10 Fascinating WWE King Of The Ring 1994 Facts
5. It Marked The Final Pay-Per-View For Joey Marella
Next to the likes of Earl Hebner, Mike Chioda, and Charles Robinson, Joey Marella is at the top of the list of most prolific WWE referees ever. The boyish Marella, the adopted son of Gorilla Monsoon, officiated such matches as Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant's WrestleMania 3 championship bout, as well as Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith's IC title match at Wembley Stadium in 1992. Marella also worked in his usual capacity at the 1994 King of the Ring, which included officiating the finals between Owen Hart and Razor Ramon.
Two weeks following the pay-per-view, Marella, aged 31, was killed in a car accident on the New Jersey Turnpike while returning home following a series of television tapings. Passenger Harvey Wippleman survived the crash. Wippleman had his seatbelt on, while Marella did not.
Because of the farther reach on the calendar that the tapings had, Marella's last televised appearance was on the August 6, 1994 edition of WWE Superstars, nearly five weeks after his death.