Ken Shamrock Recalls Advice WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart Beat Into His Head

A name that routinely comes up as a key figure during WWE's Attitude Era is Ken Shamrock, but it's easy to forget that his run with the company lasted less than three years. Shamrock's brief tenure coincided with a period of immense popularity for professional wrestling as a whole, and both he and his employer made the most of it. "The World's Most Dangerous Man" enjoyed a fairly steady run at the top — or at least near the top — of the card, taking part in several memorable angles and feuds.

Luckily for Shamrock, he had one of the best in the business take an early interest in his success — Bret "The Hitman" Hart. At a recent "For the Love of Wrestling" Q&A, Shamrock talked about a valuable piece of advice Hart gave him early on.

"The one thing that was really beat into my head by Bret Hart was, like, you're a mixed martial arts fighter. Don't come here and be a pro wrestler," Shamrock said.

Although Shamrock never tried to hurt his opponents legitimately, his style did incorporate elements of MMA, which Shamrock confessed took less of a toll on his body than pro wrestling did.

"When you get in there, you start thinking, oh, I'm gonna go in here and roll over and have some fun," Shamrock admitted. "And then you get in there and you start taking bumps day after day after day, and then about six months in, you're going, 'Damn, I feel a lot worse than I ever did fighting.'"

Shamrock hasn't appeared on camera for WWE since late 1999. However, in December 2023, WWE released new merchandise, indicating that the two parties might be working under a Legends deal.