Beginning in 1985 as non-televised special event, the King of the Ring tournament saw it's wrestling pinnacle with the event conclusion held as a pay-per-view on June 13, 1993 at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. At the 1993 event, Bret Hart defeated Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), Mr. Perfect (Curt Hennig), and Bam Bam Bigelow. King of the Ring winners included such World Wrestling Federation Superstars as Don Muraco (1985), King Harley Race (1986), Randy Savage (1987), Ted DiBiase (1988), Tito Santana (1989), Bret Hart (1991), Bret Hart (1993), Owen Hart (1994), Mabel (1995), and Stone Cold Steve Austin (1996).
There were no events held in 1990 and 1992.
Jerry Lawler confronts King Bret Hart
King of the Ring 1993
At the 1996 pay-per-view event, Stone Cold Steve Austin won the tournament, and left a lasting impression with his victory speech, uttering the infamous words:
"Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16 - AUSTIN 3:16 SAYS I JUST WHIPPED YOUR ASS! All he's gotta do is go buy him a cheap bottle of Thunderbird and try to get back some of that courage he had in his prime. As the King of the Ring, I'm servin' notice to every one of the WWF superstars. I don't give a damn what they are, they're all on the list, and that's Stone Cold's list, and I'm fixing to run through all of them... Steve Austin's time has come, and when I get the shot, you're looking at the next WWF Champion. AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE BECAUSE STONE COLD SAYS SO!"
Stone Cold Steve Austin
King of the Ring 1996
