WWE Attitude Era Star Ken Shamrock Discusses Relationship With The Rock

Despite dabbling with professional wrestling in the early 1990s, Ken Shamrock would go on to find his greatest success in combat sports as one of the pioneers of mixed martial arts, working for companies like the UFC and Pancrase. However, once he got back into wrestling, he found a home as one of the toughest men on the WWE roster, winning the Intercontinental Championship, and eventually being one of The Rock's first major rivals after his own debut for the company in late 1996.

During a recent Q&A session at the "For the Love of Wrestling" convention in Manchester, England, Shamrock opened up about what it is was like interacting with The Great One. "The Rock was a tremendous individual," Shamrock said. "Not only in the ring was he just unbelievable, but outside the ring man he's a good guy and just somebody that you know you could talk to and that, if he tells you something, he's going to do it. So I built a great relationship with him as were doing–working through our program."

With both of them coming into WWE around the same time, it was inevitable they would be paired together, but Shamrock knew the moment that The Rock had separated himself from the rest of the roster. 

"I was just coming in from this world of mixed martial arts, he was just coming in starting to make his climb," Shamrock said. "Nobody really understood the talent level that he had yet, until they gave him the mic." Shamrock explained that when The Rock started cutting promos, it was game over for everybody as no one was on his level, but to be part of his rise through the wrestling business, Shamrock said he couldn't be more proud of what The Rock has done in wrestling and entertainment as well. Rock even delivered the induction speech for Shamrock when the former Intercontinental Champion was inducted into the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Please credit the original source when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.