What’s the story?
Veteran pro-wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer was asked on a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, whether the WWE has reached out to Ken Shamrock to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Meltzer opined that the company doesn’t seem too keen on the idea.
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In case you didn’t know...
Ken Shamrock is widely considered as an MMA pioneer, holding the distinction of being the first UFC Superfight champion, besides headlining several high-profile fights in the sport of MMA both in the UFC as well as Pride FC.
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Shamrock has also previously dabbled in pro-wrestling, with the most memorable of his rivalries coming in the WWE against The Rock. He is a former WWF Intercontinental and tag team champion as well as the 1998 King of the Ring.
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The heart of the matter:
Meltzer revealed that the 53-year old Shamrock has reached out to WWE several times, attempting to get back into the mix of things; with the company not showing any interest in him whatsoever.
“Nope. As far as contact, I mean Ken has tried to get in with them several times and they aren’t interested, for whatever reason.”
What’s next?
After a 5-year hiatus from MMA, Ken returned to the sport in 2015 against the late-Kimbo Slice at Bellator 138 and competed once again in 2016 opposite Royce Gracie at Bellator 149, losing both fights by way of TKO (technical knockout).
The World’s Most Dangerous Man also made sporadic appearances for TNA/Impact Wrestling back in 2002 and ’04 but isn’t likely to return to the WWE or Impact anytime soon.
Author’s take
His previous losses dating back to his first against Royce Gracie at UFC 1 notwithstanding, Ken Shamrock’s fall from grace dates back to his loss to Kazuyuki Fujita back in 2000, following which he would go on to get mauled inside the cage against the who’s who of MMA.
His run as a pro-wrestler was decent, however, in today’s day and age of the PG-centric WWE, a volatile personality like Ken Shamrock may not be a good fit, so to speak. Nevertheless, if the WWE can list Donald Trump, albeit, in the celebrity section of its Hall of Fame, they most definitely can accord a spot to Ken Shamrock in the same.
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