horrorfan_1986

When it comes to the King of the Ring, generally, you're either going to get a wrestler who uses the KOTR as a major stepping stone to eventually becoming a main eventer or you get a push, but you end up being a massive failure.

Steve Austin, Triple H, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar are probably the most successful KOTR's ever. In two years or less, each would win the WWE World Championship. In fact, all of them would win the title numerous times and for at least a time was a major part of the company. Then there's someone like Edge who was looking like he was going to be in said company, but an injury delayed that push. I should note that I didn't include Bret Hart or Booker T seeing how they had already been World Champions and main eventers. So for them, the KOTR only helped them maintain or get back to the main event.

On the flip side, there's the failures. The two main ones being Mabel and Billy Gunn. Both guys did receive a nice little push afterwards. While Mabel got a WWE World Title shot at Summerslam against Diesel, Billy Gunn got to wrestle one of the top guys in The Rock 4 years later. However, unlike the men listed above, the fans reactions just wasn't there, so their push was dropped typically in under 6 months. In fact, neither guy would even be the tiniest bit significant at the start of the new year.

But then there's Ken Shamrock. Shamrock came into the company in 1997 and instantly was a top midcarder. He even got a PPV title shot at In Your House: DX in December. Following that, he was engaged in a long feud with The Rock over the IC title. A few times, Shamrock even won the title, only to have it reversed. Once Shamrock won the KOTR defeating The Rock in the finals, it looked like he had a bright future ahead of himself. He did have some success that year. A couple of months afterwards he finally won the IC title and by the end of the year, he won the tag team titles with the Boss Man. During this time though, he joined up with the Corporation. Unlike many KOTR's, he ended never really getting a major push. With The Rock, Big Show and eventually Triple H, Shamrock was often time a lower member of the faction. On the one year anniversary, he lost to Billy Gunn in the first round of the tournament. Ken Shamrock would leave the company by the end of the summer.

Would you consider Ken Shamrock another KOTR failure like Mabel and Billy Gunn? Or did Shamrock just never got the chance to even attempt to succeed?

__________________

neXus

horrorfan_1986

Thinking about this more, I've reached the conclusion that there were several other elements, some that Ken couldn't even control that really led to such a bland year and eventually leaving.

The main cause I would say was The Rock. It was right around the time of KOTR, that the Rock really started to explode. By September, even though he was still a heel, he was getting massive face reactions. Breakdown 1998 had to be a reality check for the bookers when The Rock was cheered over the always lovable Mankind and Ken Shamrock. Shamrock in fact was booed out of the building while still a face. If you're a booker, do you push the guy who's being booed or do you push the guy who really got himself over and had somehow became the second most popular wrestler?

The second main cause was the Ken Shamrock/Rock feud. Yes, once again, without knowing it, The Rock had an involvement in Shamrock's downfall. These two fought over the IC title for several months. Shamrock was always made to look good and had actually won the title twice at Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania, but with both being reversed. Now, if you're a fan, no matter how strong someone looks, if they keep walking away without the championship, you're going to just lose all hope and stop caring about him. So it was the WWE's poor booking of the feud that caused the fans to slowly stop caring about him.

__________________

Sam

I'm gonna cheat. I'm gonna say that Ken Shamrock was a failure, because he never got the chance to succeed.

Ken Shamrock, should've been the WWE's answer to ECW's Taz in that he should've had a mouthpiece until he could cut those, "I'm gonna annihilate" promos with Taz' confidence and intensity. I'm thinking Don Callis aka ECW's Cyrus would've been great, since he was with the WWE (F) during that timeframe and doing nothing. After King of the Ring '98, Don would've been able to get Shamrock over as a heel, then the WWE (F) should've just fed Shamrock people including: Farooq, jobber, jobber, a very hot (DX) Triple H, jobber, jobber, (backstage attack) jobber, jobber, and then a very dramatic match against Mankind, who coming off the King of the Ring '98 was thought to be indestructible. The match would've been at Fully Loaded '98 and Mankind would've taken a brutal beating at the hands of Shamrock who gets Mankind to the one thing that the Japanese Death Matches, and The Undertaker and Hell in the Cell couldn't do:

Submit.

Callis who's now a more refined version of Bill Alfonso, keeps cutting promo after promo how everybody should be scared of Ken Shamrock--who now sports longer hair, and no UFC gloves--in light of how he's been dominating the scene since KOTR '98. He specifically mentions that Stone Cold Steve Austin (WWF Champion) is especially scared to face Shamrock, because Austin knows that Shamrock could potentially not just take his title, but end his career all in one shot. After the dramatic match with Mankind, fans would buy into it.

Following that formula, Summer Slam '98: Austin vs. Shamrock in Madison Square Garden would've been a waaaay bigger draw than Austin vs. Taker was. One it would've had the big fight atmosphere that Ken Shamrock brought with him from his UFC days, and Austin was hotter than hell during that time frame. They would've had a knockdown, drag-out, "slobberknocker" which the WWF could've reintroduced the old, "Ken Shamrock is his own worse enemy" storyline, where he beats Austin for the WWF Title with the ground and pound, but after the ref rings the bell, he continues anyway, forcing the referee to reverse the decision. Austin gaining a second wind, drops Shamrock and puts him out with the Stunner, and pounds on Shamrock, forcing security to split up the two, and they begin with an Austin/Shamrock angle from August through October.


I think it could've worked.

horrorfan_1986

I really love the whole Ken Shamrock with the Jackyl. I believe the Truth Commision had been done for awhile and the Jackyl was no longer with the Oddities, but it was still before being paired with Farooq and Bradshaw. So he was free. I think it had a chance to work, but it's a bit unrealistic to believe that he would of been over enough to main event Summerslam. Undertaker vs Austin was the biggest match of the year. The way that the WWE hyped that match, no match (including Austin vs Michaels) could come close. So idk, maybe instead book him against Kane and finally have someone destroy Kane. With Kane and Mankind having been destroyed by Shamrock, I'd throw Vader (Who was just about on his way out of the company) to Shamrock at Breakdown and Steve Blackman (Showing that Shamrock no longer cared about friends) at Judgment Day. With Shamrock destroying all these wrestlers, he may finally be ready to face Austin at Survivor Series.

__________________

Sam

I think that Summerslam could've been a bigger draw because of how over Shamrock was with the Smart Marks who are always in full force for Garden events.

But to add Kane to Shamrock's list of wrestler's destroyed...genius. I completely bypassed Kane.

horrorfan_1986

I just don't see how Shamrock could of been ready for Summerslam. The guy was booed in almost every arena in the summer of 1998 when he was a face. The fans gave up on him and stopped caring.

Then you have The Undertaker, who was pretty much loved by everyone. Still in 1998, the crowd was almost entirely marks without reading dirtsheets. Besides, smark or mark, everyone loved Taker.

__________________

KenTheKiller

And most still do
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.




Anyway I consider it a failure. Whether it was due to booking or not, to me, Shamrock just didn't have the toolbelt to be a carpenter. He could swing a hammer but he just didn't have any nails. Enough corny references, the point is, Shamrock just wasn't the total package. He was shoved down the fan's throats early on and although decent in the ring, he had no personality and was just plain shit on the mic.

__________________