"It was an honor for him to wrestle me" - WWE veteran details his relationship with Stone Cold Steve Austin
Former Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock recently spoke about working with WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin, disclosing their relationship during his time in the company.
The World's Most Dangerous Man debuted in WWE in 1997. He spent about two years as an active in-ring competitor, during which he held the Intercontinental Title and the Tag Team Championship alongside Big Boss Man. He also won the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. However, Shamrock left the company in 1999 to continue his MMA career.
Shamrock shared the ring a few times with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Speaking to Wrestling Shoot Interviews, he addressed working with the Texas Rattlesnake, disclosing that Austin felt comfortable with him.
"I thought he [Steve Austin] felt real comfortable with me. I felt like he was already in a position at that point where his role was, he was the guy, period. And me going in there [RAW main event match against Austin in 1998], obviously he had a tremendous amount of respect for me. And I think in his own mind it was like, it was an honor for him to wrestle me in this stage because of who I was. It was a feather in his cap per se," said Shamrock. [From 1:36 to 1:58]
Shamrock also stated that he felt it was "awesome" to get in the ring with the WWE Hall of Famer. Meanwhile, he believes Austin felt the same.
"So, when we went in there and did that, we had a tremendous amount of respect for each other. And I had a tremendous amount of respect for him on what he was able to do in pro wrestling. So for me to be in there with him, I was like, 'okay, this is awesome. This is great.' But I think in reverse it was the same with him being in there with me being the original World's Most Dangerous Man and legitamate World's Most Dangerous Man being able to work with me," Shamrock added. [From 1:58 to 2:20]
Ken Shamrock recently recalled UFC legend Don Frye trolling him for dating a 19-year-old WWE Diva. Check out his comments here.
Why did Ken Shamrock leave WWE?
Despite winning two championships and becoming King of the Ring in less than two years, Ken Shamrock decided to depart WWE. In a recent interview with VLAD TV, the 58-year-old revealed that he left because he felt the company did not know what to do with him.
Shamrock disclosed that he had trust issues with the company during his last days there.
"For me to stay there and just be second fiddle when I could go and do something and be first fiddle, especially with how I was able to draw and bring in crowds, and make more money, I felt like I could do that better in the Mixed Martial Arts world because it came back. So that's when I decided like if they're not going to use me and really put me in anything that's serious then I'm gonna move on. [...] And it was always in the back of my head too that it was different there too because that trust was kinda broken," he explained. [From 5:04 to 5:43]
Ken Shamrock thinks his push ended due to his friendship with a WWE Hall of Famer. Check out his comments here.
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