Former WWE Champion Recalls the Iconic Chair Throw Move by The Rock

The Rock is deemed a standout wrestler known for his electrifying performances and numerous memorable moments in the ring. He has captivated fans with his numerous accomplishments, incredible athleticism, legendary feuds, and charisma. A true superstar of the wrestling world, he was involved in many noteworthy bouts, one of which involved the wrestling legend and his former rival, Ken Shamrock. Recently, the latter appeared in an interview where he recalled a particularly wild moment from 1998 involving a chair shot. What’s surprising is that it was Shamrock who instructed The Rock to deliver the move. Let’s shine some light on it.Also Read: Former WWE Star Makes an Epic Comeback After Signing Legends Contract “I say, if you’re gonna swing, you swing for my face and I’ll take care of the rest”: Shamrock Reveals He Told The Rock to Launch the Chair ShotEveryone remembers the intense rivalry between The Rock and Shamrock that escalated into an unforgettable clash using a steel chair. It happened in 1998 during an episode of Raw when Shamrock received a brutal chair shot from The Rock. In a conversation with Chris Van Vliet, Shamrock revealed that he actually instructed The Rock to hit him in the face with a chair. “A lot of people think it’s crazy but I enjoyed the chair shot.Everybody keeps looking at that, and they say it over and, oh, man, 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” he said. . Shamrock further explained that he urged his opponent to land the shot in his face and not in the back of the head. Despite resisting at first, The Rock finally gave in,“I was like, bro, you were not hitting me in the head, like 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. I was like, bro, come on, man. I’m not taking it to the back of the head or top of the head.I say, if you’re gonna swing, you swing for my face and I’ll take care of the rest. I mean, I literally said that, swing for my face and I will protect myself. He looked at me with this bewildered [expression] like, where’s the punchline? Where’s the joke here? And I looked and I said, No, I’m serious. And he’s like, I’m not doing that. And I said [then] I’m not taking it. I said swing for my face. I’ll protect myself. And he goes, You sure? And I was like, Yeah. And I remember, look right at him in the eyes, and I go, you better swing it. And he says, Oh, I’ll swing it!” Of course, chair shots which are banned today due to concerns about head injuries were common back in the 90s and the wrestlers were left to use every skill and technique to protect themselves from a potentially fatal blow. The same goes for Shamrock who used his fighting experience to protect himself from the shot. Speaking on the subject, he said,“Well, he swung for my face like I asked him to. I told him it’s not his responsibility, it’s mine. You swing it and I’ll do the rest. And so he did, and all I did was just like I would in a fight. I tucked my chin and it hit me right in the forehead. Anybody knows how the skull is put together, the thickest part is your forehead. Just like within football, and now they can’t do it, but you usually hit with the forehead. And if you get punched, most of the time, if you hit somebody in the forehead, you break your hand.So I just logically thought if I was going to get hit in the head, hit me in the hardest part [laughs]. That was a great moment, though, because I had no idea what it would look like, or what the impact of that would be. It was just basically a thought in my head, because I saw everybody else doing it, and I was like, Man, that is just a dumb way to take a chair hit in the top of the head, back of the head, and I ain’t doing that. Hit me in the forehead.”One thing that bothered Shamrock was the sound the chair made upon impact. He described it as sounding like a gun going off, emphasizing how loud and shocking it was. Despite the risks, his willingness to take the shot shows just how dedicated he was to putting on a thrilling show for the fans.Also Read: "I was asked, I said No"- Former WWE Star Ken Shamrock opens up about declining the Brawl for All