King of the Ring (1986)

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.

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]