2. Steve Austin (King of the Ring 1996)
Steve Austin’s WWE career didn’t get off to the best of starts. He came in as a protege of the Million Dollar Man, but failed to gain much traction with the WWE audience. As the WWE product shifted to a more mature tone, Steve Austin went along with them. His character became the perfect antihero, and the money started to pour in. All he needed was his career-defining moment, which came at King of the Ring 1996.
Stone Cold’s path to the crown was this side of perfection. His matches against Bob Holly, Savio Vega, and Jake Roberts were good, but his banger with Marc Mero made him a star. Busting his lip open and coming back to compete was a great story. It showed Steve Austin as a tough-as-nails wrestler, and it endeared him to the WWE Universe. Following that performance delivered the Austin 3:16 promo that made his career.
1. Bret Hart (King of the Ring 1991 & 1993)
Only one choice can be made for number one on this list. Bret Hart is the only man to have won the King of the Ring title twice. His first was in 1991, which was an untelevised event. In that he scored victories over Pete Doherty, Skinner, and I.R.S. The fanfare wasn’t there for this victory, but that was rectified two years later.
When King of the Ring became a PLE, WWE needed to start with a bang. They did that with the help of Bret Hart putting on fantastic matches against Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, and Bam Bam Bigelow. It was a string of contests that showcased just what the New Generation was all about.
Bret Hart was the company’s workhorse, and his body of work speaks for itself. It may not have been the WWE Championship that the Hitman wanted, but it was a great accolade to achieve, for the second time.
