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List of WWE tournaments

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 2600:1014:b1bb:5d15:0:16:f758:db01 (talk) at 02:51, 4 April 2021 (→WWE Championship Tournament (2011)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

WWE has held a variety of different professional wrestling tournaments competed for by professional wrestlers that are part of their roster.

Sporadic tournaments

The Wrestling Classic

Main article: The Wrestling Classic

The Wrestling Classic, also known as Wrestlevision, was a pay-per-view event that took place on November 7, 1985, from the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois. It revolved around a 16-man single-elimination tournament, and also featured a WWF World Heavyweight Championship match. Junkyard Dog won the tournament after defeating Randy "Macho Man" Savage.

Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament

Main article: Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament

Frank Tunney Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament

The Frank Tunney Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament was a tournament held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 15, 1987.[1][2]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
The Killer Bees
(B. Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell) 		Pin
Kamala and Sika 07:32
The Killer Bees Pin
King Kong Bundy and Paul Orndorff 04:22
King Kong Bundy and Paul Orndorff Pin
Bob Orton and The Magnificent Muraco 06:20
The Killer Bees Pin
Demolition 06:16
The Can-Am Connection
(Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) 		Pin
Danny Spivey and Jerry Allen 10:31
The Can-Am Connection CO
Demolition 09:21
Demolition
(Ax and Smash) 		DQ
The British Bulldogs
(Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) 		04:50

WWF World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1988)

Main article: WrestleMania IV § Tournament bracket

The main event at WrestleMania IV was a 14-man tournament for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship where "Macho Man" Randy Savage defeated "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase to win the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship title.[3]

WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1990)

The WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide a new WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion after previous champion Ultimate Warrior was required to vacate the title after he defeated Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania VI.[4][5]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Tito Santana CO
Akeem
Tito Santana
BYE
Brutus Beefcake DCO
Dino Bravo
Tito Santana
Mr. Perfect Pin
Mr. Perfect Pin
Jimmy Snuka
Mr. Perfect
BYE
Roddy Piper DDQ
Rick Martel

WWF Women's Championship Tournament (1993)

The WWF Women's Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide the new WWF Women's Champion after the title was reinstated after three years of inactivity.[6][7][8]

Template:6TeamBracket2

WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament (1995)

Main article: Royal Rumble (1995) § Tournament bracket

The WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide new WWF Tag Team Champions after former champions Diesel and Shawn Michaels vacated the titles due to the two not being able to function as a tag team,[9] which was won by The 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly.[9]

WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament (1996)

Main article: WrestleMania XII § WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament

The WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide new WWF Tag Team Champions after former champions The Smokin' Gunns had to vacate the titles due to Billy Gunn suffering a neck injury,[10] the tournament was won by The Bodydonnas (Skip and Zip).[10]

Kuwait Cup Tournament (1996)

The Kuwait Cup was a tournament held throughout a 1996 house show tour in Kuwait.[11]

First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
        
Bret Hart 11:26
Leif Cassidy pin
Bret Hart 15:02
Owen Hart Pin
Yokozuna 10:33
Owen Hart CO
Owen Hart 14:20
Ahmed Johnson pin
Marty Jannetty SUB
Stone Cold Steve Austin 6:04
Stone Cold Steve Austin 12:52
Ahmed Johnson pin
Ahmed Johnson pin
Aldo Montoya 7:12
Ahmed Johnson pin
Hunter Hearst Helmsley 20:03
The Undertaker 10:02
Isaac Yankem, D.D.S. pin
The Undertaker pin
British Bulldog 8:26
Duke Droese 5:16
The British Bulldog pin
The Undertaker DQ
Hunter Hearst Helmsley 8:30
Savio Vega pin
Bob Backlund 5:17
Savio Vega 7:49
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pin
Butch 11:56
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pin

WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament (1996)

The WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide a new WWF Intercontinental Champion after previous champion Ahmed Johnson forfeited the title. He suffered (kayfabe) injuries to both kidneys when he was attacked by the debuting Faarooq after winning an 11-man battle royal.[5][12]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Owen Hart CO
The British Bulldog 8/19
Owen Hart 9/16
Marc Mero Pin
Marc Mero DQ
Stone Cold Steve Austin 8/19
Marc Mero Pin
Faarooq 9/23
Sycho Sid 8/19
Hunter Hearst Helmsley Pin
Sycho Sid 9/16
Faarooq DQ
Faarooq Pin
Savio Vega 8/19

Middle East Cup Tournament

The Middle East Cup was a tournament that took place in Dubai on December 2, 1996.[13][11]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Bret Hart PIN
The British Bulldog
Bret Hart
BYE
Vader DCO
Faarooq
Bret Hart PIN
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Owen Hart
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin DQ
The Undertaker
The Undertaker
Mankind

WWF European Championship Tournament

Main article: WWE European Championship § Inaugural tournament

The WWF European Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the first-ever WWF European Champion.[5]

Kuwait Cup Tournament (1997)

The Kuwait Cup was a tournament held throughout a 1997 house show tour in Kuwait.[11] During the tour, Vader and The Undertaker appeared on Good Morning Kuwait where Vader attacked the host of the show when he asked about the legitimacy of professional wrestling; Vader was fined $164 by Kuwaiti authorities for the incident as well as being held in custody for several days.[14][15][dead link]

First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
        
Tiger Ali Singh pin
Leif Cassidy 6:47
Tiger Ali Singh PIN
Billy Gunn 11:04
Billy Gunn pin
Bob Holly 5:06
Tiger Ali Singh PIN
Mankind 9:08
Fake Diesel pin
The British Bulldog 10:53
Davey Boy Smith DQ
Mankind 12:26
Phineas I. Godwinn sub
Mankind 8:43
Tiger Ali Singh PIN
Owen Hart 13:48
Vader pin
Bart Gunn 4:40
Vader PIN
Freddie Joe Floyd 3:02
Sycho Sid forfeit
Freddie Joe Floyd
Vader Forfeit
Owen Hart
Stone Cold Steve Austin CO
Bret Hart 15:58
Stone Cold Steve Austin 14:30
Owen Hart PIN
Henry O. Godwinn SUB
Owen Hart 7:52

WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament (1997)

The WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide new WWF Tag Team Champions, which was won by Owen Hart and The British Bulldog, with the winner facing Stone Cold Steve Austin and a partner of his choosing, which was revealed to be Dude Love.

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Faarooq and D'Lo Brown Pin
Vader and The Undertaker
Farooq and D'Lo Brown Pin
The Legion of Doom
The Godwinns
The Legion of Doom Pin
Farooq and D'Lo Brown
Owen Hart and the British Bulldog Pin
New Blackjacks
Owen Hart and the British Bulldog Pin
Owen Hart and the British Bulldog
The Headbangers Pin
Jerry Lawler and Rob Van Dam
The Headbangers Pin

WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament (1997)

Main article: Badd Blood: In Your House § WWF Intercontinental Championship tournament

The tournament to determine the new WWF Intercontinental Champion was held between September 8 and October 5, 1997, with the finals occurring at Badd Blood: In Your House. The title was vacated due to a neck injury that champion Stone Cold Steve Austin suffered when he won the championship.

WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament

Main article: D-Generation X: In Your House § WWF Light Heavyweight Championship tournament

The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was first introduced in Mexico for the Universal Wrestling Association. It eventually migrated to Japan as well, though it was not considered to be an official WWF title until after 1997, when a tournament was held in the United States to crown a champion. Before the tournament, the title was a part of the J-Crown. The tournament ended on December 7, 1997 at D-Generation X: In Your House where Taka Michinoku defeated Brian Christopher to become the first Light Heavyweight Champion recognized by the WWF.

Brawl for All

Main article: WWF Brawl for All

The WWF Brawl for All was a shoot fighting tournament held in the World Wrestling Federation that lasted from June 29, 1998 to August 24, 1998.

WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament (1998)

The WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide a new WWF Intercontinental Champion after previous champion Triple H vacated the title due to injury.[5][16]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Ken Shamrock Sub
Steve Blackman
Ken Shamrock Sub
Val Venis
Val Venis Pin
Marc Mero
Ken Shamrock Sub
X-Pac
X-Pac Pin
Jeff Jarrett
X-Pac Pin
Mankind
Mankind Sub
Mark Henry

Deadly Games WWF Championship Tournament

Main article: Survivor Series (1998) § Tournament brackets

The Deadly Games WWF Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide a new WWF Champion after the title was vacated at the previous pay-per-view after Kane and The Undertaker pinned then-champion Stone Cold Steve Austin during a Triple Threat title match.

Undisputed WWF Championship Tournament (2001)

Main article: Vengeance (2001) § Tournament brackets

The Undisputed WWF Championship Tournament was a four-man tournament held at Vengeance on December 9, 2001. The tournament was created to unify the WWF and World Championships.

Undisputed WWF Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2002)

Main article: No Way Out (2002) § Storylines

The Undisputed WWF Championship #1 Contendership Tournament was a tournament to face Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship at No Way Out.[17]

WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament

Main article: No Mercy (2002) § Tournament bracket

The WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament held to crown the inaugural WWE Tag Team Champions, for the SmackDown brand. The finals concluded at No Mercy (2002) and were won by Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle.[18]

WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2003)

Main article: Backlash (2003) § Tournament bracket

This was a tournament to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. The winner faced champion Brock Lesnar at Backlash.[19]

WWE United States Championship Tournament (2003)

Main article: Vengeance (2003) § Tournament bracket

The WWE United States Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide the inaugural WWE United States Champion as then-Smackdown General Manager Stephanie McMahon revived the title after two years of inactivity.[20]

The tournament was held between June 19 and July 27, 2003 at Vengeance.

WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (February 2005)

Main article: WrestleMania 21 § WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament

The tournament to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 21 was held between February 1 and February 20, 2005. At WrestleMania 21, John Cena defeated John "Bradshaw" Layfield to become the new champion.

WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (April 2005)

Main article: Judgment Day (2005) § #1 contender tournament bracket

The WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament was a tournament where the winner faced champion John Cena at Judgment Day.[21]

Gold Rush Tournament (2005)

The Gold Rush Tournament was a tournament to determine the new #1 contender for World Heavyweight Champion Batista. Edge won the tournament but lost to Batista on the May 23 episode of Raw.

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Kane 5/2
Christian Pin
4:22
Kane 5/9
Chris Benoit Pin
9:18
Chris Benoit 5/2
Triple H Sub
13:34
Kane 5/16
Edge Pin
12:23
Edge 5/2
Chris Jericho Pin
8:10
Edge 5/9
Shawn Michaels Pin
9:52
Shawn Michaels 5/2
Shelton Benjamin Pin
14:50

Road to WrestleMania Tournament

The Road to WrestleMania Tournament was a tournament to crown a #1 contender for John Cena's WWE Championship at WrestleMania 22.

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Triple H Pin
Ric Flair 2/6
Triple H DCO
Big Show 2/13
Big Show Pin
Shelton Benjamin 2/6
Triple H Pin
Big Show
Rob Van Dam 		2/20
Rob Van Dam Pin
Carlito 2/6
Rob Van Dam Pin
Chris Masters 2/13
Kane 2/6
Chris Masters

WWE Women's Championship Tournament (2006)

Main article: Cyber Sunday (2006) § WWE Women's Championship Tournament

The WWE Women's Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown a new WWE Women's Champion after champion Trish Stratus retired from her wrestling career.[7][22] The first round started on September 25, 2006 and ended at Cyber Sunday when Lita, who Stratus defeated in her retirement match, defeated Mickie James.

ECW World Championship Tournament

Main article: Vengeance: Night of Champions § Tournament brackets

The ECW World Championship Tournament was a tournament created to determine a new ECW World Champion after Bobby Lashley vacated his championship due to being drafted to Raw on June 11, 2007. The finals took place at Vengeance: Night of Champions. This tournament is notable because one of the semi final rounds was Chris Benoits final match. The tournament final was supposed to be Benoit vs CM Punk but Benoit no showed the event and was replaced by Johnny Nitro, who would go on to win the title. It was reported the day after the event that Benoit, his wife Nancy and their son Daniel were found dead in their home in suburban Atlanta. The day after police ruled that Benoit himself had killed his wife and son before committing suicide. This event has gone on to be known as the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide.[23]

Championship Competition Tournament

The Championship Competition Tournament was a tournament held on SmackDown! in 2007 to determine the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven.[24]

Semifinals Final
      
Rey Mysterio DQ
Batista 05:57
Rey Mysterio Pin
Finlay 08:33
Finlay Pin
Kane 07:21

Championship Chase Tournament

The Championship Chase Tournament was a tournament held on the May 9, 2008 episode of SmackDown to determine The Undertaker's opponent for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship at Judgment Day.[25]

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes
1Big Show defeated Tommy DreamerQualifying match01:35
2Finlay and Montel Vontavious Porter wrestled to a double-pinQualifying match14:46
3Matt Hardy defeated CM PunkQualifying match04:46
4Kane defeated Chavo GuerreroQualifying match05:56
5Batista defeated John MorrisonQualifying match06:34
6Edge defeated Big Show, Finlay, Montel Vontavious Porter, Matt Hardy, Kane and BatistaBattle royal to determine the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship15:59

WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2008)

Main article: Armageddon (2008) § Tournament brackets

A tournament was announced to crown a new #1 contender for William Regal's WWE Intercontinental Championship. CM Punk won the tournament by defeating Rey Mysterio in the tournament final at Armageddon.[26]

Race To The Rumble Tournament

The Race To The Rumble Tournament was a tournament held in 2008 to determine a #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2009 Royal Rumble.[27]

Quarterfinals Qualifiers Final (Fatal 4-Way)
         
Shawn Michaels 12/22
Kane Pin
Shawn Michaels
Randy Orton
Randy Orton 12/22
Batista Forfeit
John "Bradshaw" Layfield 12/29
Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho Pin
John "Bradshaw" Layfield 12/22
Rey Mysterio DQ
John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho 12/22
CM Punk Pin

ECW Homecoming Tournament

The ECW Homecoming Tournament was a tournament held in 2009 to crown a #1 contender for the ECW Championship at the 2010 Royal Rumble.[28]

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes
1Kane defeated Zack RyderQualifying match03:47
2Ezekiel Jackson defeated Vladimir KozlovQualifying match01:35
3Yoshi Tatsu defeated Jack SwaggerQualifying match14:46
4Vance Archer defeated GoldustQualifying match02:51
5Matt Hardy defeated FinlayQualifying match05:14
6Evan Bourne defeated Mike KnoxQualifying match03:43
7Shelton Benjamin defeated Chavo GuerreroQualifying match04:46
8CM Punk defeated Mark HenryQualifying match10:37
9Ezekiel Jackson defeated Kane, Yoshi Tatsu, Vance Archer, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin and CM PunkFinal match13:53

WWE Divas Championship Tournament

Main article: WWE Divas Championship § WWE Divas Championship Tournament (2010)

A tournament was announced to crown a new WWE Divas Champion after former champion Melina was stripped of the title due to injury. The first round started on January 4, 2010.[29]

The final tournament was originally scheduled at Elimination Chamber, but when official consultant to the SmackDown General Manager, Vickie Guerrero interrupted, she was changing the match to an interbrand Divas tag team match, facing LayCool (Michelle McCool and Layla) from SmackDown. The final was held at the following night of Raw.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament (2010)

The WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown a new Intercontinental Champion. On May 7, 2010, after failed attempts of getting Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre to stop attacking Matt Hardy, Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long fired McIntyre and vacated the title. The following week, Kofi Kingston won a tournament to become the new champion, but Mr. McMahon reverted Long's decision. Due to the decision by Mr. McMahon, the vacancy of the title and Kingston's championship win are not recognized as WWE continued to recognize McIntyre as champion during that period.[30] At Over the Limit, Kingston defeated McIntyre to win his second official Intercontinental Championship.

Quarterfinals Semifinals
      
1 Kofi Kingston Pin
4 Dolph Ziggler 11:15
Kofi Kingston Pin
Christian 8:43
3 Christian Pin
2 Cody Rhodes 12:15 Final
 
 

WWE Championship Tournament (2011)

On the July 18, 2011, edition of WWE Raw, the WWE Championship was vacated, after champion CM Punk left WWE. The title was put up in a tournament featuring the top eight wrestlers. The finals of the tournament would take place on the July 25 episode of Raw, which was won by Rey Mysterio.[31] In a controversial move, Rey Mysterio defended the championship less than two hours later in a losing effort against John Cena, thus negating the purpose of the tournament.

Quarterfinals
(TV – July 18, 2011, Raw SuperShow) 		Semifinals
(TV – July 18, 2011, Raw SuperShow) 		Final
(TV – July 25, 2011, Raw Supershow)
         
Rey Mysterio Pin
Dolph Ziggler 08:00
Rey Mysterio Pin
R-Truth 09:52
Jack Swagger 05:47
R-Truth Pin
Rey Mysterio Pin
The Miz 13:10
Kofi Kingston Pin
Alberto Del Rio 04:24
Kofi Kingston 12:47
The Miz Pin
Alex Riley 04:58
The Miz Pin

Gold Rush Tournament (2012)

Main article: NXT Championship § Inaugural tournament

On the August 1, 2012 edition of NXT, NXT Commissioner Dusty Rhodes announced a "Gold Rush" tournament, featuring 4 developmental roster NXT Superstars and 4 main roster WWE Superstars to determine the inaugural NXT Champion in a knockout system format. The first NXT Champion was crowned on July 26, 2012, with Seth Rollins defeating Jinder Mahal in the tournament finals.[32]

WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2012)

Main article: Hell in a Cell (2012) § WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders tournament

The WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament was a #1 contender's tag team tournament, where the winning team faced Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) for the WWE Tag Team Championship.

NXT Tag Team Championship Tournament

Main article: NXT Tag Team Championship § Inaugural tournament

The NXT Tag Team Championship was introduced on the January 23, 2013 edition of NXT where it was announced by special guest Shawn Michaels that there would be a tournament to crown the first new champions.[33]

Royal Rumble Entry Tournament

The Royal Rumble Entry Tournament was a tournament on NXT where the winner entered the 2013 Royal Rumble Match.[34]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Leo Kruger Pin
Xavier Woods
Leo Kruger Pin
Adrian Neville
Adrian Neville Pin
Corey Graves
Leo Kruger
Bo Dallas Pin
Oliver Grey
Conor O'Brian Pin
Conor O'Brian
Bo Dallas Pin
Luke Harper
Bo Dallas Pin

NXT Women's Championship Tournament (2013)

Main article: NXT Women's Championship § Inaugural championship tournament (2013)

The championship was first introduced on April 5, 2013 at WrestleMania Axxess. It was announced at the May 30, 2013 tapings (broadcast on the June 5 episode) of WWE NXT (TV series), by Stephanie McMahon that there would be a tournament, featuring four developmental female talents and four female talents from the main roster competing to be crowned as the inaugural NXT Women's Champion in a knockout system format. The first NXT Women's Champion was crowned on June 20, 2013, with Paige defeating Emma in the tournament finals.[35]

WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2014)

Main article: Extreme Rules (2014) § Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's tournament

In April 2014, the WWE held the Intercontinental Championship Tournament to determine the #1 contenders to face Big E for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules 2014. Bad News Barrett defeated Rob Van Dam in the final and defeated Big E to win the title.[36]

NXT Women's Championship Tournament (2014)

Main article: NXT Women%27s Championship § Second championship tournament (2014)

On April 24, 2014, Paige was stripped of the NXT Women's Championship, by NXT's commissioner John Bradshaw Layfield, because she could not defend both the NXT Women's and WWE Divas Championship, ending her reign at 308 days. Right after, during the tapings for the May shows, a tournament was announced to take place to determine the next champion. Charlotte defeated Natalya at NXT TakeOver on May 29, 2014 to become the new champion.[37]

NXT Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Tournament

The championship tournament started on August 7, 2014 and there would be new #1 contenders for the titles. The tournament final was held on September 4, 2014. The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) won the tournament and defeated The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way on September 11, 2014 to win the titles.[38]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
The Lucha Dragons
(Kalisto and Sin Cara) 		8/14
Blake and Murphy Pin
2:45
The Lucha Dragons 8/21
Sami Zayn and Adam Rose Pin
8:00
Sami Zayn and Adam Rose 8/7
Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel Pin
9:15
The Lucha Dragons 9/4
Vaudevillains Pin
5:20
The Vaudevillains
(Aiden English and Simon Gotch) 		8/14
Bull Dempsey and Mojo Rawley Pin
3:05
Vaudevillains 8/21
Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady Pin
1:45
Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady 8/7
Tye Dillinger and Jason Jordan Pin
5:15

NXT Championship #1 Contender's Tournament

Main article: NXT TakeOver: Rival § NXT Championship #1 Contender's Tournament bracket

The NXT Championship Tournament started on January 21, 2015 and there would be a new #1 Contender's for the title. The tournament final was held on February 11, 2015 at NXT TakeOver: Rival. Finn Bálor went on to win the tournament defeated Adrian Neville in the final.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Qualifying Tournament

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Qualifying Tournament was a tournament at WrestleMania Axxess for a spot in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.[39]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Tyler Breeze Pin
Bull Dempsey
Tyler Breeze Pin
Finn Bálor
Finn Bálor Pin
Baron Corbin
Finn Bálor Pin
Hideo Itami
Hideo Itami Pin
Jason Jordan
Hideo Itami Pin
Adrian Neville
Adrian Neville Pin
Kalisto

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2015)

Main article: Survivor Series (2015) § WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament bracket

On November 5, 2015, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was vacated, after champion Seth Rollins suffered a knee injury.

Immediately after the final match, Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and pinned Reigns. Therefore, Reigns' championship reign lasted only five minutes and fifteen seconds (later used to antagonize Reigns).

WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2016)

Main article: Payback (2016) § Tag Team Tournament bracket

This tournament was to determine the new #1 Contenders to The New Day's WWE Tag Team Championships.

The final match ended in a no contest after Enzo Amore suffered a legitimate concussion. Not far into the match, Amore was thrown into the ropes by Simon Gotch. Amore attempted to slide under the ropes, but instead hit his head on the middle rope and the mat, before falling on the floor, appearing to be unconscious. With the ending of the match, the Vaudevillains were given a WWE Tag Team Championship match, but they were defeated by The New Day.

Cruiserweight Classic

Main article: Cruiserweight Classic

The Cruiserweight Classic[40] saw thirty-two of the world's best cruiserweights battle it out to be crowned WWE's first WWE Cruiserweight Classic winner. The tournament was filmed at Full Sail University, Florida from June 20–24, and was broadcast on the WWE Network from July 13. It ran for ten episodes, with the finale being broadcast on September 14.

WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament (2016)

Main article: Backlash (2016) § SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament bracket

Following the reintroduction of the WWE brand extension and subsequent draft on July 19, 2016, WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day were drafted to Raw, leaving SmackDown without a tag team championship. Over the course of the following month, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan stated that he wanted to build up the tag team division before introducing a championship. Immediately following SummerSlam on the August 23, 2016 episode of SmackDown Live, Bryan and SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon unveiled the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship and announced a tournament, which will culminate in a tag team match at Backlash to determine the inaugural champions.[41][42][43] The tournament and the titles were won by Heath Slater and Rhyno after they defeated The Usos at Backlash.

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017)

Main article: United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017)

The United Kingdom Championship Tournament was a professional wrestling tournament produced by WWE, that aired exclusively on the WWE Network. The first round took place on January 14, 2017, while the finals occurred on January 15, 2017. The tournament was held at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, England and crowned the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion.[44]

WWE United States Championship Tournament (2017–18)

At Clash of Champions 2017, Dolph Ziggler won the United States Championship by defeating defending champion Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode in a triple threat match.[45] On the following episode of SmackDown Live, after recapping all of his previous accolades, Ziggler said that the WWE Universe did not deserve him and he dropped the title in the ring and left.[46] After unsuccessful attempts at contacting Ziggler, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan declared the title vacant and announced a tournament to crown a new champion.[47] The final was originally scheduled to occur at the 2018 Royal Rumble, but was moved up to the January 23 episode of SmackDown Live. However, on the January 16 episode, after Jinder Mahal and Bobby Roode won their respective semifinals matches, Roode challenged Mahal to have the final that night and Bryan scheduled it for that episode's main event.[48]

First round
SmackDown Live
(12/26/17,[47] 1/2/18,[49] 1/9/18[50]) 		Semifinals
SmackDown Live
(1/16/18[48]) 		Final
SmackDown Live
(1/16/18[48])
         
Bobby Roode Pin
Baron Corbin 10:44
Bobby Roode Pin
Mojo Rawley 3:05
Zack Ryder 4:34
Mojo Rawley Pin
Bobby Roode Pin
Jinder Mahal 5:32
Tye Dillinger 8:41
Jinder Mahal Pin
Jinder Mahal Pin
Xavier Woods 3:05
Xavier Woods Pin
Aiden English 5:25

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament

Main article: WrestleMania 34 § WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament

At the 2018 Royal Rumble, Enzo Amore was scheduled to defend the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Cedric Alexander.[51] However, after Amore was suspended from WWE on January 22 due to allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault, the match was cancelled. The following day, Amore was released and the title was vacated.[52][53] It was then announced that a general manager would be appointed for 205 Live and would address the championship; 205 Live was previously controlled by the Raw General Manager, as 205 Live is part of the Raw brand. On the January 30 episode of 205 Live, Drake Maverick (formerly known as Rockstar Spud in Impact Wrestling) was appointed as the 205 Live General Manager. Maverick announced that there would be a 16-man single elimination tournament to crown a new WWE Cruiserweight Champion, with the finals to occur during the pre-show for WrestleMania 34.[54]

WWE United Kingdom Championship Invitational

As part of WrestleMania Axxess, the winner of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Invitational received a championship match against WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne on the morning of April 8, 2018.[55]

First Round
April 5/April 6 		Semifinals
April 7 		Final
April 7
         
Lio Rush Win
Buddy Murphy 4/6
Lio Rush Win
Lince Dorado
Lince Dorado Win
Raul Mendoza 4/7
Lio Rush Win
Drew Gulak
Dan Matha 4/6
Drew Gulak Win
Drew Gulak Win
Mark Andrews
Mark Andrews Win
Zack Gibson 4/7

NXT North American Championship Invitational

As part of WrestleMania Axxess, the winner of the NXT North American Championship Invitational received an NXT North American Championship match on the morning of April 8, 2018. The defending champion, Adam Cole, was determined the night before at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.[55]

First Round
April 5/April 6 		Semifinals
April 7 		Final
April 7
         
Fabian Aichner Win
Jason Kincaid 4/6
Fabian Aichner
Akira Tozawa Win
Akira Tozawa Win
Kona Reeves 4/6
Akira Tozawa Win
Chris Dijak
Chris Dijak Win
Ariya Daivari 4/7
Chris Dijak Win
Hideo Itami
Hideo Itami Win
Wolfgang 4/7

NXT Tag Team Championship Invitational

As part of WrestleMania Axxess, the winner of the NXT Tag Team Championship Invitational received an NXT Tag Team Championship match on the morning of April 8, 2018. The defending champions, The Undisputed Era, were determined the night before at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.[55]

First Round
April 5/April 6 		Semifinals
April 7 		Final
April 7
         
Moustache Mountain
(Trent Seven and Tyler Bate) 		Win
Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss 4/6
Moustache Mountain Win
The Street Profits
The Street Profits
(Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) 		Win
Cezar Bononi and Adrian Jaoude 4/6
Moustache Mountain Win
TM61
Sanity
(Alexander Wolfe and Eric Young) 		4/7
The Forgotten Sons
(Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler) 		Win
The Forgotten Sons
TM61 Win
TM61
(Nick Miller and Shane Thorne) 		Win
Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch 4/7

NXT Women's Championship Invitational

As part of WrestleMania Axxess, the winner of the NXT Women's Championship Invitational received an NXT Women's Championship match on the morning of April 8, 2018. The defending champion, Shayna Baszler, was determined the night before at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.[55]

First Round
April 6/April 7 		Semifinals
April 7 		Final
April 7
         
Nikki Cross Win
Aliyah 4/6
Nikki Cross
Dakota Kai Win
Dakota Kai Win
Lacey Evans 4/7
Dakota Kai Win
Peyton Royce
Kairi Sane Win
Bianca Belair 4/6
Kairi Sane
Peyton Royce Win
Peyton Royce Win
Candice LeRae 4/7

Tag Team Eliminator

Main article: WWE Greatest Royal Rumble § Tag Team Eliminator bracket

At WrestleMania 34, Cesaro and Sheamus defended the Raw Tag Team Championship against Braun Strowman and a partner of his choosing. At the event, Strowman picked 10-year old Nicholas from the live audience, and the two won the titles. The following night on Raw, Strowman and Nicholas relinquished the titles due to Nicholas' schedule as a fourth grader. Cesaro and Sheamus wanted their titles back and Raw General Manager Kurt Angle decided that they could regain them in a match at Greatest Royal Rumble and their opponents would be determined by a four-team tournament, which he called the Tag Team Eliminator.[56]

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2018)

Main article: United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2018)

WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament (2018)

Main article: SummerSlam (2018) § SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament

NXT UK Women's Championship Tournament

Main article: NXT UK Women's Championship § Inaugural tournament

WWE World Cup

Main article: Crown Jewel (2018) § WWE World Cup

The WWE World Cup was a tournament that took place on November 2, 2018 at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. Four participants came from Raw and four participants came from SmackDown.[57] In the tournament finals, Shane McMahon defeated Dolph Ziggler to be crowned "Best In The World".[58]

NXT UK Tag Team Championship Tournament

Main article: NXT UK Tag Team Championship § Inaugural tournament

WWE Worlds Collide Tournament

Main article: Worlds Collide (2019)

WWE Cruiserweight Championship #1 Contender Tournament

Main article: WrestleMania 35 § WWE Cruiserweight Championship #1 Contender Tournament

This tournament is to determine the #1 Contender for Buddy Murphy's WWE Cruiserweight Championship. On the February 19 episode of 205 Live, General Manager Drake Maverick scheduled an eight-man single elimination tournament with the winner facing Buddy Murphy for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania 35.

NXT Breakout Tournament

The NXT Breakout Tournament is a tournament composed of eight members of the WWE Performance Center who are making their NXT TV debuts. The winner of the tournament will receive a title match of their choice.[59]

First round
NXT
Taped 6/12/19[60]
Air dates 6/26/19, 7/3/19, 7/10/19, and 7/17/19 		Semifinals
NXT
Taped 6/13/19[61]
Air dates 7/24/19 and 7/31/19 		Final
NXT
Taped 8/10/19[62]
Air date 8/14/19
         
Dexter Lumis 7/17
Bronson Reed Pin
Bronson Reed 7/31
Cameron Grimes Pin
Isaiah "Swerve" Scott 7/3
Cameron Grimes Pin
Cameron Grimes 8/14
Jordan Myles Pin
Angel Garza Pin
Joaquin Wilde 6/26
Angel Garza 7/24
Jordan Myles Pin
Jordan Myles Pin
Boa 7/10

Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament

Main article: NXT Cruiserweight Championship § Interim championship tournament (2020)

A round-robin tournament began on April 15, 2020, to determine the interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion after Jordan Devlin was deemed unable to defend the title due to COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions. Eight wrestlers were split into two groups of four, where each wrestler competed against the other three members of their group. The wrestler with the best record in each group would compete to determine the interim champion. Any ties will be broken by head-to-head results.[63] Group A consists of Kushida, Tony Nese, Jake Atlas, and Drake Maverick, while Group B consists of Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, El Hijo del Fantasma, Akira Tozawa, and Gentleman Jack Gallagher.[64] Although Maverick was released from WWE on April 15,[65] he confirmed via Twitter that he would still be competing in the tournament, which could be his last matches in the company.[66]

WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament (2020)

On May 12, 2020, the Intercontinental Championship was declared vacant after champion Sami Zayn elected to refrain from competing during the COVID-19 pandemic. A tournament to crown a new champion was then set to begin on the May 15 episode of SmackDown.[67]

First round
SmackDown, May 15–22 		Semifinals
SmackDown, May 29 		Final
SmackDown, June 8 (aired June 12)
         
Daniel Bryan Sub
Drew Gulak 9:40
Daniel Bryan Pin
Sheamus† 13:11
Jeff Hardy Pin
Sheamus 11:17
Daniel Bryan 37:58
AJ Styles Pin
Elias Pin
King Corbin 13:03
Bye†
AJ Styles
AJ Styles Pin
Shinsuke Nakamura 9:48

† Neither Jeff Hardy nor Elias were able to compete in the semifinals, as Elias was (kayfabe) injured in a car crash and Hardy was accused of causing it and arrested. AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan were given the option of having a bye in the tournament. Styles opted for the bye to automatically advance to the final on June 12 while Bryan opted to have a new opponent; Sheamus subsequently won a battle royal to qualify for the vacant spot in the semifinals against Bryan that night.

NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship Tournament

Main article: NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship § Inaugural tournament

King of the Ring

Main article: King of the Ring tournament

King of the Ring was a professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by WWE. The tournament was held annually from 1985 to 2002, with the exception of 1990 and 1992, and from 1993 to 2002 the tournament was produced as a pay-per-view event.

Dates and venues of finals

This article is about the tournament. For the event series, see King of the Ring.
Stone Cold Steve Austin won the 1996 King of the Ring tournament.

The King of the Ring tournament is a men's professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held periodically by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1985, the winner of the inaugural tournament was Don Muraco. The prize for winning the tournament is being crowned the "King of the Ring"; some wrestlers have incorporated this into their character, such as adorning king's attire and acting and speaking with a regal attitude. On two occasions, the tournament has awarded an additional reward, that being for a world championship match (first in 2002 and then in 2024). The tournament is also notable for beginning "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's rise to stardom after he won the 1996 tournament. The most recent 2024 tournament was won by Gunther.

The tournament was established when the promotion was still called the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed to WWE in 2002). It was held annually from 1985 to 2002, with the exception of 1990 and 1992. The tournaments from 1985 to 1989 and in 1991 were held as special non-televised house shows. A pay-per-view (PPV) event titled King of the Ring then began airing as the annual June PPV from 1993 until the final PPV in 2002; these titular PPVs featured the final few matches of that year's tournament as well as other matches not part of the tournament. After a four-year hiatus, the tournament returned in 2006 and has since been held periodically with the most recent occurring in 2021. These tournaments' matches aired across episodes of Raw and SmackDown with the finals occurring at a different PPV, such as Judgment Day for 2006, or on an episode of Raw. The semifinals and final of the 2015 tournament aired exclusively as a WWE Network event. The PPV event will return in 2024, rebranded as King and Queen of the Ring, incorporating the Queen of the Ring tournament, a women's version that was established in 2021 and originally called Queen's Crown.

WWE introduced the brand extension in early 2002 and the tournament that year was held for wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands. When the tournament returned in 2006, it was held exclusively for wrestlers from SmackDown. The tournaments in 2008 and 2010 were held as interbrand tournaments, with the one in 2008 also featuring wrestlers from Raw and ECW, while the one in 2010 just featured those from Raw and SmackDown after ECW was disbanded earlier that same year. The 2015 tournament occurred when the brand split was not in effect. The brand split was reinstated in 2016, and tournaments held since have featured two brackets, one each for Raw and SmackDown, with the bracket winners then facing each other in the tournament final.

History

Early tournaments

The first King of the Ring tournament was held by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on July 8, 1985, at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The inaugural tournament was won by Don Muraco, who defeated The Iron Sheik in the final. In addition to the tournament, there was only one other match during the night, in which Hulk Hogan defeated Nikolai Volkoff to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.[68] Further King of the Ring tournaments were held from 1986 to 1989 and in 1991.[69] These early tournaments were held as special non-televised house shows in an effort to boost attendance at these events. The reward for winning the tournament was the title "King of the Ring", although 1986 winner Harley Race was the only one to carry this gimmick onto television during these early years of the tournament.[70]

Pay-per-view

Main article: King of the Ring

In 1993, the WWF began to produce an annual June pay-per-view (PPV) titled King of the Ring. The inaugural King of the Ring PPV took place on June 13, 1993, at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. Unlike the previous non-televised events, the PPV did not feature all of the tournament's matches. Instead, several of the qualifying matches preceded the event with the final few matches then taking place at the pay-per-view. There were also other matches that took place at the event as it was a traditional three-hour pay-per-view.[71] The King of the Ring pay-per-view was considered one of the promotion's "Big Five" PPVs of the year, along with the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, up until its disestablishment as a PPV event after the 2002 event—the 2002 tournament was the first tournament (and the only until 2024) to award the winner a reward other than the title of "King of the Ring"; winner Brock Lesnar received a match for the WWE Undisputed Championship at that year's SummerSlam.[72] Also in early 2002, the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE),[73] and the promotion introduced the brand extension, in which the roster was divided between brands where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform.[74] The 2002 tournament was in turn held for wrestlers from both brands.[72]

Revivals

Sheamus, king of the ring 2010.

After a four-year hiatus, the tournament returned in 2006 and was held exclusively for wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand. Unlike the previous years, however, there was not an associated pay-per-view. Instead, tournament matches took place across episodes of SmackDown!. The final of the 2006 tournament did occur at a PPV, but it was at Judgment Day where Booker T defeated Bobby Lashley in the tournament final.[75] The tournament then returned in 2008, and was held as a special episode of Raw on April 21. This tournament was held for wrestlers from all three of WWE's brands at the time—Raw, SmackDown, and ECW, the latter of which was established as a third brand in 2006. The 2008 tournament was won by Raw's William Regal, who defeated ECW's CM Punk in the final.[76] The 2010 tournament was then held in November that year. Qualifying matches occurred on the November 22 episode of Raw with the tournament itself being held on the November 29 episode. The 2010 tournament only featured wrestlers from Raw and SmackDown, as ECW had been disbanded in February that year. It was won by Raw's Sheamus, who defeated John Morrison, also from Raw, in the final.[77]

After a five-year hiatus, the tournament returned in 2015. Quarterfinal matches were held on the April 27 episode of Raw, with the semifinals and final airing the following night exclusively as an event on WWE's online streaming service, the WWE Network, which launched in February 2014. Bad News Barrett defeated Neville in the final. At this time, the brand split was not in effect as the brand extension had been dissolved in August 2011; also in April 2011, the promotion ceased using its full name with "WWE" becoming an orphaned initialism.[78] After another four-year hiatus and after the brand extension had been reinstated in 2016, the tournament returned in 2019 and featured wrestlers from Raw and SmackDown. In this tournament, there was a Raw bracket and a SmackDown bracket and the winners of each faced off in the King of the Ring tournament final, becoming the standard for future tournaments. Tournament matches began on the August 19 episode of Raw and were held across episodes of Raw and SmackDown over the next month.[79] The final was originally scheduled to occur at that year's Clash of Champions event, but was rescheduled to occur on the following night's episode of Raw on September 16.[80] The tournament was won by Raw's Baron Corbin, who defeated SmackDown's Chad Gable in the final.[81]

The tournament returned in 2021 and was again between wrestlers from Raw and SmackDown. It began on the October 8 episode of SmackDown and continued across episodes of Raw and SmackDown, with the final held at the Crown Jewel event on October 21, 2021. Additionally, a women's version of the tournament was introduced, called Queen's Crown, and was held simultaneously alongside the men's tournament.[82][83][84][85] Raw's Xavier Woods defeated SmackDown's Finn Bálor to win the 2021 tournament.[86]

Return to pay-per-view and livestreaming

In March 2023, it was announced that the tournament would return to having its own PPV and livestreaming event, but rebranded as "King and Queen of the Ring" to also incorporate the Queen's Crown tournament, and it would be held in Saudi Arabia as part of WWE's partnership with the country.[87] However, on April 13, it was announced that these plans were scrapped, with WWE opting to instead hold Night of Champions.[88] According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the decision to change the event to Night of Champions was a creative choice to revive and bring that event to an international market.[89] Fightful later reported that WWE did not have plans to reschedule King and Queen of the Ring for later that year, but the event could possibly be used for a future Saudi show.[90] In April 2024, WWE announced that they would hold the King and Queen of the Ring event in Saudi Arabia in May 2024, with the Queen's Crown renamed as Queen of the Ring. Tournament matches began on the May 6 episode of Raw, and were held across episodes of Raw, SmackDown, and at WWE Live events.[91] On May 23, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque announced that the winner of the 2024 King of the Ring tournament would receive a world championship match of their respective brand at SummerSlam, marking only the second time that the King of the Ring winner would receive an award other than the title of "King of the Ring".[92] The 2024 tournament was won by Raw's Gunther, who defeated SmackDown's Randy Orton with Gunther receiving a match for the World Heavyweight Championship.[93]

King gimmicks

Harley Race, the second King of the Ring winner, was the first to incorporate the victory into his on-screen character

In 1986, the second King of the Ring winner, Harley Race, parlayed his victory into an arrogant King of Wrestling gimmick, featuring a regal cape and crown. This gimmick led to several notable feuds for Race with Junkyard Dog, Hulk Hogan, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, and others, even after new winners had been crowned in the annual tournament. In 1988, Race suffered an abdominal injury and during his absence, his manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan awarded the crown to Haku in July, rechristening him King Haku, even though Randy Savage had won the tournament by that point and Ted DiBiase would also win the tournament during this storyline. Race eventually returned from his injury and briefly feuded with King Haku, but was unable to regain the crown at the 1989 Royal Rumble. King Haku then lost the crown to "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan in May 1989.[94] "King Hacksaw" then lost it on August 30, 1989, to "Macho Man" Randy Savage, who rebranded himself "Macho King".[95] Savage abandoned the "Macho King" gimmick upon his loss in a "Career ending match" to The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII in 1991, declaring afterwards that "the Kingdom of the Madness has been cracked in half". Following this, only wrestlers who had won the most recent tournament, as well as Jerry Lawler (who had used a King of Wrestling image regionally in the Memphis area since the early 1970s), would use the gimmick.

Owen Hart ("King of Harts"),[96] Mabel ("King Mabel"),[97] Kurt Angle ("King Kurt"), Edge ("King Edge the Awesome"), Booker T ("King Booker"),[98] Sheamus ("King Sheamus"),[99][100] Bad News Barrett ("King Barrett"), Baron Corbin ("King Corbin"), and Xavier Woods ("King Woods") are all wrestlers that also took on "King" nicknames after winning King of the Ring tournaments, with varying amounts of indulgence in their respective gimmick. William Regal won the tournament while serving as General Manager of Raw[101] and began displaying King Lear signs of tyranny and delusion. Triple H alluded to his King of the Ring victory as part of his integrated gimmick starting in 2006 as the "King of Kings".[102]

In addition to the King's crown, various female wrestlers were portrayed as Queen while they were aligned with Kings, including "Queen of the Ring" The Fabulous Moolah (aligned with King Harley Race at WrestleMania III), Sensational Queen Sherri (manager of "Macho King" Randy Savage),[103] and Queen Sharmell (manager of King Booker).[104] Mo, Mabel's tag team partner in Men on a Mission, was "knighted" as Sir Mo by his partner after the latter's 1995 victory. Finlay and Regal were "knighted" as Sir Finlay and Sir Regal when they were part of King Booker's Court. In December 2020, King Corbin started a faction with Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake, knighting them as the "Knights of the Lone Wolf" (with lone wolf a reference to his previous nickname), although this would be short-lived as Cutler was released by WWE in February 2021.[105] Corbin's king gimmick ended in June 2021 after he lost his King of the Ring crown in a match to Shinsuke Nakamura, who then took on a king persona, being called King Nakamura.[106] On October 8, 2021, just prior to the start of the 2021 tournament that night, Nakamura respectfully relinquished the crown.[107] After Xavier Woods won the 2021 tournament and became King Woods, he knighted his New Day tag team partner Kofi Kingston as "Sir Kofi Kingston", and appointed him the Hand of the King. After Woods took time off due to injury, his king gimmick was dropped upon his return.[108]

List of winners

‡ SmackDown-branded tournament
Year Winner Runner-up Finals date Finals location
1 1985 Don Muraco The Iron Sheik July 8, 1985 Foxborough, Massachusetts
2 1986 Harley Race Pedro Morales July 14, 1986
3 1987 Randy Savage King Kong Bundy September 4, 1987 Providence, Rhode Island
4 1988 Ted DiBiase Randy Savage October 16, 1988
5 1989 Tito Santana Rick Martel October 14, 1989
6 1991 Bret Hart Irwin R. Schyster September 7, 1991
7 1993 Bam Bam Bigelow June 13, 1993 Dayton, Ohio
8 1994 Owen Hart Razor Ramon June 19, 1994 Baltimore, Maryland
9 1995 Mabel Savio Vega June 25, 1995 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10 1996 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Jake Roberts June 23, 1996 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
11 1997 Hunter Hearst Helmsley Mankind June 8, 1997 Providence, Rhode Island
12 1998 Ken Shamrock The Rock June 28, 1998 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
13 1999 Billy Gunn X-Pac June 27, 1999 Greensboro, North Carolina
14 2000 Kurt Angle Rikishi June 25, 2000 Boston, Massachusetts
15 2001 Edge Kurt Angle June 24, 2001 East Rutherford, New Jersey
16 2002 Brock Lesnar Rob Van Dam June 23, 2002 Columbus, Ohio
17‡ 2006 Booker T Bobby Lashley May 21, 2006 Phoenix, Arizona
18 2008 William Regal CM Punk April 21, 2008 Greenville, South Carolina
19 2010 Sheamus John Morrison November 29, 2010 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
20 2015 Bad News Barrett Neville April 28, 2015 Moline, Illinois
21 2019 Baron Corbin Chad Gable September 16, 2019 Knoxville, Tennessee
22 2021 Xavier Woods Finn Bálor October 21, 2021 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
23 2024 Gunther Randy Orton May 25, 2024 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

Main article: Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is an annual tag team tournament featured on the NXT brand and is named after WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, who died in 2015.

Dates and venues of finals

Year Event Date City Venue Winner
2015 NXT TakeOver: Respect October 7, 2015 Winter Park, Florida Full Sail University Samoa Joe and Finn Bálor
2016 NXT TakeOver: Toronto November 19, 2016 Toronto, Canada Air Canada Centre The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar)
2018 NXT TakeOver: New Orleans April 7, 2018 New Orleans, Louisiana Smoothie King Center The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly)
2019 NXT March 13, 2019 Winter Park, Florida Full Sail University Aleister Black and Ricochet
2020 NXT January 29, 2020 Winter Park, Florida Full Sail University Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle
2021 NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day February 14, 2021 Orlando, Florida WWE Performance Center MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee)
Dakota Kai and Raquel González

Mae Young Classic

Main article: Mae Young Classic

The Mae Young Classic is an all-women's tournament produced by WWE. The event is named for WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young.

Dates and venues

Event Date City Venue Tournament finale
Mae Young Classic (2017) July 13, 2017 Winter Park, Florida Full Sail University Kairi Sane defeated Shayna Baszler[1]
July 14, 2017
September 27, 2017 Paradise, Nevada Thomas & Mack Center
Mae Young Classic (2018) August 8, 2018 Winter Park, Florida Full Sail University Toni Storm defeated Io Shirai
August 9, 2018
October 28, 2018 Uniondale, New York Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Mixed Match Challenge

Main article: WWE Mixed Match Challenge
Season Date won Winner Runner up
Season 1 April 3, 2018 The Miz and Asuka Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair
Season 2 December 16, 2018 R-Truth and Carmella Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox

See also

References

  1. ^ Powell, Jason. "9/12 Powell's WWE Mae Young Classic Finals Review: The tournament finals". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
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