| King of the Ring | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | June 8, 1997 | ||
| City | Providence, Rhode Island | ||
| Venue | Providence Civic Center | ||
| Attendance | 13,312 | ||
| Buy rate | 144,000[1] | ||
| Tagline(s) | It's Bound to Get Medieval. Brace Yourself. | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| King of the Ring event chronology | |||
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| King of the Ring tournament chronology | |||
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The 1997King of the Ring was the fifth annualKing of the Ringprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) that featured the 11thKing of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 8, 1997, at theProvidence Civic Center inProvidence, Rhode Island.
Themain event was astandard wrestling match for theWWF Championship.The Undertaker defeatedFaarooq to retain the title. Theundercard included the 1997 King of the Ring tournament, which was won byHunter Hearst Helmsley. Other matches on the undercard includedShawn Michaels versusStone Cold Steve Austin,The Hart Foundation (Owen Hart,The British Bulldog, andJim Neidhart) versusSycho Sid andThe Legion of Doom in asix-man tag team match andGoldust versusCrush.
King of the Ring was apay-per-view (PPV) event held annually in June by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) since 1993.[2] The PPV featured theKing of the Ring tournament, asingle-elimination tournament that was established in 1985 and held annually until 1991, with the exception of 1990; these early tournaments were held as special non-televisedhouse shows. The winner of the tournament was crowned "King of the Ring."[3] Unlike the non-televised events, the PPV did not feature all of the tournament's matches. Instead, several of the qualifying matches preceded the event with the final few matches then taking place at the pay-per-view. There were also other matches that took place at the event as it was a traditional three-hour pay-per-view. Considered one of the WWF's "Big Five" PPVs, along with theRoyal Rumble,WrestleMania,SummerSlam, andSurvivor Series, the company's five biggest shows of the year,[4] the 1997 event was the fifth King of the Ring PPV and 11th tournament overall. It was held on June 8, 1997 at theProvidence Civic Center inProvidence, Rhode Island.[5][6]
King of the Ring consisted ofprofessional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds,plots, andstorylines that were played out onRaw Is War—WWF's main television program. Wrestlers portrayed avillain or ahero as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[7]
The pay-per-view event included the annual King of the Ringsingle elimination bracket tournament. The tournament started on the May 12, 1997 episode ofRaw is War, withAhmed Johnson defeatingHunter Hearst Helmsley in the first quarter-final match bydisqualification.[5][8] On the May 19 episode ofRaw is War, Helmsley got another spot in the tournament because he was not properly instructed before his match with Johnson and thus threatened to sue WWF with legal action. He replacedVader, who was originally scheduled to wrestleCrush but had been injured in aNo Holds Barred match againstKen Shamrock atIn Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell. Helmsley defeated Crush and advanced to the semi-finals.[5][9] On the May 26 episode ofRaw is War,Jerry Lawler defeatedGoldust in the third quarter-final match.[5][10] The final quarter-final match was held on the June 2 episode ofRaw is War, asMankind defeatedSavio Vega.[5][11]
The predominantrivalry heading into the event was betweenThe Undertaker andFaarooq over Undertaker'sWWF Championship. On the May 12 episode ofRaw is War, The Undertaker had nearly defeated Faarooq'sNation of Domination teammate Savio Vega in a non-title match until Faarooq interfered and attacked The Undertaker.[8] On the May 31 episode ofShotgun, Faarooq, Crush, and Vega defeated The Undertaker, Mankind, and Vader in asix-man tag team match.[12] It would eventually lead to a title match between Undertaker and Faarooq at King of the Ring. During this period, The Undertaker was once again under the management of Paul Bearer, despite his reluctance. Bearer, who had previously betrayed him, leveraged a hidden secret to manipulate The Undertaker into complying with his demands.
Another predominant rivalry heading into the event was betweenStone Cold Steve Austin andShawn Michaels. On the May 26 episode ofRaw is War, Austin and Michaels defeatedOwen HartandBritish Bulldog to win theWWF Tag Team Championship. However, after the title win, Austin went to fightBret Hart and Michaels was attacked by the rest ofThe Hart Foundation, which created jealousy between the new champions.[10] On the June 2 episode ofRaw is War, Austin and Michaels began fighting each other during a title defense againstthe Legion of Doom (Hawk andAnimal). This led to a match between Austin and Michaels at King of the Ring to determine the captain of the team.[11]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Vince McMahon |
| Jim Ross | |
| Spanish Commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Tito Santana | |
| French Commentators | Ray Rougeau |
| Jean Brassard | |
| Interviewer | Todd Pettengill |
| Dok Hendrix | |
| Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
| Referee | Tim White |
| Jack Doan | |
| Earl Hebner | |
| Mike Chioda |
Before the event aired live on pay-per-view,The Headbangers (Mosh andThrasher) wrestledBart Gunn andJesse James onFree For All. Headbangers hit Gunn with aPowerbomb Diving Leg Drop Combo, which they calledStage Dive and pinned Gunn to win the match.[6]
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As the show began, the semi-final round of the King of the Ring tournament started withHunter Hearst Helmsley taking onAhmed Johnson. Johnson dominated most of the match and had nearly won the match until Helmsley'sfemalebodyguardChyna climbed the apron and distracted Johnson. Helmsley took advantage and hit Johnson with aPedigree for the victory.
In the next semi-final match,Mankind wrestledJerry Lawler. The match occurred outside the ring on many occasions. Lawler tried to finish the match by attempting aPiledriver on Mankind. However, Mankind reversed it into aMandible claw, forcing Lawler to submit to the hold.[5][13]
The third match was betweenGoldust andCrush. During the match, Crush'steammateD'Lo Brown tried to interfere on his behalf by attacking Goldust but was thwarted off. Goldust hit Crush with aDDT andpinned him for the victory.
Next was asix-man tag team match pittingThe Hart Foundation (Owen Hart,The British Bulldog, andJim Neidhart) againstSid andThe Legion of Doom (Hawk andAnimal). Sid tried to finish the match with aPowerbomb on Bulldog. However, Owen Hart, who was the legal man, took advantage and pinned Sid with aSunset Flip for the victory.[13]
The fifth match was the tournament final of the 1997 King of the Ring between Mankind and Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Mankind dominated the match but Chyna's interference in the match prevented Mankind from winning. Helmsley hit Mankind with a Pedigree on the broadcast table outside the ring. As Mankind was trying to get back into the ring, Chyna hit him hard with the scepter. Helmsley threw Mankind into the ring and performed another Pedigree to pin Mankind for the victory. As a result, Helmsley won the 1997 King of the Ring tournament. However, Helmsley broke his King of the Ring crown by smashing it in Mankind's back. After the match,Bret Hart issued an open challenge to any five American wrestlers to wrestle him and his Hart Foundation atIn Your House 16: Canadian Stampede.[5][13]
Next was aSingles match between theWWF Tag Team ChampionsShawn Michaels andStone Cold Steve Austin to determine the team captain. Thereferee was knocked out during the match. Austin hit Michaels with aStone Cold Stunner. He picked up the referee and hit him too with a Stone Cold Stunner. This gave Michaels time to recover and hit Austin with aSweet Chin Music and tried to pin Austin. A second referee came out in the match but instead of counting the pinfall for Michaels, he checked on the first referee. This angered Michaels and he attacked the replacement referee. The third refereeEarl Hebner came in and disqualified both Austin and Michaels for attacking the referees. As a result, the match resulted in a double disqualification but Michaels and Austin continued to fight with each other.[13]
Themain event was betweenThe Undertaker andFaarooq for theWWF Championship. Due to numerous interferences byNation of Domination, Faarooq was able to dominate the match. However, late into the match, Crush andSavio Vega began arguing with each other which distracted Faarooq. Faarooq left the ring to investigate. This gave Undertaker time to regain his momentum. Undertaker hit Faarooq with aTombstone Piledriver, and pinned him to retain the title. After the match, Ahmed Johnson made arun-in and argued with Undertaker. The argument ended with Johnson hitting Undertaker with aPearl River Plunge.[13]
FollowingAhmed Johnson's attack onThe Undertaker at King of the Ring, Johnson and The Undertaker were teamed together for a tag team match againstFaarooq andKama Mustafa on the June 16 episode ofRaw is War. Johnsonturned on The Undertaker during the match, allowing Kama topin The Undertaker for the victory. As a result, Johnson became avillain and ended his rivalry with Faarooq's Nation of Domination by joining thefaction.[14]
After losing theWWF Championship match at King of the Ring due to an argument between his teammates,Crush andSavio Vega, Faarooq fired them from the Nation of Domination and converted it into a faction ofblack wrestlers, leading to a racial gang war as theWhite American Crush formedDisciples of Apocalypse (DOA) and theHispanic Vega formedLos Boricuas. The Nation, DOA, and Los Boricuas battled each other throughout 1997.[15][16][17]
As a result ofHunter Hearst Helmsley defeatingMankind to win the King of the Ring tournament, Mankind and Helmsley feuded with each other for several months.[18][19] After ending his rivalry with Mankind and his alter ego, Dude Love, Helmsley found immediate success by forming the comedic factionD-Generation X withShawn Michaels,Chyna andRick Rude.[20]
| No. | Results[5][6][21] | Stipulations | Times | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1F | The Headbangers (Mosh andThrasher) defeatedBart Gunn andJesse James[6] | Tag team match | 6:10 | ||||
| 2 | Hunter Hearst Helmsley (withChyna) defeatedAhmed Johnson | King of the Ring semi-final match | 7:42 | ||||
| 3 | Mankind defeatedJerry Lawler by submission | King of the Ring semi-final match | 10:24 | ||||
| 4 | Goldust (withMarlena) defeatedCrush (withD'Lo Brown andClarence Mason) | Singles match | 9:56 | ||||
| 5 | The Hart Foundation (Owen Hart,Jim Neidhart andThe British Bulldog) defeatedSycho Sid andThe Legion of Doom (Hawk andAnimal) | Six-man tag team match | 13:37 | ||||
| 6 | Hunter Hearst Helmsley (with Chyna) defeated Mankind | King of the Ring final match | 19:26 | ||||
| 7 | Shawn Michaels vs.Stone Cold Steve Austin ended in a doubledisqualification | Singles match | 22:29 | ||||
| 8 | The Undertaker (c) (withPaul Bearer) defeatedFaarooq (withSavio Vega, D'Lo Brown, Crush and Clarence Mason) | Singles match for theWWF Championship | 13:44 | ||||
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The tournament was held between May 12 and June 8, 1997. The tournament brackets were:
| Quarterfinals (TV) | Semifinals (PPV) | Final (PPV) | ||||||||||||
| Ahmed Johnson | DQ | |||||||||||||
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley | 3:25 | |||||||||||||
| Ahmed Johnson | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley | 7:42 | |||||||||||||
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley1 | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Crush | 18:56 | |||||||||||||
| Hunter Hearst Helmsley | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Mankind | 19:28 | |||||||||||||
| Goldust | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Jerry Lawler | 11:55 | |||||||||||||
| Jerry Lawler | Sub | |||||||||||||
| Mankind | 10:24 | |||||||||||||
| Mankind | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Savio Vega | 14:35 | |||||||||||||
1.^ Helmsley was allowed another spot in the tournament because he was not properly instructed prior to his match with Ahmed Johnson the previous week that he could be eliminated via disqualification and thusthreatened the WWF with legal action; Vader was originally in this spot but sustained a broken nose after his No Holds Barred match withKen Shamrock atIn Your House: A Cold Day in Hell on May 11. This gave Helmsley the opportunity to fill in the vacant space and face Crush. Vader fought Ahmed on the May 26 episode ofRaw Is War for his spot, but lost.[22]
At the time, SummerSlam was one of WWE's "big five" Pay-Per-Views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, King of the Ring, and Survivor Series were the others), ...