WWE's 2021 King of the Ring tournament just finished its first round, and two favorites have emerged who look like shoo-ins for the finals. On Raw, there's the story of Xavier Woods whose lifelong dream is to become King of the Ring. Meanwhile, on SmackDown, Finn Balor appears to be the obvious winner in his match against Sami Zayn. The Underdog from the Underground has a conflict of interest with working shows in Saudi Arabia. Unless that situation changes, Balor appears to have already punched his ticket to Crown Jewel.
There's always a possibility that Jinder Mahal could push Woods out of the tournament. Mahal would fit the mold of the heel King of the Ring winner, but WWE might just go with the feel-good moment instead. And if not Mahal or Zayn, which wrestler will WWE choose to claim the crown?
11 Xavier Woods: The Only Wrestler In The Tournament With A KOTR Backstory
According to Xavier Woods, he's been asking WWE for a KOTR revival since he was signed by the company in 2010. In the years since then, Woods has spoken at length about his love for this legendary tournament. No other wrestler in the 2021 iteration of the KOTR has shown anything resembling Woods' emotional connection.
Woods feels that it's his prophecy to become king. "The Prince" Finn Balor would make for a great king, but he doesn't yearn for the crown as much as Xavier.
10 Finn Balor: Losing Back-To-Back PPVs Would Hurt His Momentum
At last month's pay-per-view, Finn wasn't able to become Universal Champion despite an impressive showing. Losing back-to-back PPVs would hurt the momentum of The Prince. Therefore, maybe it's best for Finn to become a king.
Woods doesn't need a singles run to have a remarkable career with WWE. Meanwhile, Balor's run with the company depends on his success as a singles star. Unlike Xavier Woods, Finn Balor doesn't have the tag team division to fall back on. If Balor can't keep the momentum going as a singles competitor, The Prince risks falling down the card and into irrelevancy.
9 Xavier Woods: Test The Waters With Woods As A Singles Star
The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Big E are very familiar with the singles division, but not Xavier Woods. Xavier was always a charismatic member of the group, but WWE never attempted to make him a singles star. Even before Woods struck gold with The New Day, WWE had introduced him in a tag team role with R-Truth. Wood is the only wrestler in this year's KOTR tournament who has never won a singles title in WWE.
By making Woods the King of the Ring winner, he'd finally get his time to shine on his own. This new role could be used to test the waters for Woods in the singles division. And if King Woods turns out to be a success, he may get a title opportunity that doesn't involve tag team wrestling.
8 Finn Balor: The Prince Becomes King
Finn Balor adopted the Prince moniker during his time with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Starting in April 2006, Fergal Devitt became known as Prince Devitt, a name that would lead him to tremendous success. After his time in NJPW, Devitt became Finn Balor in WWE. Though his current entrance makes reference to his Prince persona.
Balor doesn't have the specific KOTR backstory that Woods has, but he's had a ring name that referenced royalty for almost a decade in Japan. Balor becoming the KOTR winner would be a story of a prince becoming a king.
7 Xavier Woods: Would Create The Greater Feel-Good Moment
Out of all the other competitors, Xavier Woods clearly has the biggest emotional connection to the tournament. This then raises the potential for a phenomenal feel-good moment once Woods finally becomes King of the Ring. Fans would react positively if Balor wins it as well, but he just doesn't want the crown as badly as Xavier.
Unlike Balor, Xavier Woods has never achieved a significant moment as a singles wrestler on pay-per-view. And winning KOTR is an achievement that Woods has wanted all throughout his career. Winning this tournament would be a bigger moment for Woods than it would be for Balor, who has already achieved plenty as a singles act.
6 Finn Balor: Defeating Woods Could Start A Feud With The WWE Champion
If Woods defeats Mahal, and Balor defeats Zayn, Crown Jewel would feature Xavier vs Finn. And if Balor defeats Woods for the crown, he's basically preventing this New Day member from achieving his dream of becoming King of the Ring. Big E may or may not be resentful towards Balor for that outcome. But with Balor having a victory over one New Day member, what's stopping him from stepping up and challenging a close ally of Woods who's now WWE Champion?
A victory over Woods in the KOTR tournament could open up a pathway for King Balor's WWE Championship aspirations. Balor doesn't necessarily have to become a villain in this scenario, though the king role is traditionally best suited for a heel. A heroic king could work just as well for Balor, but he could also blend his darker persona from NXT into a king gimmick.
5 Xavier Woods: Flopping With The King Role Would Hurt Balor More
There's a chance either Xavier Woods or Finn Balor could flop with the role of a king. However, if Woods flops as KOTR, he could just retreat to the tag team scene alongside Kofi Kingston. Similarly, when Billy Gunn flopped as KOTR, he had The New Age Outlaws, DX, and his tag team credentials to fall back on. But if Balor flops as King of the Ring, he'd end up lost in the shuffle as a singles competitor without a partner to back him up.
Winning the KOTR tournament has failed to elevate stars like Wade Barrett, Ken Shamrock, and Billy Gunn. If Woods flops with the crown, he's still a tag team icon. If Balor falters, he could find himself struggling to find a spot on the card and may become future endeavored.
4 Finn Balor: Bring Heel Balor To The Main Roster
The main roster hasn't experienced a heel Finn Balor. NXT fans were able to see Balor's dark side during his second stint on the roster. WWE can revive the badass villain in Balor by crushing Woods' dreams at Crown Jewel. King Balor could then carry the red brand through the rest of 2021 as the challenger for Big E's WWE Championship.
As previously mentioned, the king gimmick is typically suited for a heel persona. Rather than being a cartoonish king like many of his predecessors, Balor could create a KOTR character who's just as dark as The Demon.
3 Xavier Woods: One Step Closer To Fulfilling The New Day Prophecy
Xavier Woods has mentioned that winning the King of the Ring is part of the prophecy. Though it isn't clear whether he's referencing The New Day Prophecy which closely mirrors the 3MB Prophecy. The prophecies of both factions indicate that each member will become WWE Champion. Although there would be plenty of critics who'd suggest both Woods and Heath Slater are unworthy to ever be WWE Champion, there's still a chance considering the other two members of 3MB went from the bottom of the barrel to becoming world champions.
Big E and Kofi Kingston both have WWE Championship reigns under their belts. With a crown on his head, could Woods follow in their footsteps and fulfill the prophecy?
2 Finn Balor: The Biggest Singles Star Left In The KOTR Tournament
Finn Balor is fresh off of main eventing Extreme Rules with Roman Reigns. Before that, Balor had a lengthy reign as NXT Champion. When it comes to star power in the singles division, no other wrestlers left in the tournament can match Balor. Jinder Mahal is a former WWE Champion, but he hasn't done much since losing the title. Much like Balor, Sami Zayn is a two-time Intercontinental Champion, but Zayn went without gold in 2021 and he's not the first-ever Universal Champion like Balor. In WWE, The New Day's Xavier Woods is a bigger success story than Balor because of his tag team accolades, but as a singles competitor, there is no comparison.
If WWE wants to turn the biggest singles star of the final four into a king, then it has to be Finn Balor.
1 Xavier Woods: WWE Run Was More Consistently Successful Than Anyone Else In The KOTR Final Four
While the other competitors in the KOTR final four have had their stop-and-go pushes, Woods has been consistently successful since The New Day first won gold. Not only does Woods hold the longest tag team title reign in WWE history, but he has held a championship every year since 2015. While maintaining a prominent presence as a long-term star of the tag team division, Woods became an 11-time champion.
Finn Balor certainly has plenty of success to his name, but he didn't come close to becoming the star of WWE's singles division like Woods is to tag team wrestling. Balor's momentum cooled down tremendously after his one-day reign as Universal Champion. Finn is back in a prominent role, but it was a bumpy ride to get there.
When it comes to Jinder Mahal, after becoming WWE Champion, The Modern Day Maharaja regressed to a mid-card role before finding himself in the 24/7 Division. Mahal is back in a mid-card position, but he hasn't won a match on pay-per-view since WrestleMania 34 in 2018.
After being a full-time member of the main roster since 2016, Sami Zayn finally won the Intercontinental Title in 2020. He became NXT Champion in 2014, but he wasn't able to make one successful pay-per-view title defense. Zayn has remained a consistent mid-card presence throughout his main roster run, but he hasn't found consistent success like Woods. It's great to see Zayn feud with Kevin Owens, but it hasn't won him any titles in the company.