Ken Shamrock hasn’t appeared for WWE since 1999 but as an Attitude Era stalwart, he believes there should be a spot waiting for him in the Hall of Fame.
The Attitude Era was rife with mid-card standouts who weren’t given their flowers for the work they undertook during the hottest period in wrestling. While the likes of Steve Blackman, the Holly Cousins, and Raven are among them, Ken Shamrock often dominates this particular conversation.
‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ debuted with the company in February 1997, spending just two years with the company. He believes, though, that this run warrants a Hall of Fame induction, as he told the Universal Wrestling Podcast:
“Of course, I care [about being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame]. I think anybody that does anything at the highest level wants to be recognized for their greatness. It’s out of my control. Obviously, I think I did enough for me to be recognised, especially if you have seen some of the guys that went in there. If you really look at it, I was there for two, two-and-a-half years, and let’s not talk about the length of when I was there, let’s just talk about, did I leave it better than before I left? Did I do things that were everlasting?
Being in the Hall of Fame, you have to be above everything else, the things that you did leave an impression on the organisation forever. Those are things that you look at for Hall of Fame material. Not just winning championships and doing certain things, but did you build the company, did you help make that company become something different for the future? If you look at the stamps that are all over wrestling, it’s Ken Shamrock.
Submission holds, I brought those in. I mixed them in with pro wrestling and now everybody is doing it. If you’re looking at it and you want to figure out whether or not I do or don’t belong, those are the things you look at. I look at and say, ‘Absolutely, I belong in there.’ Again, it’s out of my control. Those are things I can’t control.
I was already inducted into other Halls of Fame for things that I have done, I’m very proud of that, but if I don’t get into WWE [Hall of Fame], it’s not something I’m going to lose sleep over. I see it as something important, but those are decisions that I cannot control, and therefore I have to move on and do other things to make sure my legacy and life and family are left in a better place.”
During his WWE career, Ken Shamrock held both the Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships, alongside winning the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. The ex-UFC fighter was presented as a legitimate threat in the company, competing in Lion’s Den matches, and regularly scrapping with fellow hard-hitting stars.
Most recently, Shamrock was featured in IMPACT Wrestling, a run that concluded in early 2021. During this time, he feuded with Sami Callihan and Moose, and was inducted into the IMPACT Hall of Fame. The inaugural UFC Superfight Champion was also the first inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame, being the only performer in both the IMPACT and UFC Halls.