Former WWE agent and AEW on screen coach Arn Anderson recently answered fan questions on the ARN podcast.
One fan asked The Enforcer what was the best match you’ve ever seen ‘live.’ Arn Anderson would give an interesting and unexpected answer to that question. “I’ll tell you one, it’s a sleeper” Anderson began on the podcast.
Arn Anderson on Kane vs Kurt Angle
“I saw Kane wrestle Kurt Angle, and I hadn’t been with WWE too long. I don’t remember the exact year, but they [WWE] were really high on Angle. They were really building him, and it was when Kane was about 330 pounds with the mask.”
The match that Anderson was referring to is from SmackDown in November 2001. At the time Kurt Angle was the WCW United States Champion and this was right at the tail end of the Invasion storyline.
“They went about 20-25 minutes on TV. With the story being Kane, the monster, tripping up a little bit and allowing that ankle lock to be put on him several times. And I mean several times. Kane obviously did what you thought Kane would, he nodded his head back and forth, saying ‘no no no no way, I’m going to tap out no way.'”
Glenn Jacobs
Arn Anderson would then praise the man behind the mask. “I’m a huge fan of the Kane character, and the person Glenn Jacobs. As we know if you’ve got a mask covering your face? It’s hard to see your facial and facials are where our money lies in this business. It tells you when you’re happy, when you’re hurt, when you’re sad, when you’re hurting and when you’re in trouble. All those emotions are conveyed through your face.”
Elaborating further, Arn Anderson said “when you got a mask on? It’s hard to do that. But some way, somehow Kane was able to show me his frustration, bobbing his head in pain and the slapping of the mat. His whole body English during the course of that; until finally he did the unthinkable, and it was the first time he’d ever done it. Kane tapped out to Kurt Angle.”
Do you remember the match from ’01? Do you agree with Arn Anderson that it’s a great bout? Check out the match below and let us know what you think in the comments.
