10 Fascinating WWE King Of The Ring 1997 Facts

6. Vader's Injuries Took Him Out Of The Tournament

Vader Shamrock.jpg
WWE

Vader's participation in the 1997 King of the Ring tournament would have come four weeks after a high-profile pay-per-view loss to Ken Shamrock at In Your House: A Cold Day in Hell. The bout was contested as a "No Holds Barred" match, a showcase for Shamrock's mixed martial artistry. Naturally, two workers who aren't known for pulling punches unloaded on each other during the course of the 13-minute brawl, with Vader getting the worst of it.

Along with assorted leg injuries, Vader's nose was broken in four places, to go along with a broken septum. The breathing difficulties sidelined "The Mastadon", and necessitated re-inserting Triple H into the tournament, despite losing by disqualification to Ahmed Johnson in round one.

The far-fetched storyline explanation: Helmsley didn't know that a DQ could knock him out of the tournament, and threatened to sue WWE, so they put him back in. Yeah.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.