Former WWE star Ken Shamrock has teased a return to WWE this week, as WWE announced a returning match type for Extreme Rules. Continuing the Seth Rollins vs Matt Riddle feud, Triple H needed to up the stakes after their incredible fight at Clash at the Castle ended in victory for Rollins.
Extreme Rules 2022 is on October 8th, 2022 and will featuring a number of huge matches. Currently, the only two matches announces are Liv Morgan vs Ronda Rousey (for the Smackdown women’s championship) and the aforementioned Rollins vs Riddle bout.
However, the latter match has been given a special stipulation, not seen in WWE for years. Seth Rollins vs Matt Riddle will be a Fight Pit match. This stipulation pits both men in an MMA-Style cage, with rules similar to mixed-martial arts fights. This favours Matt Riddle, who brought in the match stipulation during his time on NXT. However, he did lose the first ever Fight Pit match in NXT to Timothy Thatcher.
The match type harkens back to another MMA-style match that WWE put on during the peak of the Attitude Era. Ken Shamrock had his own similarly style matched name the Lion’s Den, although in that match weapons were known to be used, whilst in the Fight Pit they are strictly forbidden.
Ken Shamrock fought a number of wrestlers in the Lion’s Den, most notably famed martial-artist Steve Blackman and former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon in some of the most exciting matches in the Attitude Era. With this new match clearly based upon the Lion’s Den match, it’s setting WWE up to bring Shamrock in for a final appearance with the company.
When WWE tweeted about the Fight Pit stipulation for Seth Rollins vs Matt Riddle, one user suggested that Ken Shamrock could make a return as the special guest referee for the match. Shamrock then replied to the tweet, stating he “Couldn’t agree more!” indicating that he would be open to a WWE return next month.
Ken Shamrock WWE Return
Ken Shamrock’s return would be the first time he has been seen on WWE TV since a 1999 feud with Chris Jericho. He left after an on-screen injury inflicted by Jericho’s then-bodyguard Mr Hughes, before he moved back to competing in MMA.
He never returned to WWE thereafter. He would go on to wrestle for a number of promotion, including TNA/Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. He was even inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame in 2020, with The Rock making his only Impact appearance to help induct him into the hall of fame.
Now 58 years old, Shamrock’s best in-ring years are behind him. However, his shoot-style of wrestling is one that could be used even into his old age and he is still in great shape for somebody pushing 60 years old.
He last wrestled in 2020 and 2021, fighting in a number of matches in Impact wrestling. If he were to return to WWE, he could be involved in at least one match, possibly at the behest of the Saudi Royal family at the upcoming Crown Jewel event or beyond.
Being such an iconic part of the Attitude Era, The World’s Most Dangerous Man should be considered as an inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame over the next few years. He was a huge part of the Attitude Era and beloved by everyone – including The Rock, as told in the above video – he wrestled with and would be a worthy part of the famous hall of fame.
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