Reason Why Vince McMahon Stopped Yearly WWE King of the Ring Events

WWE has introduced a ton of memorable moments over the decades, and many stories are worth revisiting to this day. The legends around Vince McMahon are numerous, and many have been confirmed, so it’s natural to assume that he’s in the middle of most WWE tales.

WWE’s King of the Ring was a hallmark annual pay-per-view from 1993 until 2002, showcasing a tournament format that crowned a new “king” each year. However, in 2003, the event was abruptly transformed into WWE Bad Blood, and King of the Ring has not been a standalone pay-per-view since.

On a recent episode of his podcast, Something to Wrestle, Bruce Prichard shed light on why the event was phased out after a decade. According to Prichard, the primary reason for its discontinuation was Vince McMahon’s growing disinterest in the tournament concept.

“F*ck King of the Ring,” Prichard said in a McMahon impression. He went on to explain that during a discussion about the future of the event, McMahon expressed his disdain for the KOTR event.

“One day we’re sitting there, and Vince goes, ‘Why are you thinking King of the Ring? We do King of the Ring every year. It sucks!’ He wanted to move away from the tournament format. He was tired of it, and just like that, he decided, ‘We’re not doing King of the Ring anymore. Stop thinking that way. Get outside of the box and move forward. Let’s come up with something else.’ That was it.”

Despite the initial cancellation, the King of the Ring tournament made a return in 2006 as a WWE SmackDown exclusive, with Booker T emerging victorious at WWE Judgment Day 2006. He defeated Bobby Lashley and adopted the moniker King Booker for the remainder of his full-time WWE career. The tournament has since returned intermittently in various formats, but now it appears to be back as a yearly event.

Today, WWE King of the Ring is back and paired with Queen of the Ring in a combined show called WWE King and Queen of the Ring. Odds are, it will also stick around WWE’s yearly schedule.

The 2024 King & Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia included a big reward for the tournament winners. GUNTHER won his match and Nia Jax won her crown that night, and they both later cashed them in for SummerSlam title matches. They also both ended up winning at Cleveland Browns Stadium and still carry those titles. Perhaps Triple H figured out a better way to use the King of the Ring tournament, but Vince McMahon obviously lost interest.

What’s your take on King of the Ring? Do you think that the tournament is still a good idea, especially considering how Triple H used it this year? Let us know what you think in the comments section!