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Ryan Shamrock is a forgotten name from WWE’s Attitude Era who warrants a deeper look. WWE introduced the character as Ken Shamrock’s sister. Vince Russo wanting more female characters in stories involving male wrestlers led to Ryan working with quite a few relevant names in a short time.
WWE tried to make Ryan the next breakout star since performers like Sable, Sunny, and Terri Runnels got over despite not being traditional wrestlers. Unfortunately, that level of success was not coming for Shamrock in her WWE role, making it end quickly before she moved to other promotions. The career of Ryan will be viewed in depth to see what could have been with Ken Shamrock’s kayfabe sister.
Ryan Shamrock Debuted In WWE With A Weird Romantic Storyline
WWE clearly tried to add more romance to their product when Ryan Shamrock and other women were placed in similar roles. Ryan first appeared as Ken Shamrock’s sister, but it led to him developing feuds with wrestlers flirting with her. Val Venis entered a program with Ken when having romantic moments with Ryan, like his other storylines at the time. There was even a parody of an adult scene between Val and Ryan to set Ken off.
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However, there were more moving parts added to the equation when Billy Gunn started flirting with Ryan to join the program. Billy was a face in D-Generation X when both New Age Outlaws members had short singles runs. Ryan was placed in the middle between all sides as Ken’s rageful personality saw him targeting both Gunn and Venis for weeks.
The program somehow ended with Goldust winning over Ryan when she fell for him. Ryan managed Goldust along with The Blue Meanie against her brother and former romantic partners. WWE trusted Ryan and this overall storyline enough to book the Intercontinental Championship around this angle heading into WrestleMania 15. The Goldust and Ryan pairing didn’t last long as WWE aimed for more changes.
Ryan Shamrock Moved Into Storylines Without Ken Shamrock
The end of the romantic angles for Ryan Shamrock saw her working with The Undertaker of all people. WWE had Undertaker leading the Ministry of Darkness and attempting to abduct Stephanie McMahon. Ken Shamrock being part of The Corporation helping Vince in this story led to Undertaker targeting him. Ryan was abducted by Undertaker due to her status as both Ken’s sister and Stephanie’s friend.
Undertaker even sacrificed Ryan by placing her on his symbol as a sign of what he wanted to do to Stephanie, along with actually marrying her. Ryan being sacrificed removed her from television for a month until coming back with a new angle. Terri Runnels and Jacqueline added Ryan to their trio to form the Pretty Mean Sisters faction. All three ladies had reasons to be upset with the male wrestlers on the roster and united.
PMS unfortunately turned out to be a weak idea that was mostly about Terri’s character and romances. The ladies tormenting all of Terri’s opponents ran its course and ended after a few months. WWE released Ryan and kept the other two women paired up for a while after. Multiple rumors came out about why she was gone so quickly, Ryan claimed it was due to not wanting to sign a long-term deal.
Ryan Shamrock's Career After WWE
Ryan Shamrock continued to appear in the wrestling business in various roles under her real name of Alicia Webb. WCW signed Ryan when Vince Russo hired her after working together in the Attitude Era for WWE. The character Symphony was introduced as the manager of The Maestro with zero reference to her WWE run as Ryan.
WCW placed both her and The Maestro in a dead end gimmick that was never going to see him rise above the lower mid-card picture. Any manager having that little of a chance of success for the wrestler they are managing is bound to suffer for it. Most fans forget that Ryan even had that WCW run as Symphony since it went by so quickly during the company’s lowest time.
A short TNA stint went nowhere. AAA was the last prominent run for her since she got manage her then real life love interest, X-Pac. A wild story saw her saving X-Pac’s life in Mexico when he attempted suicide at a low point. Not many more wrestling moments came for Ryan with mostly indie show or convention appearances. The career of Ryan Shamrock could have been more, but she’s mostly remembered for her WWE run in the Attitude Era.
