Not everything that’s old is new again since Vince McMahon stepped down from WWE a few months ago, but some thing certainly are. In 2023, those may include a revival of the King of the Ring tournament and a premium live event bearing its name, but this time with the women’s division involved as well.
Following reports by Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer that WWE was considering bringing King of the Ring back as its own event, WrestlingNews.co notes that WWE filed a trademark for the term “Queen of the Ring” in late October. The trademark application itself was pretty standard for WWE, covering “the categories of wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered through broadcast media including television” and related uses.
While this doesn’t necessarily mean King of the Ring is returning to the premium live event schedule, it does suggest that however WWE approaches the next tournament, there will be a full women’s equivalent for it. The company sort of did that in 2021 with its Queen’s Crown tournament, which was won by Zelina Vega, but there was no follow-up tourney this year.
King of the Ring used to be a big deal, as it was considered one of WWF’s major events of each calendar year during the 1990s and early 2000s. WWE ended it in 2002, and while the tournament itself made its return just a few years later in 2006, it hasn’t been held annually, and there has been only one year (2015) since where King of the Ring was its own pay-per-view.
In recent years, WWE has used the King of the Ring tournament as a way to elevate wrestlers who weren’t quite in the main event mix, such as Baron Corbin in 2019 and Xavier Woods in 2021. That could certainly still be the case in a revived event, and the Queen of the Ring honor, especially, makes sense for that purpose given the lack of secondary titles in the women’s division.
As for when a King of the Ring/Queen of the Ring might fall on the premium live event calendar, that remains to be seen. So far, WWE has only officially revealed its events through WrestleMania 39 in early April, and there has been speculation the 2023 schedule could undergo some changes. During its initial run King of the Ring took place in June, which could still work if WWE decides to drop Hell in a Cell as its own event, which is another rumor that has been circulating.