From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Professional wrestling tournament by World Wrestling Federation
The 1985 King of the Ring was the inaugural King of the Ring professional wrestling tournament produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The tournament was held on July 8, 1985 at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts as a special non-televised house show . The inaugural 1985 tournament was won by Don Muraco . In addition to the tournament, there was only one other match during the night. In this match Hulk Hogan pinned Nikolai Volkoff to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Championship . The event drew 23,000 people of which 20,000 were paid.[ 2]
In 1985, in an effort to boost attendance at their house shows , the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) scheduled their July 8, 1985 event as a tournament called the King of the Ring . It was a single-elimination tournament in which the winner would be crowned the "King of the Ring." The inaugural tournament was held at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts as a special non-televised house show.[ 3] [ 4]
A second tournament was scheduled for 1986, also as a non-televised house show, thus establishing the King of the Ring tournament as an annual event. The event continued to be held as a special non-televised house show up through 1989 and in 1991; a tournament was not held in 1990. A tournament was also not held in 1992, but it returned in 1993, this time as a pay-per-view (PPV) entitled King of the Ring . Only the final few matches of the tournament took place at the PPV with the first few tournament matches being held prior to the PPV. The PPV would continue until 2002, the same year that the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), after which, the tournament would only be periodically held across episodes of Raw and SmackDown , although the final match of the 2006 tournament took place at the Judgment Day PPV, while the semifinals and finals of the 2015 tournament aired as a WWE Network -exclusive event.[ 3]
1. ^ Tito Santana fought Jim Brunzell to a time limit draw; Brunzell then won a coin toss to determine who would continue in the tournament.
^ a b "WWF King Of The Ring 1985" . Archived from the original on 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2019-10-08 .
^ "King of the Ring 85 - Foxboro, MA - Sullivan Stadium - July 8, 1985 (23,000; 20,000 paid)" . The History of WWE . Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2019 .
^ a b Beaston, Erik (August 18, 2019). "WWE King of the Ring: Everything You Need to Know About Historical Tournament" . Bleacher Report . Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2021 .
^ "WWF King of the Ring '85 at Sullivan Stadium wrestling results - Internet Wrestling Database" . www.profightdb.com . Archived from the original on 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2019-10-08 .
King of the Ring Current
Royal Rumble (1988–present)
Vengeance (2001–2007, 2011, 2021, 2023–present)
Elimination Chamber (2010–2015, 2017–present)
NXT Stand & Deliver (2021–present)
WrestleMania (1985–present)
Backlash (1999–2009, 2016–2018, 2020–present)
King of the Ring (1993–2002, 2015, 2024–present)
Battleground (2013–2017, 2023–present)
Clash at the Castle (2022, 2024–present)
Money in the Bank (2010–present)
Heatwave (2024–present)
SummerSlam (1988–present)
Bash in Berlin (2024)
No Mercy (1999–2008, 2016–2017, 2023–present)
Bad Blood (1997, 2003–2004, 2024–present)
Halloween Havoc (2022, 2024–present)
Crown Jewel (2018–2019, 2021–present)
Survivor Series (1987–present)
NXT Deadline (2022–present)
Former
The Wrestling Classic (1985)
No Holds Barred (1989)
This Tuesday in Texas (1991)
One Night Only (1997)
Capital Carnage (1998)
Over the Edge (1998–1999)
Fully Loaded (1998–2000)
Invasion (2001)
Rebellion (1999–2002)
Insurrextion (2000–2003)
December to Dismember (2006)
New Year's Revolution (2005–2007)
One Night Stand (2005–2008)
Unforgiven (1998–2008)
Taboo Tuesday/Cyber Sunday (2004–2008)
Armageddon (1999–2000, 2002–2008)
Judgment Day (1998, 2000–2009)
Breaking Point (2009)
Bragging Rights (2009–2010)
Capitol Punishment (2011)
Over the Limit (2010–2012)
No Way Out (1998, 2000–2009, 2012)
NXT Arrival (2014)
Fatal 4-Way (2010, 2014)
The Beast in the East (2015)
Live from Madison Square Garden (2015)
Cruiserweight Classic Finale (2016)
Roadblock (2016)
United Kingdom Championship Special (2017)
Great Balls of Fire (2017)
Mae Young Classic (2017–2018)
Greatest Royal Rumble (2018)
United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017–2018)
Evolution (2018)
Halftime Heat (2019)
The Shield's Final Chapter (2019)
Stomping Grounds (2019)
Evolve's 10th Anniversary Celebration (2019)
Smackville (2019)
Starrcade (2018–2019)
NXT UK TakeOver (2019–2020)
Super ShowDown (2018–2020)
Clash of Champions (2016–2017, 2019–2020)
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2009–2020)
Superstar Spectacle (2021)
NXT TakeOver (2014–2021)
NXT WarGames (2017–2021)
Day 1 (2022)
In Your House (1995–1999, 2020–2022)
Hell in a Cell (2009–2022)
Worlds Collide (2019–2020, 2022)
Extreme Rules (2009–2022)
Night of Champions (2008–2015, 2023)
The Great American Bash (2004–2009, 2023)
Payback (2013–2017, 2020, 2023)
Fastlane (2015–2019, 2021, 2023)
1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s