10 Fascinating WWE King Of The Ring 1997 Facts

3. Jerry Lawler Had Appeared At The ECW Arena The Night Before

Triple H King Of The Ring 1997 Resized
WWE.com

The working relationship between WWE and ECW in 1997 produced some truly surreal television, whether it was Paul Heyman, Rob Van Dam, and others showing up on Raw, or WWE-brand performers popping up at ECW events. Lawler had been vocal in his anti-ECW sentiment on WWE television for four months, and would ramp up the acrimony in grand fashion.

ECW held their WrestlePalooza event in Philadelphia's ECW Arena the night before King of the Ring, and it was there that Tommy Dreamer finally vanquished a departing Raven. Seconds after the victory, Dreamer was besieged by a pro-WWE contingent, including Van Dam, Sabu, and a debuting Lawler. The trio laid waste to ECW crusaders among a truly riotous atmosphere.

Van Dam recalls the heat for the intrusion being incredible, and that Lawler got out of the building as soon as the angle was over. Once out of the Arena, Lawler made the 277-mile journey to Providence in order to take part in the King of the Ring tournament.

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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.