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Report: Man who created the WWE King of the Ring concept passes away

Aaron Rift

Eddie Andelman, a longtime Boston sports radio personality and the creator of WWE’s King of the Ring tournament concept, has passed away at the age of 89. His death was announced on Monday in a statement from his sons, Dave, Mike, and Dan.

While Andelman was best known for his work in sports radio, he also played a role in professional wrestling history by partnering with Vince McMahon and WWE to launch the first KOTR tournament in 1985. The inaugural 1985 and 1986 events were held at Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where Andelman owned some of the land.

Although he was not directly involved in the wrestling business, Andelman had a longstanding relationship with the McMahon family and came up with the idea for King of the Ring as a charity event. Proceeds from the tournament were donated to children’s charities, including the Joey Fund and the Jimmy Fund, which support those affected by cystic fibrosis and pediatric cancer.

In a 2022 interview with The Lapsed Fan podcast, Andelman recalled the creation of the tournament and noted that the first event raised more than $100,000…

“I came up with it because I like to do original things. I mean, that’s part of my blood structure. I get a kick out of doing things that nobody’s ever done before. And I thought it would be successful. Vince was into it, and the wrestlers I might add were really into it.”

KOTR began as a non-televised event before eventually becoming a WWE PPV. The first two tournament winners were Don Muraco and Harley Race. In 1985, Andelman also worked with the AWA on the Wrestling for A Cure charity event.

Andelman was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame and was widely known for his work with WEEI, helping establish the foundation for sports talk radio in the Boston market.

Following the news of Andelman’s death, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com shared a tribute on social media…

“So sorry to hear this. I enjoyed several visits on his show over the years. I hope WWE acknowledges this as he was the person who came up with the idea of King of the Ring.”

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