It should be mentioned that A LOT of game shows premired in syndication in the fall of 1985 (The Price is Right, $100,000 Pyramid, The New Newlywed Game, $ale of the Century, Headline Chasers, Catch Phrase, etc.) Wheel of Fortune had helped knock off some of the older guard of Tic Tac Dough, The Joker's Wild and Family Feud. Many producers thought that this was their chance to get a prime access foothold. The one-two punch of Wheel and Jeopardy proved otherwise.
Probably helps explain why I hardly ever saw many gameshows after 1985-1986, which left me with USA and then eventually old-school GSN for my gameshow fix (reruns more than not but better than nothing). Never expected today's Family Feud to be the one to stop Wheel & Jeopardy's run. In stopping them I mean beat them in ratings, as WoF and Jeopardy are still around & doing very well. I'll never forget being saddened over the end of TTD, TJW, and FF in the mid-80s. Though in my opinion Wink's exit a year after Jack Barry's passing and a year before Cullen's final run and eventual retirement didn't help the legendary Barry/Enright against the Merv Griffin power duo.
I thought $100,000 did well nationwide, but I can't say the same thing in my area. It had replaced FF for about four months before being buried elsewhere in favor of the $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime. I thought that the Jim Lange hit was that (at the time) even before being replaced by Win, Lose, or Draw.
At the end of the day, as mentioned King World was just that. In fact, in my area, Jeopardy & Wheel of Fortune have been on the same spot & channel covering 5 decades (since the 80s into 2020). Personally, I thought the talk shows were surging. Fewer game shows, more Oprah, Donahue, Sally, etc. Not as many first-run gameshows on the networks.
As a result, Bob hosting TPIR instead of Tom Kennedy changes nothing (if not very little). Out of respect, I could see it lasting a little longer, as in another 12 months. For what it's worth, it was Kennedy running the nighttime one (someone I'd consider on the Mount Rushmore of GS hosts), not some unknown individual