[6.0] "This was a solid event that had a lot of average matches and a good match between Angle and McMahon."

[7.0] "Pretty good PPV. King of the Ring is usually a shit fest, but this one actually had some good stuff with Angle and Shane tearing up the place. The main event was good and seeing Booker T and DDP on WWE TV was surreal at the time. A solid good time."

[7.0] "Solid PPV throughout for the most part. The tournament itself was solid msotly serving to fuel two storylines, the Edge and Christian tension and the Shane/Angle feud. The street fight is by far the highlight of the show with everything else on the card being mostly fine. The biggest negative is the whole DDP/Taker angle, since DDP barely got a punch in, that already was a nail in the coffin of the invasion before it officially started. Match ratings Angle vs. Christian (6/10) Rhyno vs. Edge (6/10) Dudleys vs. Kane & Spike (5/10) Angle vs. Edge (6/10) Hardy vs. X-Pac (6/10) Angle vs. Shane (9/10) Austin vs. Benoit vs. Jericho (6/10)"

[7.0] "King of the Ring 2001 serves as one of the better installments into the KOTR series with a series of solid tournament matches, a solid main event, and a MOTY contender. Edge won the whole tournament with two pretty solid matches against Rhyno and Kurt Angle. Kurt Angle may have lost his KOTR final, but he was the MVP of the night, having two solid tournament matches with Christian & Edge and a hellacious street fight with Shane McMahon. Shane put in another gutsy performance, nearly breaking his own neck for the pure love of the game. It's an incredible match, so much so, that it overshadowed the main event. Austin defended the World title against Benoit and Jericho in a solid if formulaic triple threat. Austin escaped with the gold in a match that really got going by the end. Even though Kurt/Shane was the only thing on this show that truly stood out, it was still a really fun and entertaining show the whole way through with no real distinguishing lows to be seen."

[6.0] "Not a bad match on this card, but it is a show that has a few head-scratchers. Kurt/Shane steals the show unquestionably. I think we all know that. The main event is also quite good but too long. Edge/Rhyno's match is my pick for sleeper match of the night. It has to be one of the best matches Rhyno had in the WWF. On the reverse, the Dudleys/Kane match was cold and weird and I don't think many people were really hooked on the King of the Ring. I don't think the tournament was what brought people to the dance this time. Even though Edge's victory was met with a positive reaction, I don't think it gave him the catapult they were looking for. Another absolutely excellent show of 2001 that kept the train moving."

[8.0] "WWF just had a very strong in ring product in 2001 and this was another good example of it. I thought every match on this show was at least good. Sadly the main event wasn't the classic it had the potential to be, but Austin, Benoit and Jericho still had a solid match with a big angle where Booker T made his debut and attacked Austin. The finish was really flat though and Benoit also suffered a serious injury that took him out for a year. Angle vs Shane was the big highlight of the show as their Street Fight was absolutely insane to watch and shockingly brutal. The KOTR tournament was decent with Edge becoming an underdog winner and it's certainly an improvement having it reduced to 3 matches on the card where they actually told a solid story through it and Angle goes the the extra mile for it so Edge and Christian both shine wrestling him as well despite having that brutal match with Shane afterwards. The weakest thing on the show without a doubt was the Undertaker and DDP not actually having a match and instead just having a fight where Taker just dominated the entire thing and DDP was already looking incredibly weak."

[5.0] "An average event, the only truly good match was Shane/Kurt, but the rest is forgettable, Steve/Chris/Chris is unfortunate, the entire match was obvious, even in the time it could be obvious. Jeff/Pac did not cause anything, any emotion. Edge/Kurt is fine, but I would never see this again, knowing that Judgment Day 2002 is much better. Kane-Spike/Dudleys Boyz likes, but it's messy, Edge/Rhyno likes it, it was slow and paused, but remains regular. Kurt/Christian is good, the best Koot match."

[7.0] "Very enjoyable show, though I'm honestly docking an entire point for that HORRID DDP/Undertaker angle that took up way too much of the show. The Angle/Shane match and Angle's whole run this PPV is fantastic and the main event is really good though. Every match was at least watchable."

[9.0] "This is a great ppv throughout all the matches are good with no bad matches the best match is Kurt vs Shane but this show is just awesome to watch."

[6.0] "2001 in WWF has been great so far and even King of the Ring, which has deminished any importance of the tournament lately, couldn't ruin it. The tournament matches were fine and Edge was really looking like a superstar in those, while Angle was the MVP of the whole night. Good bout with Christian, fine match with Edge and a match of the night with Shane in a Street Fight that felt brutal and they suspended disbelief really well there. Other matches were at least acceptable. WWF Tag Title contest had an awful timing from Devon, but the fight itself wasn't bad. Hardy and X-Pac also didn't set the seats on fire, but it was fast-paced and quick. while the main event didn't really use the stipulation very well since one guy was always outside of the ring for a long time, but at least all three guys were over. So an enjoyable PPV with Kurt making everybody and himself look like a superstar."

[6.0] "A solid if not exceptional show - only the Undertaker/DDP stuff they kept returning to was particularly bad but at the same time, only Shane and Kurt's street fight stands out. The tournament itself was one nice and two fairly average matches and KOTR had clearly lost some lustre by then as it was more about advancing the Edge/Christian and Angle/Shane stories. Kane teaming with Spike was fun. Hardy/X-Pac was decent. The street fight was great, that gross bump as Shane's head hits the floor is the lasting image from it but it's still a very good brutal brawl with good character work outside of that. Main event had a neat hook to it of Jericho and Benoit being pitted against each other in a triple threat with the champ, and throughout the show heel Austin was doing his funny paranoid shtick which I enjoyed. The match itself was good and had the debut of Booker T which is cool. One proper standout match, a good if not great main, and a nice opener to accompany the perfectly fine other stuff."

[6.0] "With the exception of the Shane/Kurt match, this show was mostly good but forgettable matches, and the ongoing Taker/DDP angle through the show didn't really work. The actual King Of The Ring tournament felt like an afterthought on its own show, which didn't help. More of a lead in to the Invasion story than a memorable show in its own right."

[7.0] "This was a good show with the MOTN being Angle/Shane by far. Austin/Benoit/Jericho was definitely a good match but went a little bit long and definitely should have been shorter. All of the king of the ring matches were good and the tag team title match was good as well, so nothing here was bad. Matches from best to worst: Shane/Angle ****1/4, Austin/Benoit/Jericho ***1/2, Christian/Angle ***1/4, Edge/Angle ***1/4, Edge/Rhyno ***1/4, X-Pac/Hardy ***, tag title match **1/2"

[7.0] "A very average undercard, but this PPV is of course remembered for Kurt Angle MURDERING Shane McMahon. An incredibly brutal match that still holds up twenty years later. Main event is also very good, but can't help feeling deflated after the Angle match. Would likely be around a 5/10 if not for the Angle match."

[8.0] "This event has a good undercard and King of the Ring Tournament and two great final matches. Kurt Angle vs Shane McMahon is impressive, it has everything it needs. The Three way main event is another good match except for the ending. The tournament this year is better than the previous ones. Another must see in 2001."

[8.0] "The 2001 KOTR was mainly notable for Kurt Angle's story arc through the tournament, leading up to a fantastic street fight clash with Shane O'Mac, a brutal match with several spots we'll never forget. The main event was also good, and the other tournament matches and Tag and Light Heavyweight Title matches were decent if sometimes ushed. There was a lot of silliness from the terrible Undertaker-DDP storyline, but the Invasion overall hadn't quite gone south yet. Overall one of the more memorable KOTR events."

[5.0] "A fine show but pretty bland for the most part with the exception of one match. As usual the commentary was great however the crowd did seem a little more quiet than other PPV's before this. The whole DDP vs Undertaker story going on throughout the show was fine but nothing special, a decent promo by DDP and then a pretty boring brawl segment later on. Angle vs Christian was short and decent with some good booking **1/2. Rhyno vs Edge was alright but pretty dull **1/4. The world tag title match was average, really should have had something better for Intercontinental Champion Kane **. Angle vs Edge was pretty decent and picked up more by the end ***. I expected better from Jeff Hardy vs X-Pac, was a pretty bland match with one obvious botched spot **3/4. Shane vs Angle was MOTN ****1/4. And the main event was good though did have its issues ***1/2. Besides Shane vs Angle and Booker Ts debut appearance this show isn't really worth watching at all in my opinion. Pretty bland."