[MDPokerAA]

The player with AJ showed his hand face up, so he wins the pot. You can say that the cards hit the muck all you want, but the fact of the matter is that he turned the cards up, other players were able to verify his hand, and the second player in question turned over the losing hand.

UNLESS the player with pocket Kings turned his hand over well after the first players "muck", for example he held his hand long enough for the board and the other player's hand to be in the muck and ready to be shuffled (in which case player B is basically shooting an angle to make sure he wins the pot), then the player with AJ STILL has a right to the pot.

The reason player B could make a case for the pot in the scenario I mentioned is that player A basically gave up the pot even if he knew he had a winner. Essentially, it's harder to prove that player A had a winner because the cards AND the board are in the muck. And, ultimately, player A shouldn't have let it get to that point if he cared about winning the pot to begin with. If he's that embarrased over his top pair, decent kicker, maybe he shouldn't be taking down the pot.

In my opinion, given your explanation, player A should win the pot. If player B were a serious player, he wouldn't get too bent out of shape over the matter. This is the way most casinos would handle it, although it can vary depending on the floorperson in question. Hope this response was cogent and helpful.