The Rock Praises Ken Shamrock And Comments On Chair Shot To The Face After Shamrock Interview

By Marc Middleton

As noted earlier this week, entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet recently interviewed UFC Hall of Famer, current Impact Wrestling star and former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock on a number of topics. You can see the full interview below and read highlights at this link.

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Shamrock took several chair shots from The Rock over the years but two have stood out and continue to be topics of discussion today. Shamrock talked to Van Vliet about a brutal chair shot to the face that he took from The Great One during a 1998 RAW episode.

"We were in the back and we were going through some spots," Shamrock recalled. "And we're going to do the chair shot. I didn't like chair shots. I just... I felt like, man... the back was fine, but then they might hit you in the top of the head or the top of the head. I looked at The Rock and I said, 'Hey man, if we do that chair shot, just hit me in the face.' And he just looked at me, and he said, 'I'm not going to hit you in the face.' And I said, 'Dude, hit me in the face, I'll take care of the rest.'"

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Shamrock recalled how the back & forth continued until he threatened to no-sell The Rock.

"He goes, 'Man, I'm not hitting you in the face.' I said, 'Dude, I'm serious.' He looked at me and he said, 'Are you ribbing me?' I said, 'No, I'm serious. Hit me in the face and if you don't swing it, I won't sell it.' He looked at me and goes, 'Well, I'll swing it.' And I said, 'OK!' So, we get in there and he looked at me and said, 'You sure?' I said, 'Dude, trust me!' He said, 'Alright.' So, we get in there and we get to that spot, and he looks at me, and I remember looking up to him, going, 'You better swing it!' And he looked at me and he goes, 'Oh, I will.'"

Shamrock was asked if he suffered any kind of injury in the spot. He talked about taking the shot to the forehead, where he knew he wouldn't get a concussion.

"No, it was a lot easier for me to take that to the forehead," Shamrock said. "Because it didn't hit me directly in the face. So, when he swung it, all I did was tip my chin down and took it right in the forehead. And if you know anything about how your body is, your forehead is the thickest bone in your head. So, instead of taking it to the top of the head or anywhere else, that was the place I knew, when I took it, that I wouldn't get a concussion."

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He continued, "And so, when he swung it, because I didn't want to take something... that I would embarrass myself... [If] somebody eases up on it. And I knew by hitting me in the forehead, I knew he could swing it and I would be OK. And so when he hit me with the chair... whack! And I literally... as I go to go back, I was like, 'Dude, I didn't... I hardly even felt it.' I mean, that's no lie, I'm not lying. God as my witness, he swung that and he 'hitted' me with it, and I literally went, 'Well, that was a lot better than I thought.' As I was rolling backwards and I hit the ground, and I was like, 'Thank God I'm alive.'"

Rock responded to a tweet on the interview and gave props to Van Vliet. He also praised Shamrock and commented on the chair shot to the face.

He wrote, "Great interview, Chris! Watched the whole thing and now I'm late for the gym. @ShamrockKen. always one of my favs. Our big program was the first of my career and always grateful to him for being a stand up guy, beast & businessman. And that sick chair shot. #geeezus"

Shamrock responded, "@TheRock Brother you and me should train together and see who taps out first because we both still got it! You should also have @ChrisVanVliet out to the Iron Paradise for an interview."

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You can see their exchange below along with a few chair shot clips:

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