Ken Shamrock is one of the biggest names in the history of MMA, and his outbursts have become a stuff of legends. It is famously said that in his prime, no other fighter would confront Ken, for everyone was afraid that he would beat them up and tear them apart. Ken’s contributions to the world of MMA resulted in him being the very first inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame, and he also managed to leave his mark on the professional wrestling industry. Ken was involved in one of the greatest matches in professional wrestling, which resulted in the then WWF taking over WCW, and ushering the new era, which became famous as the Attitude Era when he refereed the bout between Bret Hart and Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13.
But for a good part of the last decade, Ken Shamrock has disappeared from the MMA and pro wrestling scene. My colleague Ratish Menon and I were fortunate to catch up with the legend himself, and discussed about his MMA and pro wrestling careers, along with the current scene in MMA and the WWE. Ken did not hold anything back, and was very candid about what he thought was right and wrong in the UFC and in the WWE. We also discussed why we haven’t seen him for so long, and if he was open to returning to either UFC or the WWE. Below is an excerpt from the interview.
Akhilesh Gannavarapu: With the scale of the rivalry you had with Royce Gracie, would you have liked to have a decisive win or a shot at that with him when the both of you were in your prime?
Ken Shamrock: No doubt. I was still learning and Royce had been doing it his whole life. His father and grandfather were involved with it and I was behind him by 30 years, when we got into it together. I had 2 and a half years of training when I was able to keep up with him and in my opinion, beat him when we fought the second time. I was still learning and getting better and I believe they knew that too when they were not interested in doing a third fight.
Ratish Menon: How close to happening was the third fight between the two of you given the interest factor in the rivalry. If yes, what was the reason for it not happening?
KS: Well, it was never going to happen because the Gracies knew that if we ever fought again, I would beat him. They realized that I understood how they worked and I was able to defend it quite easily and I think that the fight was never going to happen because they had too much money riding on Royce at that time for him to lose to me.
RM: In the present day scene, who are the fighters you enjoy watching the most and who do you think represents the sport’s standing in the world?
KS: Well, I am not going to name anybody only because it isn’t fair and I think there are a lot of great fighters out there. I like a lot of guys, maybe 20 of them who I think could make a mark in MMA. The reason I am not going to mention any names is because that is not the issue. The issue is that, when we were fighting, there were all these big characters like Tank Abbott, my brother Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Kimo. You would look at them and all these guys in those days, all had these different personalities. Even Chuck Liddell, who had a Mohawk, looked like a character out of a game. And today, you look at the guys, they all look the same, all the way down. All of them are great fighters with great potential, but where is the personality? Where are the guys that stand up and be themselves, because this is entertainment! Yeah, it is fighting, but fans of the UFC can go see a fight anywhere, why should they come and see you fight?
AG: When we talk about Ken Shamrock, it’ll be hard to ignore your involvement with the WWE. Many people believe that you joined the WWE in your prime, and weren’t the same once you left the company due to numerous injuries. Any comments on that theory?
KS: Well, I know that I had done a lot of things in the WWE, and there were a lot of things that people saw – and you can count them on two hands – the first time they saw a move done in the ring. You can count them on both hands – what I had done and what I had brought to the organization; a lot of first – time things. I believe that I went to the WWE in my prime, and I did a lot of great things. I believe that I was able to help – not alone – but help pro wrestling to go in a different direction. It became “cool”, and it was called the Attitude Era, and I believe that I was a part of one of the greatest matches involving Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. I believe that the injuries that I’ve had; I went out even after those injuries, and I fought after those injuries in MMA. And I believe that the injuries I’ve had were quite less than the others who were brought back to the WWE, and their injuries were so bad that they couldn’t get out of bed or could barely walk, and they’re still allowed in the ring. So my injuries were no more or no less than theirs.
AG: I’ve been asked this question by a lot of wrestling fans, and I honestly couldn’t find an answer to it. Why haven’t you made an appearance in the WWE after leaving the company in ’99, and do you think the fans can see you one more time on WWE TV in the future?
KS: I would love to, but I wish I had an answer for that. I wish I could tell you that this guy doesn’t like me or these people don’t think I am healthy enough or know they are jealous or they are afraid of me, I don’t know because I have never been told. I have been saying this for years that I would love to give it another shot, having seen other guys go back and do it. I mean, I am not doing anything and I am just sitting around. Of course there is the ministry work that takes up a lot of time, but I am also an athlete and I would love to go back and do that. I have captured a title in every organization that I have been involved with, whether it is MMA or pro wrestling, which is about 7 or 8 different places, except for the world title in the WWE and that is something that is missing from my entourage.
Note: The above is just a short excerpt of the Interview. You can listen to the full interview below.
With Ken willing to return to either UFC or the WWE, it’d be a shame if neither of the organizations approach him offering a role in some capacity. You can follow Ken on Twitter or Facebook, and make sure to listen to the entire conversation.
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