TIME AND TIME AGAIN he would climb the ladder of contention--only to have the opportunity ripped out of his hands. Finally, he got tired of the injustice and all compassion and fairness aside---something he says he lost touch with the past year.
A RAW MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH KEN took matters into his own hands and away from those who he believed were holding him back. Welcome to the new "Zone" of Ken Shamrock--a world of pain from which some may never return.
EDITOR: What's the difference between the Ken Shamrock who entered the World Wrestling Federation in early 1997 and Ken Shamrock today?
SHAMROCK: Well, I'd say experience. I'm learning how to talk [on the mic], how to explain myself, how to get in the ring day in and day out and take my lumps and come back and perform the same night. I've had a broken foot, busted lungs, and I guess you would call that experience. So, probably the big difference from a year and a half ago and now is the time I've spent in the ring. My skill's are a lot sharper now and as far as I am concerned, I'm the Intercontinental Champion, which was a long time coming. I thought it should have happened a long time ago, but I would say probably because of my inexperience, I wasn't able to knock the Rock off. I had beat him a couple of times, but because of my inexperience it cost me the title. Now I'm changed, and I know how to do things. You may not like the way I do things, but to me the only way to do things is to take matters into your own hands and do it--take charge.
EDITOR: What has been the highlight of your career thus far? Winning the UFC title, the King of the Ring or the Intercontinental Title?
SHAMROCK: They're all different. They all mean the most to me because every one of them has a place in my life as a learning experience. There are steps you have to go through in life to find you niche and where you're going to go in life. So, if it wasn't for the UFC I wouldn't be here. If it wasn't for Japen when I foughtover in Japan for a few years I wouldn't have been in the UFC. So everything has taken a toll and brought me to the point I'm at now. But, of course, each victory that's the most recent is always the sweetest. The one that is probably the most memorable was the first time I won the UFC belt when I choked out Dan Severn. But the Intercontinental Championship is just as satisfying because it has eluded me three or four times wrestling against the Rock. Whereas I'd won the match and had it taken away from me, be it because of not controlling myself or through Rock's antics getting disqualifies or getting me disqualified. It's been a long, hard road, but I'm still here and I'm going to stay.I'll tell you which moment will ne the biggest, and thats when I get in there and wrestle for the World Wrestling Federation Title, because to me that's what I came here for. The Intercontinental Title is a good step, and it meant alot to get it, but it's just another step to the top. To me, I have to climb some more steps in order to get another Federation Title shot, which is fine with me. But eventually I'll get my time and if I have to take it like I'm doing now...I mean, lets face it, The Rock has cahnged to being a fan favorite and the people really like it, but I haven't forgotten the things he's done to me and I've seen the way he's done them. I'm not going to sit around for somebody to tell me what I can and can't do and keep holding me back...because that's all they're doing is holding me back. So, I'm just going to take matters into my own hands.
EDITOR: In your July 1997 interview in the World Wrestling Fereation Magazine you talked about your hardships while growing up. Does that still affect you as much today?
SHAMROCK: I think it all goes along with the same question that you have to take certian steps to get to where you want to be and that all just happened to be dealt to me when I was a young kid. I had to overcome all that. And I can say that probably 95 percent of people wouldn't be able to overcome the type of atmosphere I was in because it wasn't very healthy. I was stabbed when I was 10 years old in a street fight, and I was in juvenile ha;; at 10,11,12,and 13 years old until I was finally adopted by my "dad" who owned a group home. So, I/ve had to overcome a lot of things. I've had to fight to get to where I want to be. Just as I've had to fight to get to where I want to be in the Federation. I see it as no different then when I was a kid and people would hold me back . I'm not going to let them hold me back anymore. I'm going to do the things I've got to do. If someone gets in my way, they're going to have to get whacked with a chair or a trash can. It doesn't matter because it seems to me like thats all I can do against someone like Mankind, because that seems to be the only thing he feels, if he feels that.
EDITOR: If you were to run into Ken Shamrock at age 10, what advice would you have for him?
SHAMROCK: At 10 years old, I don't think you could have said anything to me. What saved me at 10 years old was that I wanted to be important. I had to be the center of attention. I had to be the main attraction. I had to be the best at whatever I did. That drove me. So, whenever I played sports I had to be the best, so I pushed myself. Wrestling, Football, whatever competion it might be---I had to be the best. So, I think that desire in me--and it was something I was born with--drove me. And I remember playing football, I used to just hit people. A guy would be standing around while the ball was bouncing around, and I would just whack him even if he wasn't looking. People say thats a cheapshot, whatever it may be. But if I didn't hear any whistles, it was stil in play. People say thats not the sportsman-like thing to do. But to me, if you're on the football field, just as if you're in a ring wrestling, you better be expecting anything and everything--just as I would.
EDITOR: How do you explain your recent attitude change to teenagers you've helped through troubled lives?
SHAMROCK: Well, I would say to the teenagers that some of the things I am doing in the World Wrestlin Federation I'm doing in the "World Wrestling Federation." I'm doing it to people that as far as I am concerned deserve what they are getting, Ten-,11- or 12-year-old kids: If you're on a football field or wrestling or drawing art, you don't have to have compassion for your opponents. The fact is, you shouldn't have compassion for then at all. You should be wanting to win. You should win however, I mean, if you're going to make it in life...and life is not fair, I can be the first to tell you that because I've gone through it...sometimes you have to take shortcuts. I'm not saying breaking the law or doing drugs--because to me that's a big-time no. I mean, if its withen whatever realm you're in--such as in the football when you hit somebody between the whistle or you happen to take a cheap shot while he's just standing around--well, as far as I'm concerned, he's on the football field and if the whistle hasn't blown yet and he's picking his nose, pick it for him! Same thing in the federation. If these are in my way of whatever I am going for, they'd better be prepared for anything and everything. So, that would be my advice to a kid. I still say, and I've always said, strive to be the best and don't let anyone get in your way or stop you.
EDITOR: Do you think you've alienated some of your fans with your recent attitude and actions?
SHAMROCK: I think the fans have alienated me! People say I've changed and this and that. Well , I have changed. I've become smarter. I've become a smarter fighter--a smarter wrestler, you know. The way I look at it is that I tried to to play Mr Nice Guy, and to get where I was going by trying to please the fans and trying to be a fan favorite. And to me, it's like "What am I really here for? Am I here for the fans or am I here to do what I camee here to do and thats is to be the federation Champ?" And right now, I'm the Intercontinentel Champion and thats one step closer to where I'm going to be. And if the fans don't like the way I got the Intercontinental Title, as far as I a concerned that was just payback for everything else that happened to me before. I've been hit in the face with chairs and brass knuckles, had a foot broken with a chair--what hhappened to those people? I've had stiches in my forehead! What happened to those people? I'll tell you what happened to them. One of them held the Intercontinental title, and that was The Rock. He cheated me out of that belt so many times I can't even count. And what happened? Nothing. He bacame a fan favorite. Well, I'm going to what I've got to do, and if the fans don't like me bacause of it, thats just the way the cookie crumples.
EDITOR: After all the things you went through growing up and all the things you went through in the World Wrestling Federation, do you think you were owed a break?
SHAMROCK: NO. Nobody owes me anything. I'll take what's mine, and I've always done that. I don't expect anything from anybody, and I expect peoplee not to expect anything from me. If you get something from me, be grateful. If you get some advice, or if I happen to turn around and say "hello," be happy. because as far as I am concerned, I don't owe anybody anyting and they don't owe me anything. But I gusrantee you tis--I'll take what I want and I will get what I want.
EDITOR: Would you ever compete in the UFC again if the oppurtunity were to resent itself?
SHAMROCK: Absolutly, I'm a fighter--thats what I am. And I finally realized that's what I have to do here in the Federation. I've gt to fight scratch and crawl, whatever it takes to get to the top. I know there's people here trying to hold me back, and they don't want to see me become the Federation Champion. And I want to try and understand those people that are with me and those people that are against me. And those against me? I'm going to take them down.
EDITOR: Do you think it's easier for UFC fighters to make the transition to professional wrestling compared to athletes in other sports?
SHAMROCK: Well, first of all, nobody else has been able to make the transition like I did. As far as I am concerned, I'm one of the best athletes in the Federation. I know Billy Gunn has been promoted as one of the best athletes in the Federation, but O beg to differ. Billy and I went head to head a couple of times in golf and basketball. I can hit a softball a lot further then he can. I'm faster then he is- I beat him in a race. As far as I am concerned, I'm the best Athlete in the Federation and I was the best athlete in the UFC. I was the master of the octagon. So, I don't think there's anyway that anybody else could make a transition as smooth aas mine. By no means do I mean it was an easy transition because, like I said, I had a broken foot and a busted lung and dozensof stitches in my head. I took my lumps, and I a still here. And I'll remember those people that did that to me. I will get even. I'm not going to sit back and play rookie. I'm a vetern now, and I'm not going to be Mr. Nice Guy.
EDITOR: What was your opinion of the whole concept of the Lions Den Match at SummerSlam?
SHAMROCK: I think they threw that out there, and we didn't have much time to prepare for it. But, you know, I was born in a cage. And if they thought that was going to throw me for a loop, they can see it didn't. I went in there and did what I knew I could do...obviously, maybe I took Owen Hart a little lightly, but thats okay because I rebounded and got the win. But that's my house. Anybody tries to step in my house...to me that's an insult. Those people don't belong there. That's my house--That's where I belong. If anyone's going to fight in it, it should be me.
EDITOR: Regarding your bitter Rivalry with Dan Severn, can you explain how it started and why it continues?
SHAMROCK: Well, Dan Severn tends to run off with his mouth a lot. Back in the UFC I chokes him out in like a minute and 15 seconds or something like that. Prior to that, he walked out of an interview we were conducting for a radio station while I was talking. To me that was a slap in the face before our first fight. So I toldd him that I wasn't just going to beat him, I was going to hurt him. Si I went into that fight and took him out in a minute and 15 seconds. after that, I went into the UFC and fought him a second time and went the distance and they gave him the decision. But evrybody could clearly see that I dominated that fight. Dan Severn wan't there to fight. He came out and danced around the outside of the octagon for 20 minutes. Dan Severn has talked a lot of trash about beating me. As far as I'm concerned, Severn is something I want to settle once and for all.
EDITOR: Have you ever trid working things out with Dan?
SHAMROCK: Dan Severn is a rock. You can't talk to him. He doesn't undrstand anything you say. He thinks he's smart and tries to talk with big words, but he really doesn't know what he's saying. He's an idiot.
EDITOR: I'd like your comments about something that was rumored on the internet. Did you opt not to compete in the Brawl for All because it would mean facing Severn?
SHAMROCK: Well, Tha's kind of funny. I sw Dan Severn enter the Brawl For All and then back out. I've never backed down from a fight in my life, and I think my background proves that. Hell, I've been in knive fights, I've been in gang fights, I've been to juvenile hall--I've had death stare me in the face, And I'm not about to back down from a fight now. The reason I didn't enter the Brawl for All is because to me it was silly. You're handcuffed outting 16-ounce gloves on. I'm a fighter, a bare-knucle fighter. If you want to fight, then just step into the ring and get it on. I don't care about 16-ounce gloves and I don't care about takedowns! What I care about are no-rules. If you want to get on there with me, then throw the rules out.
EDITOR: Following your transition from the UFC to the Federation you had immediate impact here. Dan Severn also came from the UFC. Why do you think the fans haven't appreciated Severn?
SHAMROCK: Because he's a rock. He as no personality, he's dead, he's got a stone face. Like I said, if he;s intelligent, then he's an idiot.
EDITOR: The new World Wrestling Federation "Attitude" is far different from what you experienced in the UFC. Do you see yourself now as a fighter or an entertainer or a mixture of both?
SHAMROCK: When I first came in, I tried to be an entertainer. I tried to be a fan favorite and tried to do certian things that probably weren't me. I'm a fighter, and when I get an opponent down and I ssmell blod I'll finish him. I think that's what I've been lacking. That's why people don't like me, because I will pick up a chair and whack somebody in the head. But as far as I'm concerned that's totally okay now because I've been hit enough times with all kinds of objects. Turnabout is fairplay. Al I'm doing is lashing out with a little revenge. I'm just doing what I do best and what you're seeing now is who I am.
EDITOR: Is there anyone in the business that you look up to professionally or that you'd like to work with in the future?
SHAMROCK: When I was growing up, I had no role models. I had nobody to look up to. I was in and out of juvenile hall and I had to fight for everything pretty much. So, why would it be any different now? I never had one before, why would I have a role model now? Who would I want to face? Whoever ha the damn World Wrestling Federation Title!
EDITOR: In the UFC, were you afaid of killing or permently injuring someone? Is there a line you wouldn't cross?
SHAMROCK: There was no line in the octagon. I did whatever was necessary. If my opponent showed a weekness, I attacked it. If my oponent was bleeding, I hit him harder. That's just who I am. If you see an oppurtunity, you better take it. If you don't you may end up dead. As far as I am concerned, ther was no line drawn. There was no thought about weather OI was going to hurt someone seriously or not. I just went in there and did what I know how to do and that's fight. If my opponent got hurt, that was his faukt--not mine--because he had the oppurtunity to quit anytime he wanted.
EDITOR: Is your new attitude the real Ken Shamrock or is just somebody who wants attention?
SHAMROCK: Well, I said before that when I was younger I had to be the center of attention at whatever I did. I didn't focus on whether or not people liked me. I didn't focus on whether my teammates liked me. I didn't focus on any of that. I focused on being the best and getting out there to win. And to me winning sometimes means you have to cut corners a little bit and get in there and do it. When I came in, Hell, I was being hit with chairs and brass knuckles. What happened to them? Like I said before--nothing. As far as I am concerned, all of this is fair play
EDITOR: Are you happy with where your career is going now and that you've won the Intercontinental Title? And is the feeling that people overlooked you gone?
SHAMROCK: No, I don't think that people overlooked me or that other wrestlers have overlooked me. What I think is that people were afraid that I might Kick Stone Cold Steve Austins Ass, that I might thump on The Rock, or that I might beat the crap out of Mankind. I think they see my potential and that, Yeah, I am a contender and I may be able to beat the crap out of the guys that they like so much. I'm sorry but I'm here to do one thing-- and thats be the best. If you don't like me, tough titty said the kitty.
EDITOR: When all this is said and done, what kind of an athlete would you like to be remembered as? A fan favorite, or the guy who did anything it took to get what he wanted?
SHAMROCK: That's kind of funny you say that. Well, It seems to me that everyone is doing that, so why should it be any different for me? How do I want to be remembered? Well, I think that it is important that I respect myself enough to know that whne I'm finished in the Federation--but, hell, I'm going to be here a long time--that I've done what I have set out to do. And that;s not only to be the World Wrestling Federation Champion, but to be the best there was in the Federation. I have that potential. I fought overseas in bare-knuckle fights, I fought in the United States in bare-knuckle fights, and them I came here and did this. I haven't seen anyone make the transition I have, People have tried, and they are not doing that well. So, I am very proud of myself in that respect. I took my bumps along the way, but I've given back. I think the way I want to be remembered is that I'm satisfied with what I've done here, whether the fans liked me or not. If I'm doing what I need to do to get to where I want to be and they don't like me...so be it.
This was orginally printed in the Jan 1999 Raw magazine. The Editor is nameless so I won't even guess.
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