10 Fascinating WWE King Of The Ring 1997 Facts
1. Steve Austin Worked Through Serious Neck Issues
At SummerSlam 1997, Austin would suffer a near-catastrophic neck injury when Owen Hart held him too low on a sitout tombstone. This was far from Austin's first brush with spinal issues that year, as around the time of King of the Ring, retirement was actually a very real option.
According to Dave Meltzer in a Wrestling Observer dated June 9, 1997 (released before the PPV), Austin had apparently been told by a doctor that his existing neck issues could be the start of a more dire problem, and recommended that "Stone Cold" retire. Austin sought a second opinion, which Meltzer reported on a week later. The second doctor said he could continue working, though in considerable pain, and that his problems stemmed from severe erosion of the vertebrae.
By this time, Austin was virtually the most compelling performer on the show. It's difficult to imagine how WWE would have turned out had Austin called it quits after the consulting with the first physician.