Exclusive: UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock looks back on infamous WWE chair shot from The Rock
Ken Shamrock, a UFC Hall of Fame inductee, is widely regarded as a pioneer and icon of the sport. He has headlined more than 15 main events and co-main events in the UFC and Pride FC and has established a number of MMA records.
Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie were instrumental in the UFC's rise to prominence in the 1990s. In the process of influencing the public's conception of what a fight entails, Shamrock garnered widespread attention.
Ken Shamrock was a huge success in professional wrestling in addition to his MMA career, especially during his stint with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). During his tenure with the organization, he has held the titles of Intercontinental Champion and World Tag Team Champion while also being crowned the King of the Ring in 1998.
However, he is also popularly known in the professional wrestling world for taking vicious chair shots from The Rock during a segment on WWE RAW.
The Rock destroys Ken Shamrock with a Steel Chair shot to the skull!!! https://t.co/hJDo7YwCJ1
Ken Shamrock reflected on The Rock's infamous chair shot during an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA and said:
"I hardly felt it. I know it sounded bad and it hit boom!... But man, I'm a fighter. It's like punches hurt more than a chair does. I'm sorry.... but when you get hit on the chin or in the nose as opposed to the forehead... I take a punch to the forehead because you're going to break your hand. I think the same with the chair because the chair's going to break before my forehead."
Shamrock added:
"It did not hurt. It was the first time anybody had ever done that to the face.... I literally told The Rock, 'Man you better bring it, I'll protect myself.' I think the most startling than anything was the way it sounded to me. It felt like a freaking shotgun going off."
Check out Sportskeeda MMA's exclusive interview with Shamrock below:
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Ken Shamrock reflects on working with WWE legend Bret Hart
At WrestleMania 13, Ken Shamrock featured in the legendary match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin. He considers the match to be the catalyst for the groundbreaking "Attitude Era," one of WWE's most successful periods.
Shamrock served as the referee for the blockbuster clash. Hart and Austin used the absence of disqualifications as an opportunity to engage in a violent brawl. Austin lost the bout but won the respect of the crowd by never vocally conceding to Bret's Sharpshooter submission hold. However, Hart, overcome with rage, refused to let go for a while. At that very second, Hart became a heel and Austin a face, forever changing the course of their careers.
Catch the full fight below:
Reflecting on working with Bret Hart in the aforementioned exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Ken Shamrock stated:
"He's [Hart] is a technician. He's a pro's pro. You go in there and he's easy to work with. He's aggressive but I like that and my style is kind of the same... And he's no nonsense either."