WWE could be bringing back a fan-favorite gimmick with the King of the Ring tournament as the company reportedly looks to shake up its premium live event schedule in 2023.
Many fans have advocated for WWE to bring back the tournament, whether as a standalone event or something that takes place on television.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that “there is talk of bringing back the King of the Ring tournament with a show that would be both King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring.”
Due to declining buy rates, Vince McMahon canceled the yearly pay-per-view event after the 2002 edition. Since then, the company has held several tournaments on television or network specials. Last year, WWE held the tournament finals as part of Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
If WWE wanted to make the tournament a standalone event, they wouldn’t have to worry about how it would draw since they have guaranteed money from Peacock for all premium live events.
Zelina Vega won the first ‘Queen’s Crown’ tournament in 2021, while Xavier Woods won last year’s King of the Ring tournament.