Ken Shamrock’s transition from the world of MMA to WWE in 1997 was unprecedented. During an appearance on Wrestling Life with Ben Veal, Shamrock credited one man for helping him find the character that defined his run: Bret Hart.
‘I’m Not A Pro Wrestler’
Shamrock, who had trained with Hart in Calgary, explained how “The Hitman” helped him understand how to present himself to the WWE audience.
“Yeah, and I credit a lot of my understanding of the character in which I was supposed to be. I credit a lot of that to Bret helped me understand that I’m not a pro wrestler, and they brought me in as this world’s most dangerous man, and to go out there and do hip tosses and leap frogs and these things. That’s just not me. That’s not who they brought me in for.”
‘Submitting Guys’
Shamrock noted that Hart helped him focus on the style that made him a star in the UFC, which allowed him to become comfortable in this new environment.
“They brought me in for what I was famous for, and that was submitting guys. And so after I understood that and was able to implement those different types of holds into it, I was able to actually start feeling comfortable. But like said, with the friendship I had with Bret and all the other guys that really bond together to help me.”
Developing Friendships
That spirit of collaboration and trust, starting with Hart, allowed Shamrock to build relationships with other top stars like The Rock and Stone Cold.
“Whenever I got into a match with somebody, I would always ask them, What do you think we should do? I know I got to keep to my thing. I know that some of the stuff is so unfamiliar with a lot of them that a lot of times I just did it, like I took them down, or I do whatever I did. I just got in the hold and then, and then they would do what they naturally would do to fight, to get out of it, and, and that’s kind of how the matches went.”
“And, I was very fortunate, like I said, to develop friendships, not only with Bret, but with Stone Cold and the Rock, and I mean, I can name John, Michael, all of them that I was able to go in the ring with. I was able to develop a friendship through being able to work on matches and understanding the psychology of it, and understanding how things were able to go when you do those kinds of things with people, you start developing relationships and friendships with them, and I was fortunate to do that.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Wrestling Life with Ben Veal with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can check out the full interview on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
