Ken Shamrock Says His 'Violent' Backstage Behavior Kept Him From Winning WWE Title
Ken Shamrock was pretty high-profile during his time in WWE, which included his crowning as King of the ring in just his second year in its ranks. However, the WWE Championship stayed out of his grasp. Despite challenging both Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart for the WWE Championship, Shamrock never won the top title before leaving the company in 1999. In a "Ten Count" interview, Shamrock revealed what he thinks held him from sitting atop the WWE mountain.
"Well I don't know if I was doing everything right behind the scenes," he said, "The company's gotta depend on you if you're carrying the strap. For me, I had a temper, I was wild. If I go up and I get that strap, can I represent the company properly?"
Shamrock went as far as to say that his temper could have resulted in him hospitalizing somebody. He also expressed how thankful he was that, in spite of his temper and in-ring aggression, he got to share the ring with the likes of The Rock, Hart, Michaels, and Big Van Vader. Though, he did note that a couple of people chose not to wrestle him because of his aggressive style.
With regards to possible conversations about winning the championship, Shamrock said there were never talks backstage about specifically winning or losing. He said talks were always about programs and what they were going to build towards. "I already knew going in, that in order for you to be able to reach a certain status, you've gotta be able to give a little bit," he said, "when it's your time to take, you get your opportunity to take and you make the most of it. I didn't go in with any delusional thoughts."