KAYFABE COMMENTARIES: VINCE RUSSO'S ATTITUDE -  KEN SHAMROCK

May 16, 2018

Comparing this with it's sister, the second edition of "Vince Russo's Attitude," featuring Terri Runnels, this debut episode is slightly fresher, in that Ken does not do many wrestling-related interviews. In fact, his most recent formal "shoot" interview was about 15 years ago with RF Video, around the time he was still wrestling in the NWA-TNA promotion.

In this Kayfabe Commentaries interview, Ken indicates that integrity is an integral part of his life and that it was a challenge to adjust to the wrestling culture that grew to involve on-camera violence against women, dog food eating, and general softening of his character. Like Terri does in her interview, he too says that he wanted to be a good role model for his kids during his career, and that this wasn't always easy due to what he was asked to do on camera.

This is probably the KC program that most discusses the MMA world, so if you are a fan of that field, this interview is especially worth watching. You get a good sense of the challenges of making the transition from MMA to pro wrestling, from training through injuries to getting tested by wrestlers to politics in the sports entertainment field. That being said, the majority of the discussion focuses on pro wrestling, and the most compelling subjects include the process of negotiating his deal with Vince McMahon, Bret Hart's affect on Ken's development, and how the Montreal Screwjob affected Ken's career.

Vince Russo interrupted his guest less often in this edition of his show than he did in the Terri Runnels episode. Like in the Terri show, the on-camera rapport of Vince and Ken is engaging. Vince clearly has substantial admiration and respect for Ken's success in both the MMA and pro wrestling industries, and it becomes apparent during the interview that Vince truly enjoyed working with and writing storylines for Ken during the Attitude Era.

As mentioned, this interview is a very neoteric look at Ken's life today, in that he is able to look back with hindsight on his rough childhood, on the importance of keeping his integrity during his wrestling career, if he is satisfied with how his wrestling career ended, and on how his kids are growing up nowadays.

RATING: B+

PURCHASE:

DVD - http://kayfabecommentaries.com/DVD_VR_Shamrock.html, http://www.rfvideo.com/vincerussosattitudekenshamrock.aspx, http://www.highspots.com/p/kc-attitude-shamrock.html

Digital - http://wwnlive.com/product/kayfabe-commentaries-vince-russos-attitude-ken-shamrock-demand/, http://www.diywrestling.com/dywvideodetail.php?video_id=1034

Index of topics discussed:

- Catch-up with each other's lives
- Vince and Ken's memories of meeting each other for the first time
- Ken's rough childhood and teenage years
- Who else was legit tough in the Attitude Era locker room?
- Steve Blackman
- Transitioning from MMA to pro wrestling
- Marketing your brand and keeping yourself relevant
- A story about getting into a shoot fight with The Big Show
- Other wrestlers who wanted to test him
- Brawl For All Tournament
- Negotiating his initial deal with Vince McMahon
- the development of the Ken Shamrock Brand ("The World's Most Dangerous Man," The Lion's Den," etc.)
- Making fans question if his matches were real fights
- Refereeing Austin vs. Bret at WrestleMania
- Vader
- Stiffness in his matches
- Loser eats dog food match vs. British Bulldog
- His lung tear injury and choking on blood
- Training through injuries
- Backstage politics during the Attitude Era
- Violence against women in wrestling
- Lots of talk about Bret Hart
- Knowing who to and not to trust in wrestling
- Shawn Michaels
- Pat Patterson
- The Rock
- The importance of seizing the opportunity when given a microphone
- The Montreal Screwjob
- Softening the Ken Shamrock character
- How he got out of his contract
- Steve Austin
- The lion's den matches
- How the WWE World Heavyweight Title always eluded him
- Vince McMahon the businessman
- The importance of keeping your integrity
- Is he satisfied with how his WWE career ended?
- The Undertaker
- The possibility of getting inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame?
- Ken's life today

Run time: 1 hr. 35 min.

For more reviews, please visit:

http://jonbarber.weebly.com