"We respect one another" - UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn reflects on rivalry with former Superfight champion Ken Shamrock
Dan Severn recently reflected on his rivalry with former Superfight champion Ken Shamrock as their careers are intertwined for being top fighters during the early years of the UFC and then transitioning to WWE.
The Hall of Famers fought twice in the UFC for the promotion's Superfight championship. 'The World's Most Dangerous Man' earned a first-round submission win to become the inaugural UFC Superfight champion in their first encounter in 1995, while 'The Beast' avenged his loss via split decision the following year to become the new champion.
Meanwhile, Dan Severn took to Instagram, sharing a video of one of their interactions on an episode of WWE Monday Night Raw in 1997. In the video, Shamrock approaches him at the commentary table after his match and the two share mutual respect, shaking hands. He mentioned that despite their rivalry throughout the years, there was respect between them, writing:
"We may not always see eye to eye but we respect one another. This piece is from Raw is War circa 1997."
Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock played an important role in the sport's success in North America during the early years of the promotion and were inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2005 and 2003 respectively.
Dan Severn reveals whether there were any plans for a feud with Ken Shamrock in WWE
Based on their history with each other in the UFC, it would be logical for the WWE to book Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock in a feud together but that wasn't the case.
During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, 'The Beast' revealed that there were no plans for a feud or even a legitimate trilogy fight with 'The World's Most Dangerous Man' during their WWE tenure. He mentioned that despite it appearing as though they were heading in that direction, nothing ever materialized.
He said:
"No, I mean, you would've thought that because Ken [Shamrock] had a professional's [fighting] background, I had a professional's [fighting] background, something would've actually happened in professional wrestling really between the two of us and it really didn't." [33:10 - 33:22]