Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup One of the premier events held by Maryland Championship Wrestling , the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup is an annual tournament begun in 1999 . The premise is that twelve wrestlers are placed in six one - on - one matches at the beginning of the show the tournament is held on , and the six winners advance to an elimination match , which is the show ' s main event . The tournament is named in honor of Shane Shamrock , a popular MCW wrestler who was shot and killed during an altercation with police officers in 1998 . The previous month , Shamrock had become first and only MCW Light Heavyweight Champion , having won the belt in a six - way match and was retired following his death . History . Ring of Honor : Survival of the Fittest . When MCW closed its doors in 2003 , an arrangement was made with Ring of Honor , when it made its debut in the Baltimore area , to carry on the tradition of the Shane Shamrock Cup . At ROH ' s " The Last Stand " , it was announced ROH would continue the Shane Shamrock Cup on June 24 , 2004 . In March 2004 , Rob Feinstein was forced to step down as owner of ROH when his legal problems became public . Less than a week before the tournament , Feinstein sold his share of ROH to Cary Silkin , proving he had actually had stake in the company for the past three months . This upset Maryland promoter Dick Caricofe , who was letting ROH use his Maryland Promoter ' s License , so he pulled out of the show . ROH was forced to move the show to Philadelphia , PA and renamed the show " Survival of the Fittest " . Survival of the Fittest has since become an annual ROH tournament . Return of the Shane Shamrock Cup . When MCW reopened in February 2006 , it was announced that they were bringing back the Shane Shamrock Cup . On July 9 in Dundalk , Maryland , the 2006 Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup took place with Ruckus ending up winning the tournament . He also won the MCW Cruiserweight Championship during the tournament ' s finals . MCW Shamrock Cup X . Maryland Championship Wrestling held its 10th Annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup ( Branded as " MCW Shamrock Cup X " ) on July 31 , 2010 . The number one contender for the MCW Heavyweight Championship , Ryan McBride opened the night in singles competition against reigning and defending champion Patrick Brink , defeating him ( despite interference by Adam Cole and Tyler Hilton who were headed off by Cobian and Tommy Dreamer ) with the 450° Splash to become the new MCW Heavyweight Champion . Defending tag - team champions Team MackTion would face off against The Hit Squad , CA Elliott and Nui Tofiga , and The Holy Rollers in a Fatal Four - Way Tag Team match . As a result of an attack on Nui Tofiga by his partner , CA Elliot , The Holy Rollers were able to pin Nui Tofiga and become the new Tag Team Champions . Later in the night , Adam Cole and Tyler Hilton would issue a challenge to Tommy Dreamer that if they won , they would be able to participate in the upcoming TNA Pay - per - view event , Hardcore Justice . Tommy Dreamer accepted under the provision that if he won , his tag team partner , Cobian , would become the new MCW Rage champion . Adam Cole would be made to submit by Cobian by way of a Backbreaker . MCW Shamrock Cup X also saw the return of Mickie James to Maryland Championship Wrestling in a singles competition against Mia Yim , who she defeated with a Mickie - DT ; and a " Battle of the Blogs " match featuring The Baltimore Sun ' s sports columnist , Peter Schmuck , and Fed - Up who were defeated in a Six - Man Tag Team match against The Baltimore Sun wrestling columnist , Kevin Eck , Cole Calloway , and Ronnie Zukko by way of a Cutter from Kevin Eck to Peter Schmuck . Prior to the nights events , several qualifying matches were held in a tournament to find out who would be participating in the six - man elimination - style bout . Because Ryan McBride had won the previous year , he did not have to qualify for the match . Rich Swann defeated Ruckus , Sami Callihan defeated Scott Reed , Teddy Stigma defeated Joe Ettell , and Tommaso Ciampa defeated Bobby Shields to qualify for The Cup . Christian York , taking the place of a recently retired Jose Maximo , would qualify for the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup by defeating The Best Around . He would then go on to defeat ( in order of elimination from last to first ) Ryan McBride , Teddy Stigma , Tommaso Ciampa , Rich Swann , and Sami Callihan to win the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup , making him becoming the first man to do so three times . MCW Shane Shamrock Cup 11 . The 11th MCW Shane Shamrock Cup was held on July 30 , 2011 .