Indy Wrestling News: Ex-WWE star Ken Shamrock returns to the ring and wins championship gold
What’s the story?
Former WWE Intercontinental champion and UFC Fall of Famer Ken Shamrock, returned to professional wrestling after leaving it behind nearly a decade ago. Shamrock faced Gabriel Wolfe at Battle Championship Wrestling 25.
In case you didn't know…
One of the most iconic names in both the professional wrestling and mixed martial arts world, Ken Shamrock made his WWE debut in February 1997.
Billed as “The World's Most Dangerous Man”, Shamrock had memorable encounters with future WWE Hall of Famers such as Bret Hart, British Bulldog, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels.
Shamrock was known for his explosive grappling and striking inside the ring with the ankle lock as his go-to finisher. During his time under the WWE banner, Shamrock won the 1998 King of the Ring tournament, WWE Intercontinental Championship, and the WWE Tag Team titles with Big Boss Man.
Shamrock left the company in 1999 and hasn’t returned to the WWE since; though he’s been open to have another match against Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and The Rock
Shamrock briefly went to the independent scene before signing a short-term contract with TNA in 2002. Shamrock was the first TNA World champion as he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a Gauntlet for the Gold match. He didn’t keep the title for long as he dropped it to Ron Killings (WWE’s R-Truth) within three months.
Shamrock soon left the company as his contract was only one year and though he returned briefly to TNA back in 2004, “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” left professional wrestling behind thereafter.
Before WWE, Shamrock was kicking ass in mixed martial arts. Once he was finished with the professional wrestling world, Shamrock returned to UFC – which he ultimately went into the Hall of fame in 2003 – and then fought briefly in Bellator MMA.
Shamrock’s final bout was in 2016 against the man he had a draw with 21 years earlier, Royce Gracie. He swiftly lost the bout in the first round via TKO. Shamrock’s fight license was revoked by Texas Combat Sports commission in March 2016 due to failing his pre-fight drug test.
The Heart of the matter
The UFC Hall of famer returned to professional wrestling on Friday at Battle Championship Wrestling 25 against Gabriel Wolfe
Shamrock successfully defeated Wolfe with the ankle lock submission.
Pissed off, Wolfe attempted to blindside Shamrock with his BCW Tag Team Championship, but was unsuccessful. Shamrock then challenged the BCW Tag Team champion to a match for the titles and after a bit of stalling from Wolfe, the match was made official.
With his partner Carlo Cannon, Shamrock was able to fend off Wolfe and Big Cuz and captured the BCW Tag Team championships.
What’s next?
The UFC Hall of Famer winning the BCW Tag Team titles means he'll most likely wrestle once more. Shamrock appeared to have a blast and sounds optimistic about his future in pro wrestling.