WWF King Of The Ring Tournament – 1996
May 27 – June 23, 1996
– Qualifying Round
Fayetteville, NC – May 27, 1996
Raw – 6/10/96:
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Skip with a Frankensteiner off the top
Fayetteville, NC – May 27, 1996
Raw – 6/10/96:
Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Yokozuna by using the ropes for leverage after Yoko lost his balance while attempting the Bonzai Drop and fell to the mat; this was the first match in which Owen wore the cast on his arm; moments after the match, Jim Ross interviewed Yoko about the loss, with Yoko expressing the need to clear his mind and rethink things
North Charleston, SC – Coliseum – May 28, 1996
WWF Superstars – 6/9/96:
Savio Vega pinned Marty Jannetty with a spinning heel kick
Fayetteville, NC – May 27, 1996
Raw – 6/3/96:
Steve Austin defeated Bob Holly via submission with the Million $ Dream
Fayetteville, NC – May 27, 1996
Raw – 6/3/96:
Jake Roberts pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the DDT
North Charleston, SC – Coliseum – May 28, 1996
WWF Superstars – 6/2/96:
Justin Bradshaw pinned Henry Godwinn with the lariat
Fayetteville, NC – May 27, 1996
Raw – 5/27/96:
The Ultimate Warrior fought WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) to a double count-out in a non-title match when Goldust tried to leave ringside and was attacked in the aisle by the Warrior; after the bout, Jerry Lawler attempted to retrieve the director’s chair for Marlena but the Warrior grabbed it instead, destroying it in the ring
Fayetteville, NC – May 27, 1996
Raw – 5/27/96:
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Ahmed Johnson at around 11:20 after Owen Hoart, who did guest commentary for the bout, came off the top with a double axe handle, using his arm cast, as Ahmed covered Vader following a spinebuster; Cornette was chased backstage by Ahmed at the 3-minute mark but he returned late in the contest and his distraction allowed Hart to interfere; after the match, Ahmed was taken backstage on a stretcher where he was eventually revived by Goldust, using mouth-to-mouth; moments later, an enraged Ahmed chased through the arena looking for Goldust (Ahmed’s first TV loss)
– Quarter-Finals
Fayetteville, NC – May 27, 1996
Raw – 6/17/96:
KOTR Quarter-Finals: Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega with the Stunner at around 10:30; after the bout, Austin joined the commentary team for the next match (the debut of the Stone Cold Stunner)
Fayetteville, NC – May 27, 1996
Raw – 6/17/96:
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Owen Hart with a reverse victory roll; after the bout, as Mero opened the ropes for Owen to leave, Owen hit Mero with the cast on his arm – knocking him off the apron to the floor and then knocking him out after a second blow
North Charleston, SC – Coliseum – May 28, 1996
WWF Superstars – 6/16/96:
Jake Roberts pinned Justin Bradshaw with the DDT
– Semi-Finals
Steve Austin pinned Marc Mero (w/ Sable) at 16:49 with the Stunner after using an over-the-head throw, dropping Mero throat-first on the top rope; after the match, Austin went to the emergency room and had 16 stitches put in his upper lip; this ended Mero’s undefeated streak
Jake Roberts defeated Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) via disqualification at 3:34 when Vader grabbed the referee and pulled him into Roberts as Roberts hit the DDT; after the match, Vader brutally attacked Roberts, hitting several Vader Bombs, as Cornette held back the referee
– Finals
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts with the Stunner at 4:28; early in the bout, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon came out to check on Roberts, after he had been injured in the semi-finals, and to see if he wanted to go through with the match or give up; Roberts opted to continue; during the coronation speech held immediately after the bout, Austin coined the phrase “Austin 3:16” as an injured Roberts was helped backstage