Jim Ross Recalls "Missed Opportunity" With WWE Attitude Star
JR agrees with those who thought this Attitude Era name could've been a top, top player.
The legendary Jim Ross has recently put plentiful praise on Ken Shamrock, calling the one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion "underrated" and detailing how WWE "missed an opportunity" when it comes to how Shamrock was used by the company.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast (as per RingsideNews), the subject of Shamrock came up when host Conrad Thompson brought up how the MMA icon could've been positioned as a a top guy and WWE Champion, particularly in the aftermath of the Montreal Screwjob.
Agreeing with Thompson's comments, Ross said:
"I always thought of Kenny as a top guy. He was hard to manage a little bit, but in the beginning he wasn't used to being on the road that much. So he was a great character to build... I have a lot of respect for Kenny and tough guys. We know, God almighty, he had no problem navigating the locker room, 'cause nobody gave him any sh*t."
Continuing on, JR added:
"He was very underrated, in my opinion, in the pro wrestling world. So, we may have missed an opportunity with him, no doubt. I'm with you. If Ken Shamrock had become the champion, as I said, I would have no problem with that. He is believable, his promos were believable because he didn't memorise his lines, so it was some good stuff. I'm a Ken Shamrock fan, was then, still am."
A revolutionary of MMA and the formative years of the UFC, the World's Most Dangerous Man made his WWE bow in 1997, with his first act of note being to serve as the special guest referee in Bret Hart and Steve Austin's beloved WrestleMania 13 bout.
Shamrock would remain with WWE until 1999, and that tenure would see him win the 1998 King of the Ring and have a short Tag Team Title run with the Big Boss Man in addition to Ken's aforementioned 125-day reign as Intercontinental Champion.
While his departure from WWE was largely due to the Georgia native wanting to resume his MMA career, Shamrock would return to the squared circle with the likes of the then-burgeoning NWA: TNA, with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and more recently with IMPACT Wrestling, where he last wrestled in 2021.
Having remained in phenomenal shape in the years since his WWE exit, many have been surprised that Ken Shamrock hasn't returned to WWE in any sort of role in the 23 years that have no passed since that departure. Considering he was only 35 years of age at the time of that exit, it's crazy to think that Shamrock's last ever WWE match was on a September 1999 episode of SmackDown - where he lost to the recently arrived Chris Jericho.