The iconic wrestling career of Kurt Angle ended in 2019 after years of classic matches. Angle progressed the wrestling style and helped create a stronger level of work rate in WWE. If Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels started that change for WWE, Angle took it to another level by having 30-minute classic matches with relative ease.
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WWE and TNA both saw Angle achieving huge accomplishments for their companies. Angle transitioned to a backstage producer for WWE, but he was, unfortunately, one of the talented fired with the recent cuts. This wasn’t the craziest memory for Angle backstage since he had many memorable stories. Find out just what went down behind the scenes for the Olympic hero. The following stories showcase Angle’s backstage memories in professional wrestling.
10 Having shoot amateur match with Brock Lesnar before show
Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle had similar background stories of finding success in amateur wrestling. Both ended up in WWE despite having varied massive levels of success as two of the best all-time amateur wrestlers.
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The competitive nature of Angle and Lesnar saw them having a shoot amateur match before an episode of Smackdown in the empty venue. Angle won the match by scoring a takedown about fifteen minutes into the grappling battle.
9 WWE turned down his retirement match idea
Wrestling fans are still upset about WWE retiring Kurt Angle in an awful match against the underwhelming Baron Corbin. Vince McMahon turned down Angle’s pitches since he felt the established storyline with Corbin was too important.
Angle pitched the idea of facing John Cena as a full circle moment since Cena debuted against Angle in 2002. Cena didn’t have a match on the show and appeared to deliver a freestyle rap promo on Elias. Vince made the wrong call missing out on a potential classic.
8 Asking Ken Shamrock to use Ankle Lock
The wrestling world can see talents protective about coming up with something new. Kurt Angle revealed he went out of his way to contact Ken Shamrock and ask if he could use the Ankle Lock submission finisher.
Shamrock confirmed the story and admitted he earned a lot of respect for Angle for making such a call. Angle showed displeasure at Jack Swagger using the move and not reaching out back in the late 2000s when Angle was in TNA.
7 Xavier Woods trying to amateur wrestle him in the ring
One of the funnier stories about Kurt Angle’s recent return to WWE saw Xavier Woods trying to take him out with a double leg takedown. Woods had an amateur wrestling run of success in his high school years.
The back story was that Woods wanted to have an amateur match with Angle back when they worked together in TNA. Angle said maybe one day in the future and Woods took those words seriously. One of the Royal Rumble matches in Saudi Arabia saw Woods trying to use the amateur wrestling move on Angle and failing in comedic fashion.
6 Cursing out Joey Styles for ECW controversy
Kurt Angle’s one appearance for the original ECW saw him coming in at the request of Taz. The Olympic gold medalist was considering the move to pro wrestling and was going to have a discussion with Paul Heyman about his future.
Angle was livid when watching the show during the infamous segment of Raven attempting to crucify The Sandman on a cross. The anger of Angle saw him cursing out Joey Styles since no one else in a management position was around. Angle left the show and vowed to never return for ECW after taking offense to the segment.
5 Eddie Guerrero challenging him to a fight
Another fascinating story of a wrestler wanting to fight Kurt Angle saw Eddie Guerrero crossing the line. Many wrestlers have shared stories about Guerrero often having a temper that led to arguments when disagreeing about their match ideas.
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The tension between Eddie and Angle reached the point of Guerrero trying to go towards Angle’s legs for a takedown. Angle easily used his amateur wrestling skills to get the better of Eddie until he calmed down. When asked why he would try a takedown on an amateur wrestling legend, Guerrero jokingly admitted he was an idiot when that furious.
4 Was meant to play face ahead of first match
Chris Jericho shared the wild story about Kurt Angle’s first match in WWE against Shawn Stasiak. Vince McMahon originally wanted Angle to play a face character since fans should want to cheer an Olympic gold medalist.
However, the instant crowd reaction of jeers or apathy made McMahon change things on the fly. Angle was instructed to cut a heel promo and wrestle like a heel to get his villainous side established. The move helped Angle become a top heel and prove he could already adapt on the fly.
3 Originally planned to win Undisputed Championship instead of Jericho
Kurt Angle shared a lot of stories about his WWE career when leaving for TNA and taking part in shoot interviews. One of the more fascinating tales shared came when Angle stated Vince McMahon informed him he would become the Undisputed Champion at Vengeance 2001.
Chris Jericho ended up scoring the huge win with victories over Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night. Angle claimed he was the booked winner about a week before the show until plans changed since the win would benefit Jericho most.
2 TNA issues with Jeff Jarrett
The move to TNA saw Kurt Angle getting his wife Karen hired for a managing role in his corner. Karen adapted well to the wrestling world on screen, but the company’s biggest scandal started to unfold behind the scenes.
The Angle marriage ended when Karen left Kurt to start dating Jeff Jarrett. TNA sent Jarrett home as a punishment since Angle was livid about a co-worker and unofficial boss making a pass at his wife. The two had tension for years until eventually making peace.
1 Undertaker attacked him during play fight with Vince
Vince McMahon was the strangest of the names to try to take down Kurt Angle. The attack from McMahon took place on a WWE flight overseas when everyone would get bored and restless in the air.
Angle used his superior wrestling skills to put Vince into a submission. The Undertaker saw this without knowing the context and attacked Angle to defend his boss. Angle was almost choked out by Undertaker until everything was explained.
