On the March 17, 1998 episode of WWE Raw, The Rock swung for the fences with a steel chair and cracked Ken Shamrock in the face with a chair.
The chair shot was part of the build to Shamrock vs. Rock at WrestleMania 14 when they clashed for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Shamrock reflected on the infamous chair shot.
"A lot of people think it's crazy, but I enjoyed the chair shot. Everyone says, 'That must have hurt.' For me, it's funny because it would hurt so much more if I didn't see it coming. Top of the head, back of the head. I wanted it. I was like, 'Bro, you are not hitting me in the top of the head or back of the head. I want you to hit me right in the face.' He's like, 'Shut up.' He thought I was kidding. 'Bro, come on man. I'm not taking it to the top of the head or back of the head. If you're going to swing, swing for my face and I'll take care of the rest.' I literally said that. 'Swing for my face and I will protect myself.' He looked at me with this bewilderment like, 'Where is the punchline? Where is the joke?' I looked and said, 'I'm serious.' 'I'm not doing that.' 'I'm not taking it. Swing for my face. I'll protect myself.' 'You sure?' 'Yeah.' I looked at him right in the eyes and go, 'You better swing it.' He says, 'I'll swing it,'" he said.
Asked how he protected himself, Shamrock replied, "It was to my face. He swung for my face like I asked him to. It's not his responsibility. It's mine. You swing it, I'll do the rest. He did. All I did is just like I did in a fight. I tuck my chin. It hit me right in the forehead. If anybody knows how the skull is put together, the thickest part is your forehead. If you get punched, most of the time if you hit the forehead, you break your hand. I just, logically thought, if I'm going to get hit in the head, hit me in the hardest part. That was a great moment. I had no idea what it would look like or what the impact would be. It was just a thought in my head because I saw everybody else doing it. 'That's dumb way to take a chair. Getting hit in the top of the head or back of the head. I ain't doing that. Hit me in the forehead, the face.'"
He continued, "It sounded like a shotgun going off. When it actually happened and he hit me, nothing else really bothered me other than the sound. It startled me. It sounded like somebody just shot a gun off. I watch it over and over. You can see how, when I'm on the mat, I maneuver myself to make sure he can get around to where he needed. That's what I use to tell people, 'I wasn't out. It was a safe shot. He didn't hurt me.' When I'm on the ground, watch how I move, I was okay."
Shamrock and Rock battled to a disqualification at WrestleMania 14.
Elsewhere during the interview, Shamrock commented on a possible WWE Hall of Fame induction. Fans can find his full comments by clicking here.
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