I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Shamrock on a few occassions.

He opened the Lion’s Den in the South Bay of San Diego, where he trained my friend. But I actually met him at a signing, when he performed for the WWF. It was at a Winchell’s. He was a really nice guy, taking pictures and signing autographs. (And for one tough guy, he was really into those Winchell’s donuts.)

This dude is HUGE. Say what you will about him losing to Tito Ortiz. This guy could take you to school.

But time after time he would be hanging out at the gym, shooting the shit with people and hanging out.

My friend that trained with him told me that the WWF portrayal of Ken Shamrock “snapping” was not necessarily fiction. He did have a temper, and would need to be restrained if angered enough. But I never saw it. For a man born to kick ass, he was friendlier than most.