Joe Kerr
07-03-2004, 12:24 AM
The following is a full transcript of the Ken Shamrock interview segment from WrestleZone Radio for this past Tuesday night, June 29th, 2004. Regular hosts for the show Matt Boone and Ryan Clark were absent this week, so the show was filled in by guest hosts Tim Stein and Jeff Jackson, from the WrestleZone Radio production team. To listen to the audio version of the interview, click here.
Tim Stein: And welcome back to WrestleZone Radio everybody, that's right....the show that owns Tuesday nights. I am your guest host Tim Stein along with your other guest host Jiggalo J-J Sexy and we are back with "The World's Most Dangerous Man", UFC legend and former WWF Superstar - Ken Shamrock! How you doing, Ken?
Ken Shamrock: Good man, I'm doing great. How are you guys?
Tim Stein: We're great.
Ken Shamrock: Right On, right on.
Tim Stein: First off, congratulations on your big win at UFC 48....Payback, is it?
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, thank you very much and it was a big win for me.
Tim Stein: After the show, as everybody knows by now, there was an incident with Tito Ortiz, and things got pretty heated?
Ken Shamrock: [laughing] Yeah. Tito got spanked by Randy Couture, and put on ice by Chuck Liddell in his last two fights, so he's feeling a bit insecure because people aren't paying attention to him. So, he thought he had to jump in a spotlight a little bit.
Tim Stein: Now, some are claiming that there is talk about a rematch between the two of you possibly as soon as UFC 50.
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, I want that to happen. I been wanting that to happen after Kimo and I made it clear that Kimo was another person in my way to get what I want, and that's what I want - Tito Ortiz, in the ring.
Jeff Jackson: Man, I'd like to see that again. That'd be great.
Ken Shamrock: Well, it's gonna happen. It's either going to happen in the ring, or out of the ring, but either way it's gonna happen. He needs to know that.
Tim Stein: I tell ya, I'm absolutely looking forward to that one for sure. Now, Tito Ortiz, Tank Abbott, Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, even Fujita...it seems you want at all of these guys in a bad-bad way.
Ken Shamrock: Yes, I do. You know you go through.....I been doing this for 15 years and as you go through it you meet really a lot of good people and you make good friends, good business relations, you know? But, then there's a few people along the way that you just do not get along with, or someone that you have to settle a score with. I don't know Fujita that well, he seems like a pretty nice guy, but I do have a score to settle with him.
Of course, Tito Ortiz. He's at the top of the list, my hit-list, and he's next. Then, once I settle that, I'll go out and settle the rest of them, but Dan Severn...I don't think that will ever be settled. Just for the fact that he won't ever step in the ring with me.
Jeff Jackson: [laughing] He'll never step in the ring with you?
Ken Shamrock: He will never step in the ring with me. I've tried to put things together before and anytime my name is brought up the promoters go, "Well, he [Severn] just never called us back. What happened?" It's not just one promoter, it's been two or three different promoters. I ask, "what happened?", they say, "who knows, the minute your name gets brought up, he just doesn't call back!"
[Hosts laugh]
Tim Stein: So basically, out of 'em all, Ortiz is the one that you want to get into the octagon with next?
Ken Shamrock: Tito Ortiz. Ortiz is the one I want. You know, the thing is he stands up and talks all this trash about, "am I gonna sign to fight him next?" and "when are you gonna step up?" It's like, "I been stepped up". I'm ready to fight him. I'm ready to fight him right now. The fact is that he wants me to lose weight. He wants me to go 205 [lbs.] again and fight him at 205, when everybody is saying, "why, it's not a title fight. Fight like it's open weight."
Tim Stein: Right..
Ken Shamrock: So, it's basically "I ain't fighting if he don't come down to 205."
Tim Stein: That sounds like a possible "duck" to me.
Jeff Jackson: Yeah, sounds like someone is being a little chicken.
Ken Shamrock: That's okay though, see, because it doesn't matter. If I HAVE to go to 205....I WILL.
Tim Stein: Okay, speaking about UFC, of course they sent out a press release today confirming their television deal with SpikeTV set to debut January 2005. There's been some talk on the internet that you might wind up being a trainer for the show in its' reality format on becoming an "Ultimate Fighter." Any truth to those rumors, and if so, what can you tell us about the UFC getting a national TV deal and maybe what can we expect when it comes to fruition.
Ken Shamrock: Well, I know that they've been talking and doing a lot of stuff with getting a TV deal together. I did hear about the reality show, but I don't know any of the details. I know there was talk of me doing something like you said, but I don't know any details yet. They haven't really sat down and told me anything.
Tim Stein: It's time to switch gears a little bit. This is a show not just about MMA, but also professional wrestling. Let's talk about NWA. Very prestegious wrestling name, those letters "N-W-A" mean a lot and you helped revive them in the form of Total Nonstop Action back in 2002. The company just landed a national TV deal with FOX Sports and they are still running their weekly pay-per views at the same time. Now, what are the chances of you possibly doing something with them? Have you got any news for us?
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, I do actually. I'm going to be flying out tomorrow morning. I'm going down to Nashville and I'm going to be doing a show down their (pay-per view) and then flying out the next day and going to Orlando to do a show there (TV taping). So, they contacted me and it looks like they put all the pieces in the right places to get this thing off the ground and going. They got a great deal going, so now they are the ones that can step up and actually maybe give some competition to the WWF.
Tim Stein: Absolutely man. That would be great.
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, well, you need that. That's how you....you can't really...if you close down the talent, there's nowhere to go. You either work for Vince [McMahon], or you don't work at all, and you know, that's not a good healthy situation.
Tim Stein: Well, it's basically a case of buying out those smaller federations, Vince, without realizing it, maybe cut his own throat at the time, I think.
Ken Shamrock: Well, I don't know if he did that, becase you gotta understand. He may not be getting all the props and pop and all that when there was competition, but he's still getting all the money. He's still getting all the viewers, those people aren't gone. Those people are still watching, you know? They still buy the pay-per views. It's not like he's losing, there's no competition. He's paying, you know, the talent less. You know, his overhead is going down. There's nobody pushing him, there's no help, there's no reason for him to spend a lot of money to make the show better when he's already making it and there's no competition to make him look bad.
Jeff Jackson: That's true. I actually had a question for you Ken. What prompted you to leave [WWF] back in '99?
Ken Shamrock: I was just...I got hurt and I was laid out for a while. They just moved on by me. Didn't renew my contract, so I was free. So, I went out and decided instead of going back into wrestling, I wanted to get a couple more years back into fighting.
Tim Stein: Okay, we're going to be sticking to pro wrestling here for just a couple of more. You've done some stuff with another former UFC champion Josh Barnett. Now, this was in New Japan. Anything else on the horizon in the near future in Japan for Ken Shamrock?
Ken Shamrock: Last time I left them, they signed to get some things going here in the United States, but I haven't heard from them since my last fight. I'm sure they'll get something going. There a more hard style of wrestling.
Tim Stein: One last pro wrestling question here, what's your take on the current WWE product? Now, I read somewhere a while back there was interest in you doing something with Kurt Angle and the "ankle locks" and all of that other fun stuff. What happened with that?
Ken Shamrock: I was just getting ready for a fight so nothing really came from that, but that's something I would definitely love for it to happen. I don't want to go on the circuit though, I don't want to be traveling too much. So, that was one of the reasons why I didn't wanna go back to it, cause it was just too much road time. I got six children, they're all in high-school, and middle school, and elementry, so if I was to leave, I'd probably come home and my clothes would probably be packed and out on the porch. [laughs] That wouldn't be healthy for me! But, I wouldn't mind doing some angles and some pay-per views and stuff with Kurt Angle, it'd be fun.
Jeff Jackson: Oh man, I think you guys would be great together in the ring.
Tim Stein: That'd be really enjoyable actually, you know - "the battle of the ankle locks!"
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, and I actually hear Kurt Angle is training for the Olympics again.
Tim Stein: That was the rumor, I heard about that, yeah.
Ken Shamrock: So, he's getting his game back. Hell, we might even make it a real shoot.
Tim Stein: Now THAT would be interesting.
Ken Shamrock: Yeah! Ankle lock match, but it's a SHOOT!
[everyone laughs]
Tim Stein: Something actually worth watching on SmackDown finally!
[everyone oo's and ahh's]
Jeff Jackson: Low blow, but so true.
Ken Shamrock: Like we said, they got no competition. He's doing what he has to do, and that from what I can see is probably pretty smart business.
Jeff Jackson: My god he put the belt on Bradshaw, how smart is that?
Ken Shamrock: Hey man, he's a stock broker, that might be pretty smart! [laughs] Get them some of them SCOOPS!
[everyone laughs]
Tim Stein: Vernon "Tiger" White is fighting one of the top 205 lb. fighters in the world, "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell. That's coming up at the next UFC isn't it?
Ken Shamrock: Yes it is, August 21st.
Tim Stein: Is Vernon still with the Lion's Den?
Ken Shamrock: Yes he is...
Tim Stein: What's your take on the big challenge in front of him?
Ken Shamrock: I think this is a great fight for Vernon because for one, Vernon has been with me....he was one of my first students and he's fought a lot of top guys in mixed-martial arts and never got any credit at all because it's always on the smaller circuit. He fought over in Japan, he fought in Brazil, he fought in Russia, he fought EVERYWHERE. He's done well too, the last couple years he's done well. He's held the ICW title, he's held the King of the Cage title, he's won three different titles and fought a lot of people. I think this is a great fight for Vernon. For one, he has NOTHING TO LOSE. Nobody knows who he is! Except for the people who have been around the fight world for a long time and "Iceman" has everything to lose because he just had a big win over Tito Ortiz, so all the pressure is on him! I like Vernon's odds in this. I like the way he goes in with no pressure. Tito, err, Chuck is supposed to win, and Vernon is supposed to lose. He's got nothing to lose.
Jeff Jackson: ...I'll be damned.
Tim Stein: Alright, we've had you for a good 20 minutes now so far, we won't keep you too much longer because we know you're a pretty busy guy, but this guy will KILL us if we don't mention it. So, here it is - Larry, over at BoxingInsider.com, wanted us to mention...
Ken Shamrock: Larry Goldberg man, he's my friend, he's a good dude! He runs my website.
Tim Stein: And welcome back to WrestleZone Radio everybody, that's right....the show that owns Tuesday nights. I am your guest host Tim Stein along with your other guest host Jiggalo J-J Sexy and we are back with "The World's Most Dangerous Man", UFC legend and former WWF Superstar - Ken Shamrock! How you doing, Ken?
Ken Shamrock: Good man, I'm doing great. How are you guys?
Tim Stein: We're great.
Ken Shamrock: Right On, right on.
Tim Stein: First off, congratulations on your big win at UFC 48....Payback, is it?
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, thank you very much and it was a big win for me.
Tim Stein: After the show, as everybody knows by now, there was an incident with Tito Ortiz, and things got pretty heated?
Ken Shamrock: [laughing] Yeah. Tito got spanked by Randy Couture, and put on ice by Chuck Liddell in his last two fights, so he's feeling a bit insecure because people aren't paying attention to him. So, he thought he had to jump in a spotlight a little bit.
Tim Stein: Now, some are claiming that there is talk about a rematch between the two of you possibly as soon as UFC 50.
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, I want that to happen. I been wanting that to happen after Kimo and I made it clear that Kimo was another person in my way to get what I want, and that's what I want - Tito Ortiz, in the ring.
Jeff Jackson: Man, I'd like to see that again. That'd be great.
Ken Shamrock: Well, it's gonna happen. It's either going to happen in the ring, or out of the ring, but either way it's gonna happen. He needs to know that.
Tim Stein: I tell ya, I'm absolutely looking forward to that one for sure. Now, Tito Ortiz, Tank Abbott, Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, even Fujita...it seems you want at all of these guys in a bad-bad way.
Ken Shamrock: Yes, I do. You know you go through.....I been doing this for 15 years and as you go through it you meet really a lot of good people and you make good friends, good business relations, you know? But, then there's a few people along the way that you just do not get along with, or someone that you have to settle a score with. I don't know Fujita that well, he seems like a pretty nice guy, but I do have a score to settle with him.
Of course, Tito Ortiz. He's at the top of the list, my hit-list, and he's next. Then, once I settle that, I'll go out and settle the rest of them, but Dan Severn...I don't think that will ever be settled. Just for the fact that he won't ever step in the ring with me.
Jeff Jackson: [laughing] He'll never step in the ring with you?
Ken Shamrock: He will never step in the ring with me. I've tried to put things together before and anytime my name is brought up the promoters go, "Well, he [Severn] just never called us back. What happened?" It's not just one promoter, it's been two or three different promoters. I ask, "what happened?", they say, "who knows, the minute your name gets brought up, he just doesn't call back!"
[Hosts laugh]
Tim Stein: So basically, out of 'em all, Ortiz is the one that you want to get into the octagon with next?
Ken Shamrock: Tito Ortiz. Ortiz is the one I want. You know, the thing is he stands up and talks all this trash about, "am I gonna sign to fight him next?" and "when are you gonna step up?" It's like, "I been stepped up". I'm ready to fight him. I'm ready to fight him right now. The fact is that he wants me to lose weight. He wants me to go 205 [lbs.] again and fight him at 205, when everybody is saying, "why, it's not a title fight. Fight like it's open weight."
Tim Stein: Right..
Ken Shamrock: So, it's basically "I ain't fighting if he don't come down to 205."
Tim Stein: That sounds like a possible "duck" to me.
Jeff Jackson: Yeah, sounds like someone is being a little chicken.
Ken Shamrock: That's okay though, see, because it doesn't matter. If I HAVE to go to 205....I WILL.
Tim Stein: Okay, speaking about UFC, of course they sent out a press release today confirming their television deal with SpikeTV set to debut January 2005. There's been some talk on the internet that you might wind up being a trainer for the show in its' reality format on becoming an "Ultimate Fighter." Any truth to those rumors, and if so, what can you tell us about the UFC getting a national TV deal and maybe what can we expect when it comes to fruition.
Ken Shamrock: Well, I know that they've been talking and doing a lot of stuff with getting a TV deal together. I did hear about the reality show, but I don't know any of the details. I know there was talk of me doing something like you said, but I don't know any details yet. They haven't really sat down and told me anything.
Tim Stein: It's time to switch gears a little bit. This is a show not just about MMA, but also professional wrestling. Let's talk about NWA. Very prestegious wrestling name, those letters "N-W-A" mean a lot and you helped revive them in the form of Total Nonstop Action back in 2002. The company just landed a national TV deal with FOX Sports and they are still running their weekly pay-per views at the same time. Now, what are the chances of you possibly doing something with them? Have you got any news for us?
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, I do actually. I'm going to be flying out tomorrow morning. I'm going down to Nashville and I'm going to be doing a show down their (pay-per view) and then flying out the next day and going to Orlando to do a show there (TV taping). So, they contacted me and it looks like they put all the pieces in the right places to get this thing off the ground and going. They got a great deal going, so now they are the ones that can step up and actually maybe give some competition to the WWF.
Tim Stein: Absolutely man. That would be great.
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, well, you need that. That's how you....you can't really...if you close down the talent, there's nowhere to go. You either work for Vince [McMahon], or you don't work at all, and you know, that's not a good healthy situation.
Tim Stein: Well, it's basically a case of buying out those smaller federations, Vince, without realizing it, maybe cut his own throat at the time, I think.
Ken Shamrock: Well, I don't know if he did that, becase you gotta understand. He may not be getting all the props and pop and all that when there was competition, but he's still getting all the money. He's still getting all the viewers, those people aren't gone. Those people are still watching, you know? They still buy the pay-per views. It's not like he's losing, there's no competition. He's paying, you know, the talent less. You know, his overhead is going down. There's nobody pushing him, there's no help, there's no reason for him to spend a lot of money to make the show better when he's already making it and there's no competition to make him look bad.
Jeff Jackson: That's true. I actually had a question for you Ken. What prompted you to leave [WWF] back in '99?
Ken Shamrock: I was just...I got hurt and I was laid out for a while. They just moved on by me. Didn't renew my contract, so I was free. So, I went out and decided instead of going back into wrestling, I wanted to get a couple more years back into fighting.
Tim Stein: Okay, we're going to be sticking to pro wrestling here for just a couple of more. You've done some stuff with another former UFC champion Josh Barnett. Now, this was in New Japan. Anything else on the horizon in the near future in Japan for Ken Shamrock?
Ken Shamrock: Last time I left them, they signed to get some things going here in the United States, but I haven't heard from them since my last fight. I'm sure they'll get something going. There a more hard style of wrestling.
Tim Stein: One last pro wrestling question here, what's your take on the current WWE product? Now, I read somewhere a while back there was interest in you doing something with Kurt Angle and the "ankle locks" and all of that other fun stuff. What happened with that?
Ken Shamrock: I was just getting ready for a fight so nothing really came from that, but that's something I would definitely love for it to happen. I don't want to go on the circuit though, I don't want to be traveling too much. So, that was one of the reasons why I didn't wanna go back to it, cause it was just too much road time. I got six children, they're all in high-school, and middle school, and elementry, so if I was to leave, I'd probably come home and my clothes would probably be packed and out on the porch. [laughs] That wouldn't be healthy for me! But, I wouldn't mind doing some angles and some pay-per views and stuff with Kurt Angle, it'd be fun.
Jeff Jackson: Oh man, I think you guys would be great together in the ring.
Tim Stein: That'd be really enjoyable actually, you know - "the battle of the ankle locks!"
Ken Shamrock: Yeah, and I actually hear Kurt Angle is training for the Olympics again.
Tim Stein: That was the rumor, I heard about that, yeah.
Ken Shamrock: So, he's getting his game back. Hell, we might even make it a real shoot.
Tim Stein: Now THAT would be interesting.
Ken Shamrock: Yeah! Ankle lock match, but it's a SHOOT!
[everyone laughs]
Tim Stein: Something actually worth watching on SmackDown finally!
[everyone oo's and ahh's]
Jeff Jackson: Low blow, but so true.
Ken Shamrock: Like we said, they got no competition. He's doing what he has to do, and that from what I can see is probably pretty smart business.
Jeff Jackson: My god he put the belt on Bradshaw, how smart is that?
Ken Shamrock: Hey man, he's a stock broker, that might be pretty smart! [laughs] Get them some of them SCOOPS!
[everyone laughs]
Tim Stein: Vernon "Tiger" White is fighting one of the top 205 lb. fighters in the world, "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell. That's coming up at the next UFC isn't it?
Ken Shamrock: Yes it is, August 21st.
Tim Stein: Is Vernon still with the Lion's Den?
Ken Shamrock: Yes he is...
Tim Stein: What's your take on the big challenge in front of him?
Ken Shamrock: I think this is a great fight for Vernon because for one, Vernon has been with me....he was one of my first students and he's fought a lot of top guys in mixed-martial arts and never got any credit at all because it's always on the smaller circuit. He fought over in Japan, he fought in Brazil, he fought in Russia, he fought EVERYWHERE. He's done well too, the last couple years he's done well. He's held the ICW title, he's held the King of the Cage title, he's won three different titles and fought a lot of people. I think this is a great fight for Vernon. For one, he has NOTHING TO LOSE. Nobody knows who he is! Except for the people who have been around the fight world for a long time and "Iceman" has everything to lose because he just had a big win over Tito Ortiz, so all the pressure is on him! I like Vernon's odds in this. I like the way he goes in with no pressure. Tito, err, Chuck is supposed to win, and Vernon is supposed to lose. He's got nothing to lose.
Jeff Jackson: ...I'll be damned.
Tim Stein: Alright, we've had you for a good 20 minutes now so far, we won't keep you too much longer because we know you're a pretty busy guy, but this guy will KILL us if we don't mention it. So, here it is - Larry, over at BoxingInsider.com, wanted us to mention...
Ken Shamrock: Larry Goldberg man, he's my friend, he's a good dude! He runs my website.