The King of the Ring has always been one of my favorite World Wrestling Entertainment events, whether it was broadcast as a pay per view or as a television special. With the WWE Network producing more network exclusive content, I was very happy to see the concept return earlier this year. It has been a bit more frequent in recent years, but it has still been a sporadic event. For a number of years, many of us King of the Ring fans thought the event was dead.
That is what brings us here today. The lost years of the King of the Ring. After 2002, the tournament just went away for a while, and I’ve always wondered what could have been. So today our Fights of Fancy feature will focus on the very first lost year of the King of the Ring 2003. At first, I wasn’t a fan of the winner receiving a major championship match at SummerSlam that year, but since that time the concept has grown on me. As such, that stipulation will be a part of this tournament as well.
Regarding time frame, because the winner is set to receive a major championship match, I wanted to include performers from both RAW and Smackdown during a period when the brand split had not yet become a total joke. So the tournament will play out over several weeks on both RAW and Smackdown leading up to the SummerSlam 2003 event. Now we have the what, where, and when. Let’s talk about who would be a part of the tournament.
Brock Lesnar – Last year’s winner and fresh off of losing his WWE Championship to Kurt Angle at the Vengeance pay per view, Brock Lesnar would be looking to not only get his rematch, but enact revenge on his opponent in the tournament…
The Big Show – Big Show was also involved in the WWE Championship triple threat match at Vengeance, and if you believe would be happy to let Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle duke it out without him, then you don’t know the Big Show.
The Undertaker – Still an American Bad Ass at this point, protecting his yard was the number one priority for the man from Death Valley. Being the big dog was never enough for the Phenom, he would also want to be the top dog. Of course, being the big dog means being challenged by other dogs wanting space in your yard. Young pups like…
John Cena – At Vengeance, John Cena threw everything he had at the Undertaker and still came up short. While many praised him for his work that night and other secretly suspected that he earned Undertaker’s respect, losing would’ve eaten Cena alive, and he would be ready take out the Dead Man, and earn a WWE Championship match.
Goldberg – Looking at the RAW brand, the biggest threat to Triple H’s World Heavyweight Championship was Goldberg, who had been tearing through competition since arriving in WWE the night after WrestleMania XIX. He had made it very clear that he wanted the Evolution leader one on one, and if he has to go through three other men to do it, so be it.
Randy Orton – Triple H is never one to head into battle without a plan, and in this case, that plan is his Evolution team mates, specifically Randy Orton, who at this time was still inexperienced, but so naturally gifted, that many knew he would be destined for great things. Triple H would have put him in the tournament to test his mettle, and stop Goldberg.
Chris Jericho – The self-proclaimed King of the World would be looking to become at least the King of the Ring and once again become a World Heavyweight Champion. At this point in time, Jericho was one of RAW’s best overall performers, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Y2J come out victorious for a WrestleMania X8 rematch against Triple H.
Shawn Michaels – Since returning in 2002 from what many thought were career ending back injuries, Shawn Michaels proved that the Heart Break Kid could hang with anyone on the RAW roster, including Triple H. HBK would still be on his quest to destroy Triple H for betraying him and ruining their friendship last year. How appropriate would it be if Michaels could dethrone the Cerebral Assassin one year after his triumphant return?
There you have the players, but how they are matched up would likely affect the outcome as well. In this year’s tournament, we would be building towards a RAW vs Smackdown final, so the first round and semi-finals would see wrestlers face members of their own brand. On the red side we would have Goldberg vs. Randy Orton and Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels. For the blue and silver it would be Brock Lesnar vs. the Big Show and The Undertaker vs. John Cena.
Brock Lesnar vs. The Big Show – This is one of the most storied rivalries in Smackdown history, and these two would’ve been all too happy to add another chapter to that extensive book. Without the assistance of Paul Heyman, the Big Show has never fared well against the Beast Incarnate. In fact, even when Heyman has been by his side, he hasn’t always come out the winner. I see no reason why there would be a huge change in history here. Brock Lesnar would once again impressive everyone by lifting up the 500 pound behemoth into an F-5 for a first round victory.
The Undertaker vs. John Cena – Billed as a Vengeance rematch, there would likely be lots of anticipation from the crowd and from both men. John Cena would have lots to prove in this match, maybe even more so than in their pay per view showdown, because the Doctor of Thug-a-nomics would be out to prove he could still get the job done. That lack of focus on the long term prize would ultimately be his downfall and the veteran Undertaker would end things with a tombstone to move onto one of his most fierce opponents ever in the semi-finals.
Goldberg vs. Randy Orton – Let’s face it, no matter how much potential someone had in 2003, you just couldn’t stop Goldberg. This match would not have been any different. Even if Ric Flair and Batista attempted to interfere, Goldberg would be on a mission, and nothing would get in his way. You all know the drill. Spear. Jackhammer. First round victory.
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho – One would believe that this match would be the most anticipated of the tournament, given the high praise their WrestleMania XIX match from earlier in the year received. Although not quite as equal to their WrestleMania classic, I imagine that given the RAW main event, these two would put on the best match of the tournament with plenty of main event staples you are used to seeing from these two. In what some would consider a shocking upset, Chris Jericho would emerge victorious after ducking Sweet Chin Music, rolling up HBK, hooking his feet on the ropes while grabbing Michaels’ tights and stealing the victory away from him. He would have the sound of Sweet Chin Music ringing in his ears after the match, but it would be too late and the King of the World would be one step closer to becoming King of the Ring.
With the first round out of the way, it was time to start setting up for the final four. Around this time, Brock Lesnar was starting to show some signs that he didn’t care so much about what the fans thought of him while Triple H’s paranoia about Goldberg began getting out of control. In the semi-finals, we would see two classic rivalries reinvigorated with Goldberg vs Chris Jericho on the RAW side, and the Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar representing Smackdown.
The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar – For one year, Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker had been squaring off in battles that would remain infamous in WWE history. This showdown would be another classic with these two giving the kind of fight that fans would come to expect both then and into the future. Brock Lesnar’s change of attitude would play a big role in this match, as we would see him take many shortcuts in order to gain an advantage of the C.E.O of Dead Man Inc. Up to this point, the Undertaker had never been able to get the job done against the Beast, and this time would be no different. To the fans displeasure, history would repeat itself and the Undertaker would find himself staring at the lights after an F-5 and a three count.
Goldberg vs. Chris Jericho – When these two locked horns at Bad Blood earlier in the year, many praised the match as being one of Goldberg’s best. Chris Jericho would be looking to get his win back against the former World Championship Wrestling World Champion on the road to becoming a champion again himself. Despite giving Goldberg a challenge that many did not expect from Y2J, Goldberg’s desire to be the man once more and get his hands on Triple H would drive him to drive his shoulder into Jericho’s abdomen, and score the victory with a spear.
After two weeks of action, the King of the Ring 2003 finals would be set. In a first time match up that would have fans salivating, we would see Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg. As an added twist, both WWE Champion Kurt Angle and World Heayweight Champion Triple H would be invited to sit ringside in order to scout their potential future opponent.
Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar – While most remember the first ever match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg from WrestleMania XX as somewhat of a dud, this contest would be quite different. Not necessarily in terms of match quality, but in tone and situation. Both men would be staying with the company after this night, and they would both be fighting for a prize.
With both champions at ringside, shenanigans would be expected. I imagine it would all begin when Brock would attempt an F-5, accidently knocking out the referee. Lesnar wouldn’t actually hit his move, instead, Goldberg would slip out and nail the Beast with a Spear, prompting Triple H and the rest of Evolution to get involved. Not one to sit idly by, Kurt Angle would jump into the ring, clearing house with Angle Slams and German suplexes. Angle would be celebrating when his former friend Lesnar would use the opportunity to smash Angle across the back with a steel chair, taking him out to the chagrin of the audience.
By now, Goldberg would have recovered and would be waiting to execute a spear. Unfortunetly for him, Triple H would also have recovered by now, grabbed his trusty sledgehammer, and lined up Goldberg for the final blow. As Goldberg would charge across the ring towards Lesnar, the Cerebral Assassin would cut him off at the pass with a vicious blow to the skull, sending him to the mat with a possible concussion. From there, it would be academic, but just to put a cherry on the screw job sundae, Brock would hoist Goldberg up for an F-5. Thanks to Ric Flair reviving the referee, one slow count later, we would have our first two time, back to back King of the Ring winner and new #1 contender to Kurt Angle’s WWE Championship.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
It has been a real treat to sit back and imagine what this tournament would have looked like through my nostalgic glasses. I hope in the future I can look back at other lost years from this tournament’s history. Perhaps you saw a different winner for this tournament? Maybe you would have had a completely different first round? There are so many X factors at play that the possibilities are endless, and that is what makes the Fights of Fancy so intriguing. Until next time, I will see you in the arena of the imagination.
