King of the Ring (1986)

The 1986 King of the Ring was the second annual King of the Ring professional wrestling tournament produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The tournament was held on July 14, 1986 at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts as a special non-televised house show. The 1986 tournament was won by Harley Race.

King of the Ring
PromotionWorld Wrestling Federation
DateJuly 14, 1986
CityFoxborough, Massachusetts
VenueSullivan Stadium
Attendance12,000[1]
King of the Ring tournament chronology
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1985
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1987

In addition to the tournament, there were two other matches. Prior to the final match of the King of the Ring tournament, Bruno Sammartino defeated The Designated Hitman (a substitute for Eddie Andelmann, a local TV/radio personality who refused to wrestle). Following the final match in the tournament, the British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) defeated The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) (with Johnny V.) in a steel cage match to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship. Dynamite and Beefcake escaped from the cage first. Smith then escaped the cage to win the match after Valentine accidentally knocked him out through the door with a kick.

Production

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Background

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In 1985, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) established the King of the Ring tournament, a single-elimination tournament in which the winner was crowned the "King of the Ring." The 1986 tournament established it as an annual event. It was held on July 14, 1986 at the Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts and like the previous year, was a special non-televised house show.[2][3]

Storylines

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The matches resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by World Wrestling Federation's writers.[4]

Event

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In the first round of the tournament, there was a total of six matches. Billy Jack Haynes pinned The Iron Sheik after a small package. Harley Race beat George Steele by disqualification after Steele rammed Race into one of the golf carts at ringside. Don Muraco and Roddy Piper wrestled to a twenty minute time limit draw, eliminating both men. Nikolai Volkoff pinned Dan Spivey. Junkyard Dog beat Paul Orndorff by disqualification after Orndorff attacked the Referee. Pedro Morales pinned Rudy Diamond who was substituting for Bob Orton.

There were three matches in the quarter-final round; Race received a bye due to the first round Muraco-Piper match ending in a time limit draw. Billy Jack Haynes beat Mr. X with a full nelson. Mr X was a substitute for Hercules Hernandez. Nikolai Volkoff beat Junkyard Dog after Dog submitted to a bearhug. In the final quarterfinal match, Morales pinned Mike Rotunda after Rotunda performed a back suplex from the top rope on Morales but Rotunda's shoulders were on the mat.

In the first semi-final match, Race beat Haynes, when Haynes was counted out while applying the full nelson on Race while on the outside of the ring on the apron. The other match saw Morales defeat Volkoff, after Morales broke free and reversed a bearhug into a small package for the pin.

In the final, Race pinned Morales after he superplexed Morales back into the ring.

Aftermath

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Following the event, Race began referring to himself as "King" Harley Race, approaching the ring in a crown and cape, to the ceremonial accompaniment of the Tenth Movement (known as "The Great Gates of Kiev") of Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky. After winning a match, Race would command his defeated opponent to bow and kneel before him; his manager, Bobby Heenan, would assist by grabbing the opponent's hair and forcing them to bow before Race. [5][6]

Results

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No.Results[1]StipulationsTimes[7]
1Don Muraco (with Mr. Fuji) vs. Roddy Piper ended in a time limit drawKing of the Ring tournament first round match20:00
2Harley Race defeated George Steele by disqualificationKing of the Ring tournament first round match7:42
3Billy Jack Haynes defeated The Iron SheikKing of the Ring tournament first round match10:30
4Nikolai Volkoff defeated Dan SpiveyKing of the Ring tournament first round match6:08
5Junkyard Dog defeated Paul Orndorff by disqualificationKing of the Ring tournament first round match13:26
6Pedro Morales defeated Rudy DiamondKing of the Ring tournament first round match3:06
7Billy Jack Haynes defeated Mr. XKing of the Ring tournament quarter-final match00:59
8Nikolai Volkoff defeated Junkyard DogKing of the Ring tournament quarter-final match11:16
9Pedro Morales defeated Mike RotundaKing of the Ring tournament quarter-final match10:00
10Harley Race defeated Billy Jack Haynes by count-outKing of the Ring tournament semi-final match12:30
11Pedro Morales defeated Nikolai VolkoffKing of the Ring tournament semi-final match11:44
12Bruno Sammartino defeated The Designated HitmanSingles match8:17
13Harley Race defeated Pedro MoralesKing of the Ring tournament final match10:58
14British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) (c) defeated The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) (with Johnny V.) by escaping the cageSteel cage match for the WWF World Tag Team Championship16:56
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Tournament bracket

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First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
            
Mr. X2 00:59
Billy Jack Haynes Sub
Billy Jack Haynes pin
The Iron Sheik 10:30
Billy Jack Haynes 12:30
Harley Race CO
Harley Race DQ
George Steele 7:42
Harley Race  
BYE  
Don Muraco draw
Roddy Piper 20:00
Harley Race PIN
Pedro Morales 10:58
Nikolai Volkoff pin
Dan Spivey 6:08
Nikolai Volkoff Sub
Junkyard Dog 11:16
Junkyard Dog DQ
Paul Orndorff 13:26
Nikolai Volkoff 11:44
Pedro Morales pin
Pedro Morales pin
Rudy Diamond1 3:06
Pedro Morales pin
Mike Rotundo 10:00

1. ^ Rudy Diamond was a substitute for Bob Orton.
2. ^ Mr. X was a substitute for Hercules Hernandez

References

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  1. ^ a b WWF King Of The Ring 1986
  2. ^ Beaston, Erik (August 18, 2019). "WWE King of the Ring: Everything You Need to Know About Historical Tournament". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  3. ^ "WWF @ Foxboro, MA – Sullivan Stadium – July 14, 1986 (12,000)". The History of WWE. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (2006-01-13). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  5. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (2019-08-06). "Harley Race, Wrestler Known as 'King of the Ring,' Dies at 76". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  6. ^ Sumner, Ben (August 1, 2019). "Harley Race, pro wrestling's 'King of the Ring,' dies at 76". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ "WWF King of the Ring '86 at Sullivan Stadium wrestling results – Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved 2019-10-08.