Raw. Besides those (which are only 90% accurate, anyways) who can really say who will win the King of the Ring in 2017? Either way, the point is that there will be a chance for stars of both brands to have a chance, regardless of whether it’s the briefcase or the King’s Crown. Here are the Big 3 of the speculative Raw Brand that could benefit most from a King of the Ring push based on 3 factors: Fan-power, character development, and proximity to the top of the card.

1. Big Brawnny Braun himself: Braun Strowman

Strowman’s in a little bit of a pickle wouldn’t you say? He’s been built up for months now as the monster who terrorizes Raw, only to be beaten by Roman Reigns in the seeming blow-off of their feud and now he is delegated to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Okay, that’s not bad, but okay. I get every title is full at the moment, and his most recent feud with Roman has been blown off since Roman already has a dancing partner for this Wrestlemania, but couldn’t we have given this beast someone to have a one-on-one match? It didn’t have to be for a title, just something more than an over-the-top-rope event. Either way, I see Strowman winning this event, and even (read: especially) if he doesn’t the King of the Ring would be a push that can lead him to challenge for a title down the line. Maybe Kevin Owens has the US Championship at this point, and the two of them can put on a show. Maybe Brock will lose the Universal Championship before next year’s Wrestlemania and Strowman is next up to face whomever holds it (please be Balor?). No matter what the outcome, Strowman has the possibility of winning a Battle Royal and a KOTR in one calendar year. The monster himself would be getting a monster push.

2. Sami Zayn

A lot of the issues Strowman has right now fit into Zayn’s card status as well. The major difference? Zayn hasn’t been given a main card push yet. Sami Zayn is a name that the higher-ups have fed to the likes of Strowman, Samoa Joe and vaguely Kevin Owens (even though I love their feud) up until this point. Zayn was a beast in ROH, he was a beast as the NXT champion, and he deserves more than not having a title or a meaningful feud. I get he’s caught in a weird time where two part-timers are feuding for the world title on his brand, and I get that there is a fantastic feud going on for the US Championship, but that is exactly why he deserves to win King of the Ring, so that he can be implanted into one of these championship pictures. And this is still applicable even If he gets traded to Smackdown Live. Give. Zayn. A push.

And finally, the most likely answer to all of our prayers: 3. Roman Reigns.

Dear Lord, I would like to just join hands and pray that this Sunday at Wrestlemania 33… I mean at Wrestlemania: the Ultimate Thrill-Ride that Roman Reigns either gets buried alive (no pun) by the Undertaker, or turned to the most delicious flavor of heel wrestler the WWE has ever seen. While both of those seem unlikely- and they are very, very, very unlikely-here comes the prayers people like me who have been praying for a heel turn come into play. Either Roman turns heel before winning King of the Ring, or he doesn’t. However, if Roman is still on the red brand when this tournament comes back around, there is no doubt Vince McMahon himself will throw him up to at least the finals, and it is obvious they won’t bury him there. From there WWE will get the biggest boo’s they’ve ever heard: it is up to them whether they are boo’s in the right direction, or from fan discretion.

Yes, it’s all speculative at this point but WWE would be wise to push their mid-carders a little bit heading into the summer. Do you all agree? Let me know by responding, or leaving a question in my ask box.

-PJM

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WWE Smackdown’s Core Four

The New Era. The name itself leaves a satisfying taste in the mouth of many a dedicated fan of the WWE. At a time when a tag-team making the rounds in NXT goes by the name “The Revival” it is interesting to note that there is a revival of mega proportions going on the main roster. The Second Brand Split (2016) has led to a polarizing riptide throughout the WWE. Raw, having to fill a three-hour time slot while being bogged down by authority figures, and Smackdown, having only two hours, is making the viewer want more by its perfect utilization of talent that are benefiting perfectly from the split. Each brand has taken on identities of their own, a thing that has not been seen this prominently since the early 2000’s- specifically the year 2002. In that year, a ragtag group of super performers, often used in the mid-card or underbellies of the promotion were given the ball and told to run with it on the Blue Brand. These six: Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Edge, Chris Benoit, Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio proved that yes they may have been in the low to mid-card before, but the “Smackdown Six” as they came to be known would all go on to hold World Title Gold (yeah, we’ll count ECW for the purposes of this investigation) in the company within that decade. A renaissance is brewing in the WWE for sure, and this time it is again on the Blue Brand. In light of the new name for the New Era of WWE let’s take a look at who makes up the Core Four of Smackdown.

Cena lays down Clean for the New Era

The Stepping Stones

Ambrose, Styles, and The Miz sat in the same WWE-boat before coming on to the Blue Brand. Their star powers seemed diminished if ever given to them in the first place. It was initially questioned if Styles was going to be pushed out of the gates and then relinquished to the midcard; Ambrose’s WWE Title Victory was seen as a reluctant push in order to give Smackdown a World Title, and to punish Roidy Roman; The Miz had one of the greatest IC Title Reigns in recent memory which restored glory to the belt that is the epitome of the workhorses of the WWE, yet was still questioned as if he should be given a world title. This all started back around Wrestlemania 32, when Styles was defeated by Chris Jericho. It was going to be the quickest end to an inaugural push in recent memory, and Styles was just going to have to accept it. It was around this time that Styles was a glorified front-man for the dwindling Club in a feud with Enzo and Big Cass...not even the Tag Champions at the time. Then WWE made the magic happen: WWE laid down their head Face to be pinned by Styles. The first of three pure classics Styles put on with Cena at Summerslam 2016 was the catalyst for all of the great things the Core Four of the Smackdown men’s division have accomplished in such a short time. From there, Styles proclaimed himself the “face that runs the place” (a little pun for the snide wrestling junkies watching at home) before winning the WWE Championship at Backlash 2016 over Dean Ambrose. Rather than burying Ambrose, there was another title supposedly down the card that he could fight for, although the man holding it was doing a great job of meeting Dean halfway for it. Since The Miz restored the power to the Intercontinental Championship, the feud between Dean Ambrose and The Miz seemed like an offshoot of the WWE Championship match, not like a consolation prize. Even since The Miz has lost the title and Dean Ambrose has held it there has been yet another recent shifting of the tides that harps on the same theme but with one forgotten key so far: the current WWE Champion Bray Wyatt.

The Champ is Here

See up until our point in the timeline, Wyatt is on a haphazard search for Gold, that he hasn’t yet tasted on the main roster of WWE, although the Wyatt Family has traversed the ups and downs of being over and losing a full head of steam. The newest incarnation of the family (Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt) won and lost gold while still managing to keep the heat high for their antics. There is also a huge  two-sided wrench in the plan for the Core Four, coming in the same night at the 2017 Royal Rumble. In the same night, Styles goes down to Cena, in their third incarnation of the same beautiful story that should really be told until the end of time (or until it loses steam-the former probably coming first) and Orton wins the Royal Rumble. Sure, two dozen-plus-time world champions winning gold and a number-one-contenders spot in the same night makes it seem ludicrous to argue that the Four could ever come back but it set up the biggest night of Bray’s career so far: Elimination Chamber 2017. It is here that Bray pinned not only John Cena clean, which we’ve already discussed as being a huge catalyst for every other member of the Core Four so far, but then he went on to pin Styles clean as well. It is in here that the Core Four has its power: in using former stars to build up the new faces that run the places, so that these new faces can also propel each other to new heights. John Cena laying down for the new kids on the block is the catalyst that has made the Blue Brand have a resurgence that has not been seen since the days of *insert one of the Smackdown Six* versus *another member of the Smackdown Six*(age staying out of this-AJ Styles is no newcomer to wrestling in the slightest, only WWE as it were). It seems ludicrous to even argue, but there were so many combinations in so many different ways (tag matches, ladder matches, singles matches for gold or not, etc.) that the Smackdown Live audience is starting to see again. These four are holding the brand down by facing stars of the past and stars of the future: The Miz versus John Cena (with their respective significant others in the mix, as well), Styles versus Shane (the honor of facing a McMahon is one only less than a dozen stars have had the honor of saying they have been given), Bray Wyatt versus 12-time world champion Randy Orton, and then Dean Ambrose defending the IC title against newcomer Baron Corbin.

Bray and Beyond

The core four are holding the brand down. They are giving it an identity. Most importantly: they are not stagnating and blocking the flow of new talent. They have given the Blue Brand the notion of being a brand where anyone has a chance. While the Smackdown Six had a different vibe than the Core Four, that is because everything the viewer is seeing is kept new, and fresh while not deterring too far from the styles (no pun) of wrestling. What was old is used to perpetuate what is the New Era. It is through this spinning door that gives the inevitable WWE Draft some weight to it, as some stars that are flopping elsewhere in the company (Sami Zayn, Cesaro, even Shinsuke Nakumara who desperately needs to be in the world title picture on a main brand) can be utilized to perfection on Smackdown Live. If WWE makes the right moves, the Core Four can quickly become a New Smackdown Six.