So, we got past WWE In Your House 8 which was just…split in two because of technical difficulties. Now, we’re getting into WWE King of the Ring 1996 in this Into the Vault.
This is one of the significant WWE PPVs of all-time and of 1996. As you probably guessed, it features the iconic “Birth of Austin 3:16” victory speech.
However, how was the show as a whole?
Low-Tier
The second match for WWE King of the Ring 1996 saw Jake “The Snake” Roberts take on Vader. I forget what Jake’s path through the KOTR was supposed to be.
Was it that stretch towards redemption? Is this supposed to be Jake’s Cinderella Man run? I’d have to watch the WWE RAW episodes leading into this.
I simply forget because watching KOTR ‘96 is like watching Star Wars or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. You’ve seen it before but you’re watching for those big moments.
Awful match that ends in a DQ but I don’t reckon it was meant to be good in the first place. Speaking of an awful match, Ultimate Warrior vs. Jerry Lawler just checked in.
Lawler was still heeling it all the way up and doing double duty as color commentator and wrestler. Ultimate Warrior was just still here. Vince paid him so he might as well use him, right?
Now, the KOTR ‘96 finals between Stone Cold and Jake Roberts weren’t meant to be one of the best finals of all time. Hell, Austin wasn’t supposed to win but Triple H was in trouble at the time.
It probably would’ve been difficult for Austin to coax that match out of a 1996 Jake the Snake here. The match was merely meant to continue Austin’s push—which was inevitable at this point.
Mid-Tier
Our first mid-tier match is The Smoking Gunns taking on the Godwinns gain. How many times has this been? I’m sure it’s part of a feud because WWE ran longer feuds then.
Of course, WWE also didn’t have an abundance of teams and it could be another defense of the Tag Titles. At any rate, this wasn’t a trash match.
These teams are familiar with each other and if that feud would’ve been put on simmer as a rivalry, WWE would’ve had a solid tag feud to fall back on.
The company got good at this with the Hardy Boyz-Dudley Boyz-Edge & Christian rivalries.
Ahmed Johnson challenging Goldust for the WWE Intercontinental title was a match that could’ve been exotic-tier. Dustin Rhodes’ 90s work usually impressed. Now, Ahmed…oof.
We’ll just save his assessment for the Wrestling Salvage Yard this weekend, folks. This match would’ve done extremely well on RAW in 1996.
Goldust worked with Johnson well here. It wasn’t the most exciting of matches on WWE King of the Ring 1996 but paired with everything else on the show, it hovers in the middle.
Exotic-Tier
Stone Cold vs. “The Wildman” Marc Mero was a dope match. Austin had been good since the early 1990s and Mero—who debuted at that time—had shown to be a charismatic quick study.
It also helped that the guy was extremely athletic which was a WCW plus at the time. These two jammed together well in this bout.
Honestly, I would’ve loved this as the main event but Austin vs. Jake was necessary as a set up to something greater.
One thing I love is a rivalry/feud like Undertaker vs. Mankind is how absolutely awesome it looked with the production and presentation of the time.
You know, something you’ll see a match now and think “I can only imagine this with an Attitude Era crowd.” With me, it’s “I can only imagine this with 90s wrestling presentation.”
The action itself makes this extremely enjoyable match worth checking out.
Shawn Michaels defended his WWE World Championship against The British Bulldog. Corny and Mrs. British Bulldog are in Bulldog’s corner while HBK has his trainer Jose Lothario in his.
During this time, we had this storyline where HBK was accused of hitting on Diana Hart, the Bulldog’s wife.
This was basically the storyline. The World Championship is there because Michaels defeated Bret at WrestleMania XII.
This is one of those WWE match-ups that look great on paper for the 90s but could go in the opposite direction in action.
Fortunately, it turned out well! You had some lulls in action but nothing that just slowed thing to a crawl. That said, this could’ve been about five minutes shorter.
WWE King of the Ring 1996 Verdict: Mid-Tier (6/10)
The low-tier matches aside, this wasn’t a particularly bad WWE PPV at all. King of the Ring 1996 ran at an OK pace and had more enjoyable matches than bad bouts.
Those two points make this a digestible show where you’re not forced to pause it because the show is so bad—only to forget about finishing it.
If you’re interested in WWE’s history or 90s wrestling, I’d say watch it for the context. As a show in 1996, it’s far from a trash event but I wouldn’t say it’s a mandatory watch.
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