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| Birth Name: Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick Present Name: Kenneth Wayne Shamrock Date of Birth: February 11, 1964 Place of Birth: Warner Robbins Air Force Base in Macon, Georgia Siblings: 2 brothers - Ritchie and Robbie Children: 3 Sons - Ryan, Conner, and Shawn; 1 Daugther - ??? Height: 6'1" Weight: 235lbs Signature Move: Shamrock Ankle Lock Submission Wondering how Ken's last name changed from Kilpatrick to Shamrock? .. Well, You'll find out that and more in the bio that I've typed up below...... The Beginning When Ken was young his father left him, his 2 older brothers, and their mother. Ken and his brothers learned to fight at an early age. They all remember being regularly attacked by other kids, some older and bigger than them. Ritchie Kilpatrick said "It was like being under attack. We had to close the windows and lock the doors." Kens family moved to Napa, California when he was 5. They moved there because his mother was marrying Bob Nance. Ken and his brothers found trouble there too. His step-father tried to control them by beating them but that didnt work. At the age of 10 Ken ran away from home and found himself living in an abandoned car with a few other boys. They lived off munchies that they stole from a nearby store. Still 10 years old.. Ken got stabbed defending himself against an older kid. He ended up in the hospital and then in a juvenile home. "I didn't mind it. Compared to home, it was quiet and rather peacful." Ken said. Ken was sent to the Shamrock Ranch for Boys when he was 14. After reading Kens profile and seeing the 14 year old, Bob Shamrock , the owner of the ranch, thought that Ken was very strong for his age and size. The file said that Ken was quick to fight, even with much larger boys, but not without some challenge or provacation. The file also said that Ken was a good worker and was willing to work. Bob soon encouraged Ken to try out for sports at Lassen High School. Ken was a natural wrestler and had a rare passion and talent for football. Bob Shamrock said that Ken was "the most gifted athlete" he'd ever seen. As a senior at Lassen High Ken was captain of the football team, an All-League selection at linebacker and an undefeated wrestler. He was on his way to a state championship belt, until it happened. During a wrestling practice Ken put another wrestler on his shoulders and was about to drop him, when the mat slipped from below him. His opponents weight fell on Kens head and neck causing 2 fractured vertabreas. A metal halo was inserted in Kens skull to prevent his spine from shifting. He was told to avoid strenuous activity for a year and that he would never be able to participate in contact sports again. Less than 2 months later Ken was lifting weights, playing basketball and he even beat a wrestler who weighed over 100lbs more than him. The halo did nothing to slow Ken down. Bob noticed that the injury, if anything, seemed to leave Kens charge nearly impervious to pain. Ken was now a star athlete, high school graduate and was on his way to college. Ken still had a lot of anger in him but had an uncanny ability to concentrate, to focus, to sum-mon all his energies and reduce them to a single purpose. After Ken turned 18(1982), Bob Shamrock legally adopted him and Ken finally got the father that he always wanted. Six years later, in 1988, Bob suggested to Ken that he try out professional wrestling and then enrolled Ken into Bob Sawyers school of Pro Wrestling. Ken was trained by the late Buzz Sawyer in Sacramento, California and later trained with Nelson Royal at Royals ACW wrestling school but ACW went under in late 1988. So Shamrock started to work for South Atlantic Pro Wrestling under the name Wayne Shamrock and was managed by "Number One" Paul Jones. Wayne Shamrock won his first televised match within a few seconds with a suplex. His gimmick was then changed to a heel, "Mr. Wrestling" Vince Torelli. The highlight as Vince Torelli in the wrestling industry was in February 1991, when he defeated Chris Chavis (Tatanka) in a tournament final to capture the South Atlantic Pro Wrestling. In September 1990 Shamrock earned a spot with the 2nd incarnation of Japan's UWF shoot fighting group, Dean Malenko" The man of a 1000 Holds"had recommended Pro Wrestling Fujiwara-Gum. Dean introduced Ken to Sammy Surinaka and arranged a tryout. Shamrock passed without a problem but the group was on the verge of a breakup. Ken made a lasting impression on UWF stars Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki who invited Ken to join a shootfighting organization they were forming named Pancrase. This bio is a summary of Kens official "Early Years" bio and "Pro Wrestling" history at kenshamrock.com Ken Shamrocks WWF bio Ken Shamrock in UFC |
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