In WWE, championships are not the only accolades that are considered important. Yes, winning titles is the pinnacle of what each wrestler aspires to, but there are other achievements that one can have to be considered great. WWE has done a tremendous job of creating events that, while not championship-worthy, are just as important. King of the Ring has become one of the most important of these achievements that a wrestler can accumulate.
Since 1985, King of the Ring has become a launching point for many WWE careers. Many men have entered the tournament, but only a handful have been able to call themselves the King. An even smaller number of these winners have had the type of career that every wrestler dreams of. They have been the men who have been the greatest King of the Ring winners in WWE history, and they are listed below.
7. Harley Race (King of the Ring 1986)
Harley Race was a virtual unknown in the WWE community. In fairness, that’s more of a comment on how WWE brass ignored anything that didn’t involve its company. Organizations like WCW and the AWA might as well not have existed, and thus, a great like Harley Race needed a big win under his belt to gain more notoriety from the WWE audience.
The King of the Ring tournament was the perfect proving ground for Harley Race, and he made short work of George “The Animal” Steele and Billy Jack Haynes on his way to the finals. There, he had a great match against former WWE Champion Pedro Morales, where he went over, becoming King of the Ring. It was a huge victory for Race, and it gave him a gimmick that he ran with for the rest of his WWE career.
