Ahmed Johnson was recognized as the first African-American WWE Intercontinental Champion, and if what he says is true, he would have been WWE World Heavyweight Champion as well.
Ahmed Johnson recently spoke with Michael Morales Torres of Lucha Libre Online to discuss his WWE career and his short stay in WCW afterward. During Johnson’s run back in the 1990s, there were rumors that he was scheduled to become the WWE Champion. When asked about this during the interview, Johnson confirms the rumors, stating he was scheduled to win the WWE Championship from The Undertaker in 1997, but an injury changed those plans:
“Yes, I was going to win the title (WWF World Championship) until I got injured,” Johnson said. “But it’s true that I was scheduled to win the title against The Undertaker. Things didn’t fold out. And at end, it is what it is.”
Johnson is referring to a storyline in June of 1997 when he turned on The Undertaker and joined The Nation of Domination. Johnson was scheduled to wrestle The Undertaker for the WWE Championship at Canadian Stampede. However, an injury to Johnson saw Vader get the pay-per-view spot with The Deadman instead.
While they never got that big title match, Johnson enjoyed working with The Undertaker and had nothing but praise for the future WWE Hall of Famer:
“The Undertaker, he can’t be matched,” Johnson said. “As far as his movements, and the way he performed in the ring. Nobody better than him”.
Do you believe Ahmed Johnson’s story that he was almost WWE Champion? Or do you think this is simply another tall tale? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
