"I'm not hitting you in the face" – Ex-WWE star recalls The Rock's reluctant words before risky move
The Rock was initially hesitant about landing a ferocious steel chair shot on Ken Shamrock during a memorable WWE Attitude Era moment.
WWE Superstars often used to hit each other in the head with steel chairs before the dangerous move was banned in 2010. On the March 17, 1998, episode of RAW, Shamrock went a step further when he asked The Rock to swing a chair into his face.
In a VladTV interview, the MMA legend revealed that his former in-ring rival was reluctant to go ahead with the high-risk spot:
"He's like, 'I'm not hitting you in the face,'" Shamrock recalled. "I said, 'No, swing the chair, you're gonna hit me right in the face, and when you swing it, I'll take care of myself.' He's like, 'Are you sure?' I was like, 'Yes, I'm sure, just do it. I don't wanna get hit on the top of the head, I don't wanna get hit in the back, I just wanna see it coming.'" [2:04 – 2:21]
Despite having doubts, the WWE Superstar-turned-Hollywood movie star eventually agreed to the idea. He delivered the chair shot with great force, drawing audible gasps from the crowd.
Did The Rock's steel chair shot hurt Ken Shamrock?
As one of the toughest pro wrestlers of all time, Ken Shamrock had no problem risking potential injury in an attempt to entertain WWE fans.
The Rock really use to violate Ken Shamrock with his chair shots https://t.co/nYlFow2Cau
The 58-year-old reiterated that the steel chair shot was not as painful as it looked:
"I looked at him and I said, 'You better swing it because if you don't, I'm not selling it,'" Shamrock continued. "He looked at me and goes, 'Oh, I'll swing it,' and he swung it! But, again, everybody keeps looking at that chair shot and they're like, 'Oh, that must have hurt.' It didn't. It did not hurt." [2:24 – 2:41]
To this day, the former WWE opponents still get along in real life. In 2020, The Rock inducted Shamrock into the IMPACT/TNA Hall of Fame.
Do you have any favorite memories from Ken Shamrock and The Rock's WWE rivalry? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit VladTV and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.