Bret Hart won the first King of the Ring tournament held as a pay-per-view in 1993.
The 1993 King of the Ring took place on June 13 at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. It was the first edition presented as a standalone pay-per-view rather than simply as a tournament staged during another WWE event.
Hart defeated Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, and Bam Bam Bigelow on the same night. He was originally scheduled to face Jerry Lawler in the final, but Lawler withdrew after an injury. Bigelow replaced him and lost to Hart in the tournament final.
The victory strengthened Hart's position as one of WWE's leading technical wrestlers. The King of the Ring tournament had first been held in 1985, when Don Muraco won. Later winners included Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, and Booker T.