"He thought I was kidding" - 60-year-old WWE legend comments on taking brutal chair shot from The Rock
A WWE legend recently revealed details about the infamous brutal chair shot he received from The Rock 26 years ago. The name in question is Ken Shamrock. He hasn't appeared on WWE television since his 1999 match against Chris Jericho but has maintained a connection with the sports entertainment juggernaut.
Shamrock and The Brahma Bull's 1998 rivalry over the WWE Intercontinental Championship was a heated one. It played out on weekly episodes of Monday Night RAW and culminated in an epic clash at WrestleMania 14.
On an episode of RAW in March 1998, The World's Most Dangerous Man suffered a devastating chair shot from Dwayne Johnson, a moment that became a defining highlight of his WWE career.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet on INSIGHT, Ken Shamrock recalled when The Great One attempted to hit him with the chair shot during a match. However, the 60-year-old legend wanted to be hit in the face, believing it would be less painful if he saw it coming.
"Everybody keeps looking at that, and they say it over and, oh, man, that must have hurt. For me, it's funny, because it would hurt so much more if I didn't see it coming. Top of the head, back of the head. I wanted it. I was like, bro, 'You were not hitting me in the head, like the top of the head or back of the head. I want you to hit me right in the face.' He's like, 'Shut up.' He thought I was kidding. I was like, 'Bro, come on, man. I'm not taking it to the back of the head or top of the head.' I say, 'If you're gonna swing, you swing for my face, and I'll take care of the rest.' I mean, I literally said that, swing for my face, and I will protect myself," Shamrock said. [H/T: CVV]
Eventually, The Rock agreed to hit him in the face, and the former WWE Intercontinental Champion prepared himself for the impact. The chair shot was delivered, and Shamrock's face was visibly injured. Despite the pain, The World's Most Dangerous Man was satisfied with the authenticity of the match and the impact of the chair shot.
"And he looked at me with this bewildered like, 'Where's the punchline? Where's the joke here?' And I looked, and I said, 'No, I'm serious.' And he's like, 'I'm not doing that.' And I said [then] 'I'm not taking it.' I said swing for my face. I'll protect myself. And he goes, 'You sure?' And I was like, 'Yeah.' And I remember looking right at him in the eyes, and I go, 'You better swing it.' And he says, 'Oh, I'll swing it,"' he added. [H/T: CVV]
Listen to the full episode below:
The Rock's last in-ring WWE match was at WrestleMania 40
On Night 1 of WWE WrestleMania XL, The Final Boss teamed up with his cousin, Roman Reigns, to face the duo of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a tag team match.
WWE fans witnessed The Rock compete between the ropes after over eight years and secure a big win. The second night of The Showcase of The Immortals saw Dwayne Johnson interfere during the Rhodes vs. Reigns title bout since it was a "Bloodline Rules" match.
However, The Undertaker made a shocking appearance to even the odds for The American Nightmare by delivering a Chokeslam to The Rock. On the RAW after WrestleMania, the 52-year-old WWE legend promised that when he made his next return, he would go after Cody Rhodes.
It remains to be seen if The Rock will make a potential comeback in the coming weeks, leading to a storyline for the Survivor Series: WarGames Premium Live Event in November 2024.