Ken Shamrock Makes Concession About MMA Ambitions While In WWE

Ken Shamrock, who has competed in a total of 47 mixed martial arts matches – winning 28 of those bouts – throughout his career, has opened up about maintaining his MMA ambitions while performing for WWE during the Attitude Era. 

"When I left [MMA] it was more of a necessity," Shamrock told "Ten Count" podcast. "When I got into pro wrestling, I fell in with it, no question. It was awesome. I loved it, I enjoyed it, but it was always in the back of my head that I was going to go back."

Shamrock wound up leaving WWE in 2000, with the former WWE Intercontinental Champion expressing to the "Ten Count" that he wasn't comfortable with how WWE were using him prior to his exit from the company. Ultimately, Shamrock was concerned about his reputation as "The World's Most Dangerous Man" – a nickname he'd built prior to arriving in WWE – after the promotion had booked him to lose a number of matches, which included losing to Chris Jericho in a First Blood match on the September 23 episode of "WWE SmackDown" in 1999; his last match for the company. 

After departing WWE, Shamrock would return to MMA on May 1, 2000, defeating Alexander Otsuka in Japan via knockout in the first round. Shamrock followed this bout up with a TKO victory over Kazuyuki Fujita three months later. The 1998 King of the Ring winner and Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer has made sporadic returns to pro wrestling over the years, and most recently defeated Harry Smith on August 6 at Battleground Championship Wrestling's Turn Up the Heat event. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Ten Count" podcast and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription