King of the Ring (2006)
Encyclopedia
King of the Ring was the seventeenth King of the Ring
tournament produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE). The tournament was held between April 14 and May 21, 2006. It was the second King of the Ring tournament to take place after WWE's brand extension
. However, unlike the previous tournament
(for which both Raw
and SmackDown! brands were eligible), it was exclusive for only the SmackDown brand. The 2006 tournament was the first time the formerly annual event had been held after it was discontinued in 2002. The tournament was won by Booker T
, who began using the ring name "King Booker" for the rest of his WWE career until his return in 2011.
. The quarter-final and semi-final rounds took place on editions of SmackDown! from April 14 to May 12. The final round took place at Judgment Day
.
and Randy Orton
. Angle dominated the earlier part of the match by a series of clotheslines and a Belly To Belly Suplex to Orton. Angle applied an Ankle Lock earlier on in the match but Orton quickly kicked out of the move. Orton gained momentum and attacked Angle's arm and shoulder, injuring them. Orton continued to tear Angle's arm and shoulder until Angle attempted a Sunset Flip and reversed it into an Ankle Lock but Orton did not tap out and worked on Angle's injured arm and shoulder. Angle eventually sent Orton out of the ring. As Orton returned into the ring, Angle performed three German Suplexes and attempted to hit Orton an Olympic Slam, which he calls Angle Slam. Orton countered it into an Inverted Backbreaker. Orton tried to hit Angle a Jumping Cutter, which he calls RKO. Angle blocked the move and applied an Ankle Lock on Orton, forcing him to submit to the hold. After the match, Angle applied two more Ankle Locks on Orton, injuring his ankle in storyline.
The second quarter-final match took place on April 21 edition of SmackDown between Matt Hardy
and Booker T
. The match went back and forth until Booker earned momentum after Hardy missed a Moonsault
. Booker dominated the match until Hardy regained momentum and attempted a Front Facelock into Cutter, which he calls Twist of Fate. Booker reversed by whipping Hardy. Booker's wife and valet Sharmell
pushed the rope down and Hardy fell on the ground. Booker tried to finish Hardy but Hardy hit a Reverse DDT. Booker regained his momentum and hit Hardy a Lifting Side Slam, which he calls Book End. Booker tried to finish the match by attempting a Scissors Kick on Hardy but Hardy avoided the move and hit Booker a Side Slam, which he calls Side Effect. Sharmell joined the ring and distracted the referee
. Hardy tried to hit a Twist of Fate but Booker took advantage of the situation and low blow
ed Hardy to win the match.
The third quarter-final match took place on April 28 edition of SmackDown between Bobby Lashley and Mark Henry
. Lashley used several of his moves to put down Henry but Henry dominated him and easily performed his moves on Lashley. Lashley tried to defeat Henry by attempting an Inverted Front Powerslam, which he called Dominator but Henry reversed the move. In the closing moments of the match, Henry tried to clothesline Lashley but Lashley pulled the ropes down and Henry crashed to the floor. His head crashed on the announce table and Henry was knocked out. He was unable to enter the ring and lost by count-out. As a result, Lashley was awarded the victory. However, after the match, Henry splashed Lashley into the ringpost.
The final quarter-final match took place on May 5 edition of SmackDown between Chris Benoit
and Finlay
. The match went back and forth until Benoit started using his German suplexes on Finlay and attempted to hit a Diving Headbutt on Finlay but Finlay avoided the move. Finlay started throwing weapons into the ring. The referee threw the weapons outside the ring. Finlay took advantage and grabbed his shillelagh
. He tried to hit Benoit with the shillelagh but Benoit avoided the move and sent Finlay outside the ring on the floor. Finlay took the weapon himself outside the ring. The referee caught the shillelagh and began disposing it. Finlay took advantage and hit Benoit a chair shot. Finlay followed by hitting Benoit a Kryptonite Krunch Piledriver, which he calls Celtic Cross for the victory.
title shot against Rey Mysterio. Angle was escorted out of the arena by the security before his scheduled semi-final match against Booker. As a result, Booker was awarded the victory by forfeit and advanced to the final round of the tournament.
The only semi-final match that took place was between Bobby Lashley and Finlay. Finlay and Lashley continued to wrestle each other and performed their moves. Lashley tried to finish the match by attempting a Spear on Finlay. Finlay avoided the move and tossed a chair into the ring. The referee began disposing the chair. Finlay took advantage and grabbed his shillelagh but the referee caught Finlay with it and disposed it. Finlay caught a chair and hit Lashley with it. Finlay tossed the chair outside the ring but when he turned back, Lashley speared him to win the match and advance to the finals of the King of the Ring tournament against Booker T.
between Booker T and Bobby Lashley. Lashley took control early on in the match, until he hit the ringpost with a Shoulder Block attempt. This allowed Booker to take control, although Lashley quickly countered with a Belly To Belly Suplex. Before he could capitalise, however, Sharmell distracted Lashley. After some more back and forth offense, Sharmell caused another distraction, allowing Booker's associate Finlay to interfere in the match and hit Lashley with a shillelagh. Booker then pinned Lashley to win the tournament. Lashley was outraged, however, and speared Booker through a throne to gain some revenge.
were created because of the matches in the King of the Ring tournament. Two of the participants of the tournament, Chris Benoit
and Finlay
were scheduled to a match at Judgment Day
because Finlay cheated to defeat Benoit in their tournament quarter-final match. At Judgment Day, Benoit defeated Finlay by forcing him to tap out to a Crossface, which Benoit called Crippler Crossface.
As a result of winning the 2006 King of the Ring tournament, Booker T
began wrestling under the ring name
"King Booker". Booker had cheated to defeat Bobby Lashley in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament at Judgment Day, which lead to a feud between Lashley and Booker. The two competed in several matches throughout June. Following his feud with Lashley, Booker earned immediate success by winning the World Heavyweight Championship
from Rey Mysterio at The Great American Bash
.
King of the Ring
King of the Ring is a professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by WWE. The tournament was held annually from 1985 to 2002, with the exception of 1990 and 1992, and from 1993 to 2002 the tournament was produced as a pay-per-view event....
tournament produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE). The tournament was held between April 14 and May 21, 2006. It was the second King of the Ring tournament to take place after WWE's brand extension
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
. However, unlike the previous tournament
King of the Ring (2002)
King of the Ring was the tenth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on June 23, 2002 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio...
(for which both Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
and SmackDown! brands were eligible), it was exclusive for only the SmackDown brand. The 2006 tournament was the first time the formerly annual event had been held after it was discontinued in 2002. The tournament was won by Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
, who began using the ring name "King Booker" for the rest of his WWE career until his return in 2011.
Matches
The 2006 King of the Ring tournament was only exclusive for WWE's SmackDown brandWWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
. The quarter-final and semi-final rounds took place on editions of SmackDown! from April 14 to May 12. The final round took place at Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2006)
Judgment Day was the eighth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
.
Quarter-Finals
The first quarter-final match in the 2006 King of the Ring tournament took place on April 14, 2006 edition of SmackDown! between Kurt AngleKurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
and Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
. Angle dominated the earlier part of the match by a series of clotheslines and a Belly To Belly Suplex to Orton. Angle applied an Ankle Lock earlier on in the match but Orton quickly kicked out of the move. Orton gained momentum and attacked Angle's arm and shoulder, injuring them. Orton continued to tear Angle's arm and shoulder until Angle attempted a Sunset Flip and reversed it into an Ankle Lock but Orton did not tap out and worked on Angle's injured arm and shoulder. Angle eventually sent Orton out of the ring. As Orton returned into the ring, Angle performed three German Suplexes and attempted to hit Orton an Olympic Slam, which he calls Angle Slam. Orton countered it into an Inverted Backbreaker. Orton tried to hit Angle a Jumping Cutter, which he calls RKO. Angle blocked the move and applied an Ankle Lock on Orton, forcing him to submit to the hold. After the match, Angle applied two more Ankle Locks on Orton, injuring his ankle in storyline.
The second quarter-final match took place on April 21 edition of SmackDown between Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
. The match went back and forth until Booker earned momentum after Hardy missed a Moonsault
Moonsault
A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. Much of its popularity in American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being used in North America by "Leaping" Lanny Poffo years before Muta came from Japan.In a standard moonsault,...
. Booker dominated the match until Hardy regained momentum and attempted a Front Facelock into Cutter, which he calls Twist of Fate. Booker reversed by whipping Hardy. Booker's wife and valet Sharmell
Sharmell Sullivan
Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman is an American professional wrestling valet and occasional wrestler - the wife of Booker T. She is best known for her work as Queen Sharmell with WWE until her release in 2007. She first came to prominence in the wrestling world as Paisley, a member of the World...
pushed the rope down and Hardy fell on the ground. Booker tried to finish Hardy but Hardy hit a Reverse DDT. Booker regained his momentum and hit Hardy a Lifting Side Slam, which he calls Book End. Booker tried to finish the match by attempting a Scissors Kick on Hardy but Hardy avoided the move and hit Booker a Side Slam, which he calls Side Effect. Sharmell joined the ring and distracted the referee
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
. Hardy tried to hit a Twist of Fate but Booker took advantage of the situation and low blow
Groin attack
A groin attack is an attempt to cause pain to the groin area of one's opponent. The technique can be quickly debilitating, due to the large number of sensitive nerve endings in the penis and testicles of males, as well as the highly innervated vulva of females. A sufficiently powerful blow may...
ed Hardy to win the match.
The third quarter-final match took place on April 28 edition of SmackDown between Bobby Lashley and Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
. Lashley used several of his moves to put down Henry but Henry dominated him and easily performed his moves on Lashley. Lashley tried to defeat Henry by attempting an Inverted Front Powerslam, which he called Dominator but Henry reversed the move. In the closing moments of the match, Henry tried to clothesline Lashley but Lashley pulled the ropes down and Henry crashed to the floor. His head crashed on the announce table and Henry was knocked out. He was unable to enter the ring and lost by count-out. As a result, Lashley was awarded the victory. However, after the match, Henry splashed Lashley into the ringpost.
The final quarter-final match took place on May 5 edition of SmackDown between Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
. The match went back and forth until Benoit started using his German suplexes on Finlay and attempted to hit a Diving Headbutt on Finlay but Finlay avoided the move. Finlay started throwing weapons into the ring. The referee threw the weapons outside the ring. Finlay took advantage and grabbed his shillelagh
Club (weapon)
A club is among the simplest of all weapons. A club is essentially a short staff, or stick, usually made of wood, and wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times....
. He tried to hit Benoit with the shillelagh but Benoit avoided the move and sent Finlay outside the ring on the floor. Finlay took the weapon himself outside the ring. The referee caught the shillelagh and began disposing it. Finlay took advantage and hit Benoit a chair shot. Finlay followed by hitting Benoit a Kryptonite Krunch Piledriver, which he calls Celtic Cross for the victory.
Semi-Finals
The semi-final round of the King of the Ring tournament on May 12, 2006 edition of SmackDown. The first scheduled match was between Kurt Angle and Booker T. Angle suffered injured ribs after being attacked by Mark Henry during his World Heavyweight ChampionshipWorld Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
title shot against Rey Mysterio. Angle was escorted out of the arena by the security before his scheduled semi-final match against Booker. As a result, Booker was awarded the victory by forfeit and advanced to the final round of the tournament.
The only semi-final match that took place was between Bobby Lashley and Finlay. Finlay and Lashley continued to wrestle each other and performed their moves. Lashley tried to finish the match by attempting a Spear on Finlay. Finlay avoided the move and tossed a chair into the ring. The referee began disposing the chair. Finlay took advantage and grabbed his shillelagh but the referee caught Finlay with it and disposed it. Finlay caught a chair and hit Lashley with it. Finlay tossed the chair outside the ring but when he turned back, Lashley speared him to win the match and advance to the finals of the King of the Ring tournament against Booker T.
Finals
The final round of the King of the Ring tournament took place at Judgment DayJudgment Day (2006)
Judgment Day was the eighth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
between Booker T and Bobby Lashley. Lashley took control early on in the match, until he hit the ringpost with a Shoulder Block attempt. This allowed Booker to take control, although Lashley quickly countered with a Belly To Belly Suplex. Before he could capitalise, however, Sharmell distracted Lashley. After some more back and forth offense, Sharmell caused another distraction, allowing Booker's associate Finlay to interfere in the match and hit Lashley with a shillelagh. Booker then pinned Lashley to win the tournament. Lashley was outraged, however, and speared Booker through a throne to gain some revenge.
Aftermath
Many rivalriesFeud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
were created because of the matches in the King of the Ring tournament. Two of the participants of the tournament, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
were scheduled to a match at Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2006)
Judgment Day was the eighth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
because Finlay cheated to defeat Benoit in their tournament quarter-final match. At Judgment Day, Benoit defeated Finlay by forcing him to tap out to a Crossface, which Benoit called Crippler Crossface.
As a result of winning the 2006 King of the Ring tournament, Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
began wrestling under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
"King Booker". Booker had cheated to defeat Bobby Lashley in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament at Judgment Day, which lead to a feud between Lashley and Booker. The two competed in several matches throughout June. Following his feud with Lashley, Booker earned immediate success by winning the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
from Rey Mysterio at The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2006)
The Great American Bash was the third annual Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
.
Locations
| Match | Tournament Round | Date | City | Venue | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt Angle Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion... vs. Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... |
Quarter-Final | April 14, 2006 | Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,... |
Resch Center Resch Center The Resch Center is a 10,200 seat multi-purpose arena, in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.Built in 2002, it is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team, the Green Bay Gamblers ice hockey team, Green Bay Chill and the Green Bay Blizzard arena football teams.The arena... |
SmackDown |
| Booker T Booker Huffman Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World... vs. Matt Hardy Matt Hardy Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... |
Quarter-Final | April 21, 2006 | St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St... |
Savvis Center Scottrade Center Scottrade Center is a 19,150 seat arena located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, opened in 1994. It is the home of the St... |
SmackDown! |
| Bobby Lashley vs. Mark Henry Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic... |
Quarter-Final | April 28, 2006 | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
Wembley Arena Wembley Arena Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:... |
SmackDown! |
| Finlay Dave Finlay David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent... vs. Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide... |
Quarter-Final | May 5, 2006 | Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's... |
U.S. Bank Arena U.S. Bank Arena U.S. Bank Arena is an indoor arena, located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, along the banks of the Ohio River, next to the Great American Ball Park. Completed in September 1975, the arena seats 17,556 people... |
SmackDown! |
| Booker T vs. Kurt Angle | Semi-Final | May 12, 2006 | San Diego, California San Diego, California San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round... |
ipayOne Center | SmackDown! |
| Bobby Lashley vs. Finlay | Semi-Final | May 12, 2006 | San Diego, California | ipayOne Center | SmackDown! |
| Booker T vs. Bobby Lashley | Final | May 21, 2006 | Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data... |
America West Arena | Judgment Day Judgment Day (2006) Judgment Day was the eighth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment... |