10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Ken Shamrock

9. He Never Lost Cleanly

As a multi-time MMA champion, Ken Shamrock was protected by WWE bookers. There's nothing wrong with that, in and of itself - the company made a big investment in Shamrock, they billed him as "The World's Most Dangerous Man," and they wanted to get the most out of their investment. Still, the fact that WWE never actually gave Shamrock a main event push makes his booking all the more confusing. Shamrock's first title shot came at In Your House: D-Generation X, when he took on reigning champion Shawn Michaels. WWE didn't want Shamrock to win, but they didn't want him to lose, either - the result was a lame disqualification finish. At WrestleMania XIV, Shamrock was disqualified in an Intercontinental Title match with The Rock for refusing to break his Ankle Lock hold after making the champion tap out. Again, there's nothing wrong with protecting a babyface at the expense of heels, but even when Shamrock turned heel, he still never lost cleanly. In the fall of 1998, when both men were the hottest stars in wrestling, even Steve Austin and The Rock couldn't score clean victories over Shamrock. Still. "The World's Most Dangerous Man" was never pushed to the very top of the card, raising logic questions. Perhaps WWE's standpoint was that Shamrock was a "real" fighter, so he should be booked strongly, but all that does is remind fans that the superstars they watch and love are simply pretending.