Wrestling Deja Vu 02.23.09: King Me

Posted by Joseph F. Martinez on 02.23.2009

LONG LIVE THE KING!



Hey yo

Hello, readers, today we've got another new edition of Wrestling Deja Vu. On tap for today is an analysis of the kings of the wrestling world. Plenty of kings have stepped foot into the squared circle. You have guys like Triple H and Jeff Jarrett who go by "The King of Kings" and "The King of the Mountain" who both have had successful careers, but they aren't apart of this column. Royalty is the subject of this week's WDV. You've got to have the crown, cape and the all that good stuff. We've got four King of the Ring winners and one of the most notable kings of the wrestling world, but we go to feedback from last week.

Looking back

Greeby: Honky left originally in December 1990. They didn't cross paths until Jarrett came back in 97 and HTM wasn't being used yet still had to show up for TV and PPV. HTM has stated in shoot interviews that it only really bothered him when they were in the same locker room and felt that Jarrett should have showed backbone and refused to copy a gimmick of someone else in the same company

Crimefighter: Ummm...honky tonk music is considered country music? I don't know about that...it appears both are distinct.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honky_tonk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_music

Looks like I got some of my information mixed up last week. The honky tonk-country music was just a generalization (and a wrong one at that). I did get my dates wrong with HTM's time in the WWE.

And introducing the participants



It can be argued that Jerry Lawler is the most notable king of wrestling. He's won over one hundred titles and has been a commentator on the WWE's flagship program for a quite a while (with some time off here and there). A feud with Andy Kaufman brought Lawler into the mainstream and gave him more attention from the world, but he is a Memphis icon. His time in the WWE as a performer wasn't very notable, but he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.



Harley Race enjoyed one of the better careers in wrestling prior to joining the WWE. He won titles and had great matches all around the world, but eventually he signed with the WWE. Unfortunately, Race was already in his forties when he joined the WWE in the mid-eighties, so getting him hated by the fans could have been a problem. Luckily, the King of the Ring tournament solved the problem. Race was the victor of the 1986 KotR and it helped Race transfer what made him so good in his pre-WWE days to the company. During his three year tenure in the WWE, he feuded with individuals like Hulk Hogan and the Junkyard Dog.



Not everyone can be a success. King Mabel won the King of the Ring in 1995 by defeating Savio Vega. Shortly after that, he unsuccessfully challenged for the WWF Championship. He was out of the company after joining in the Yokozuna-Undertaker feud. His size and unique body type have allowed him to come back on two separate occasions to the WWE.



Booker T was a directionless character before Sharmell started interrupting his matches with Chris Benoit. Shortly after, Booker entered the King of the Ring tournament, where he beat up and comer, Bobby Lashley to become the king of the WWE. King Booker and his court played a major role on Smackdown while other guys were injured. Booker was relevant for a while, but eventually became lost in the shuffle. Differences with management led to his departure from the WWE and his TNA arrival. Booker T still plays a royal gimmick today.



William Regal is the newest king of the wrestling industry. He won the 2008 King of the Ring tournament defeating CM Punk. Like Booker T, the KotR victory allowed Regal to enjoy a resurgence in his career. Unfortunately a wellness suspension derailed the Regal train. Regal is back though, feuding with Punk again, but doesn't appear to be gaining back the steam he once had.

Obtaining the Crown



The King of the Ring is the place where four of today's subjects became royalty. Once a pay-per-view event, the KotR held magical moments in the WWE (such as the creation of the Austin 3:16 catchphrase and the aftermath). Traditionally, the tourney served as a stepping stone for wrestlers who were looking to breakthrough. The revival of the tournament has seen two older wrestlers win and enjoy a career renaissance, so that may be the norm from now on. Today, the tournament is in limbo, it happened in 2006 and 2008, but no word yet if it will happen this year. One of the long-term effects of this event is the king moniker that many of the winners carry with them. Some just call themselves the king while others actually incorporate royalty into their gimmicks. This moniker gives the wrestlers new power and serves as a sign of brighter things to come.

Making It Reign


A king is crowned


King BOOKAH and his court make John Cena kiss his feet

So which reign was the best? Obviously, since being king was what Jerry Lawler is known for, he would probably be considered the best king that has ever wrestled. My money is on King Booker. Booker and the royalty gimmick had a crazy kind of chemistry and provided a lot of entertainment. Harley Race making everyone he beat bow down to him can definitely compete with Booker's antics. William Regal takes a different approach to the king and just acts as a presiding figure over the WWE and Mabel's reign was short lived. All of these guys were good heels and the king gimmick made it easier for them to compete at a main event level.

What can crown do for you?



Being a king automatically gives you a load of perks in the wrestling world. As we've seen with Booker and TNA, you get your own locker room, but title shots also seem to follow the kings. King Mabel got to challenge then WWE Champion, Diesel to a match shortly after being named king, but was unsuccessful in capturing the title. King Booker's reign served as a revitalization for his career and a really good World Title reign where he was crowned Champion of Champions. And of course, Jerry Lawler has over 100 title reigns during his career. So, if you're a king, you've got a great chance to be put in a high profile program.

WDV Gauntlet

This week's edition of the WDV Face-off will be taking place in Gauntlet form.

King Booker (w/Sharmell) v. King Mabel
Booker complains to the ref regarding his position in the gauntlet while Mabel just stares him down. King Mabel nails Booker with an ax handle and lifts him up for a military press slam. Knowing that in order to win the whole ordeal, he has to save his energy, he goes for an early pin, but only gets a one from the referee. He goes for a splash, but Booker lifts up his knees to counter. T gets up and tries to mount some offense, but it doesn't appear to have any effect on Mabel. Mabel hits Booker with a jab, but Booker replies with a kick to the shins. An axe kick eliminates Mabel from the competition and out comes the next competitor…

King Booker (w/Sharmell) v. King Harley Race

Race comes in and quickly knocks Booker out with a clothesline, but Sharmell distracts him and the ref. T uses this to his advantage, and nails Race with an Axe kick. Instead of going for the pin, he entertains the fans with THE ROYAL SPINAROONIE~!



Race comes to his senses and rolls Booker up, eliminating him from the gauntlet bringing on the next individual.

King Harley Race v. King William Regal

Booker T is still arguing with the referee, so Regal hits Race with a low blow. A knee to the head eliminates King Harley Race, leaving just one more individual remaining.

King William Regal v. Jerry "The King" Lawler

Lawler and Regal grapple for a bit before Regal gets in a position to suplex Lawler. After the suplex, Regal locks in the Regal Stretch, but Lawler quickly reaches the ropes. Regal brings Lawler to his feet and hits a series of European Uppercuts. Another suplex is attempted by Regal, but Lawler rolls him up for a quick two count. Both men are up now, Lawler nails Regal with a back suplex and goes up top for his patented drop punch. Regal is hit and Lawler goes for the pin…1...2.…Regal gets his hands on the ropes. Lawler slides him to the center of the ring and tries the pin again, but only gets a 2. Lawler attempts a Piledriver, but Regal flips him over. Regal measures Lawler for the knee to the head, but Lawler trips up Regal before he can make contact. Lawler picks up Regal for the Piledriver and the victory.

Jerry Lawler wins the WDV Gauntlet

The Rundown

So what makes the king gimmick so successful? It's an easy way to get some great heel heat. How annoying is "ALL HAIL KING BOOKAH" x 100? Of course, most of the guys had a lot of talent and made it work. Unfortunately, all the kings of the wrestling world cannot be discussed in one column. Haku, Kurt Angle, and a boatload of other wrestlers had a cup of coffee (or longer) as a king, but the individuals discussed in this column all exemplify what a typical wrestling king offers. You've got career renaissances (Booker and almost Regal), failures (Mabel), and you've got a great gimmick. When the next King of the Ring tournament happens in the WWE, another king may be crowned, but until then, Booker T and William Regal are the only active kings.

In Case You Missed It

Here are the columns posted over the weekend, in case you missed it.

411mania's Squared Circle News Report

The Wrestling Bard

Don‘t Think Twice

Column of Honor

The Bell to Bell News Report

For The Record

The Triple Threat

Goodnight, Travel Well

- That Alex Rodriguez press conference last week was pretty bad television. It all ended really awkwardly with A-Rod thanking his teammates, but he paused 30-something seconds between the words "thanks" and "teammates." During the pause, it seemed like he wanted to crack out a laugh or something of that sort. Not a very good way to convince people you're apologetic.

- I know No Way Out was more than a week ago, but I was pretty wrong about it being the most predictable pay-per-view of all time. I did get four of my five predictions when it was all said and done, but didn't see the Edge thing coming. With Triple H's title likely going to Raw, it makes me wonder if the WWE are going with the obvious Cena-Edge match, or something different.

- One of my favorite things about Triple H getting involved with the Orton-McMahon storyline is the death of happy-go-lucky Triple H. H is at his best when he's angry and that's we're going to get. Speaking of the storyline, weren't there rumors after McMahon's "death" that a storyline almost exactly like this was supposed to be in the cards for Kennedy?

- So that's the column for the week and all for February. The year is going by fast. This was one of the funner columns to write since I really enjoyed the work of some of these guys (especially Booker T), so I hope you enjoyed reading. As always, suggestions, corrections and feedback are welcomed in the comment section. Until next week.