10 Fascinating WWE King Of The Ring 1997 Facts
7. The Tournament Was To Have Played Out Much Differently
The semi-finals of the King of the Ring tournament played out with Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeating Ahmed Johnson and Mankind defeating Jerry Lawler, before the eventual "Triple H" downed Mankind in a violent final match. As it turned out, Johnson was the only one of the four that was originally scheduled to be in the semi-finals.
The Wrestling Observer reports that pay-per-view commercials (the ones run by the cable companies) taped weeks in advance promoted Johnson in a semi-final match with Vader, while on the other side of the bracket, Goldust would've faced Savio Vega. Instead, Vega lost to Mankind in the opening round, while Goldust lost on a cheap finish to Lawler. As for Vader, his circumstances were the biggest facilitator for the overhaul...