Seth Rollins Cesaro WWE
Seth Rollins (L) and Cesaro (R), pictured posing before the WWE show at the Zenith Arena on May 9, 2017 in Lille, will compete in title matches at the Greatest Royal Rumble. PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images

WWE King of the Ring is all set to kick off starting Aug. 19, with 16 wrestlers taking part in the tournament. It will be the first KOTR tournament since 2019 and there are several established stars in the mix such as Kevin Owens, Cesaro, The Miz, Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn.

There are other names in the mix primed for greatness. That includes Ali, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Elias and Andrade. At this point, there is no telling who could end up this year's winner although the WWE storylines could be an indicator.

For starters, it may be best to note the past five WWE King of the Ring winners. Most played a heel role (or went on to become heels) after winning the KOTR title. The list includes:

  1. Brock Lesnar (2002)
  2. Booker T (2006)
  3. William Regal (2008)
  4. Sheamus (2010)
  5. Bad News Barrett (2015)

Could the 2019 winner be a heel character? If so, The Miz, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, Elias and Drew McIntyre could have the inside track. But then again, that does not discount the possibility of seeing a face wrestler getting transformed into a heel after being crowned King of the Ring.

The Miz and Owens are portraying babyface WWE characters right now but the WWE can easily change that in a snap. Another scenario would be to see underdog competitors like Ali, Andrade, Buddy Murphy or Cedric Alexander pulling off a shocker. WWE.com explains the rationale behind these wrestlers possibly coming out on top.

For 2010 WWE King of the Ring winner Sheamus, his money is on Cesaro to win it all. Recently in the Philippines to promote an upcoming WWE event, the Irish professional wrestler was asked on who his bet was for the 2019 KOTR edition.

"King of Swing baby!" said Sheamus during a press conference in Makati, Philippines last August 15, 2019.

Sheamus and Cesaro were partners before the former got sidelined allegedly due to injury. And while they both found a way to get along after initially starting as rivals, he could be on to something. When he was still active, Sheamus and Cesaro formed the bar. But with the Swiss Superman no on Raw and Sheamus on Smackdown, it appears that they have gone separate ways - meaning The Bar is no more.

Regardless, that will not stop Sheamus from rooting for his former tag team partner when the 2019 WWE King of the Ring tournament officially gets underway on the Aug. 19 edition of Monday Night Raw. The finals will be held at Clash of Champions on September 15 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, Cageside Seats reported.

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