Kurt Angle has some sound advice to those who are looking to make a name for themselves in wrestling.

The wrestling business could always use aspiring talent. No matter how many wrestlers come and go, there will always be a need for talent throughout various promotions.

A lot of wrestlers were inspired to get their start by stars such as Angle. One fan sought out the Olympic gold medalist’s advice.

Kurt Angle’s Wrestling 101

On an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle answered a fan’s request for advice on how to get noticed as a wrestler.

“Make sure that you got your psychology, how to put together a match, how to structure it. Make sure your bumping is sharp and your selling is phenomenal.

“What you need to do is when you have shows you need to record these matches and you can watch them over and over again and make yourself improve.

“Improve every week and get better and when you think you’re good enough, record these matches and send them to the WWE talent relations department.

“That’s how you get noticed. That’s where they have the tryouts for NXT. That’s where they pick the people that come down to try out for the company.”

Angle entered the WWE as a premier athlete given his amateur wrestling credentials. It didn’t take long for Angle to develop a personality that related to the fans and it lead to a legendary career.

Today, Angle is a retired WWE Hall of Famer.

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Kurt Angle thought that one WWE wrestler from the Attitude Era was destined for stardom but it didn’t pan out.

We’ve seen many wrestlers come and go over the years. On the surface, some talent come across as having massive potential. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way for a variety of reasons.

For Angle, there was one Attitude Era wrestler who he thought would surely make his way to the top of the card.

This Is A Test

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist admitted he feels Test should’ve been elevated higher than his ceiling ultimate was in WWE.

“Well, I started in the business with Test. He was at the Dory Funk dojo. I thought the guy had all the tools. I mean he had size, he had great looks, he had in-ring ability, he could talk, he had everything. I thought he was gonna be a huge star and I was really surprised that he didn’t get to the level that he deserved to get to.”

Test did get some shine being involved in an angle with Stephanie McMahon. The two were dating in storyline but HHH ruined their wedding during a segment on Raw and Test ultimately found himself pushed down the card.

When the Ruthless Aggression era was in full swing, he had an infamous feud with Scott Steiner before the two became partners. Test was released by WWE in Nov. 2004.

He made his way back to the company under the ECW brand in 2006. While many hoped this would be a fresh start for Test, he was released the following year although he claimed it was a mutual parting of ways.

Unfortunately, Test is no longer with us. He passed away on March 13, 2009. He was just four days shy of his 34th birthday.

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Jeff Hardy’s exit from WWE recently is something that WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle can relate to.

Angle famously dealt with substance abuse problems throughout his career before turning things around. Hardy’s exit from WWE earlier this month was rumored to have stemmed from substance abuse issues, which is something he has also struggled with throughout the years. WWE even worked that real life situation into a storyline feud that Hardy had with Sheamus just last year.

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle commented on Hardy’s current situation.

“I’ve been through it, I think Jeff needs to look himself in the mirror and see what he wants to do,” Angle said. “Does he want to change or does he want to stay the same? I personally think he does need help but that’s something that he needs to deal with inside himself. He needs to realize what’s important in his life, is it the stuff or is it his family and his job? It really comes down to Jeff making the decision on his own.”

Hardy was sent home from a WWE live tour on December 5th. This followed an incident at a show in Texas on December 4th where Hardy walked out through the crowd during the middle of a tag team match. He was subsequently released from the company on December 9th.

• Matt Hardy: WWE May Have ‘Jumped The Gun’ by Releasing Jeff Hardy

Of course, Hardy and Angle are far from stranger. Their careers in WWE overlapped for many years, and they also had a significant in-ring feud while with TNA Wrestling. The majority of their matches together actually happened with TNA.

Since his WWE release, Hardy has stayed in the public spotlight. He announced a meet and greet tour right after his release. Matt Hardy has also defended his brother, stating that WWE may have jumped the gun in releasing him.

“Before anyone rushes to judgment, obviously they [WWE] drug tested him after all this stuff, wait until you hear the results of that and when that comes back clean then hopefully people will feel better about it,” Matt said. “They [WWE] felt like they were backed into a corner because of his [Jeff’s] history. Even though they may have jumped the gun with this a little bit, they made a decision and it is what it is.”

He continued, “Jeff is in the best place I’ve seen him in a very long time. As far as the details of what went down on that evening, and in that match, I’ve talked with Jeff, I feel good about everything he said and that’s Jeff’s story to share. And he told me he will when he’s ready to.”

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcript.

Kurt Angle liked working with Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock so much that he can’t pick a favorite.

Angle made his climb up the WWE ranks rather quickly. The Olympic gold medalist not only had the in-ring chops but he also had quite the personality. That combination and the ability to adapt led to Angle becoming a Hall of Famer.

Angle found himself feuding with the likes of Stone Cold and The Rock. In fact, Angle’s first WWE Title run came off a victory over The Rock at No Mercy back in 2000.

Kurt Angle Not Picking Favorites

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the WWE and TNA Hall of Famer admitted that he can’t choose who he liked working with more.

“That’s tough, they’re both really good. Austin was more intense, more physical. The Rock was more athletic. So, [there was] a huge difference between the two but they were both very effective. I’d have to say it’s a tie. I can’t pick one or the other.”

Angle has long said that working with Austin, he knew he’d be on the receiving end of some stiff strikes. Angle never took it personally either and actually liked that style because he also likes to be snug with his punches.

As for The Rock, Angle has said he will always hold “The Great One” in high regard. Angle has credited The Rock with helping him early in his career.

Today, Angle, Rock, and Austin are all renowned legends of the pro wrestling world. They have even found themselves on plenty of Mount Rushmore lists.

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Kurt Angle has reflected on two of the most physical wrestlers he’s ever shared the ring with.

Angle knows a thing or two about physicality. His neck has been through the wringer throughout his career and he’ll tell anybody who listens that he won a gold medal at the Olympics with a “broken freakin’ neck.”

For as tough as Angle is, there are some other wrestlers who were just as willing to dish out punishment as well as take it.

Kurt Angle Reveals His Most Intense Opposition

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle said that Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chris Benoit were the most physical and intense wrestlers he’s ever been in the ring with.

“Yeah, him and Chris Benoit were the two most physical athletes I’ve ever faced in the ring. Austin was very physical. That’s the one thing about him that made him special. He was really intense. He kept the intensity up very high and he was very physical.”

It should come as no surprise that Stone Cold made Angle’s list. After all, Austin was the one who taught Kurt how to blade and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Angle went on to say that he always felt at home when his opponents threw stiff strikes.

“I was comfortable being snug cause I was snug. That’s just one thing that I tried to work on, my finesse but there were times when I throw punches or kicks they’re gonna stick, they’re gonna hurt and Austin was the same way. So, I enjoyed that because in order to give it you have to be able to take it and I did.”

Angle also said that he never gave anyone a receipt because he always assumed that if he got caught with a good strike it was just how his opponent worked.

It also helps that Angle was a legit amateur wrestler so not many in the locker room would dare to test him.

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Kurt Angle had a few gigs in Hollywood but soon he found himself not being called upon for more roles.

Angle is one of the most entertaining figures to ever enter the world of professional wrestling. Some thought Angle would be a natural for Hollywood. Angle was a part of the 2011 Warrior film and while it wasn’t a commercial success, it was critically acclaimed.

The Olympic gold medalist was able to snag more gigs in Hollywood but the opportunities eventually dried up. Angle thinks he knows why that’s the case.

Kurt Angle Blames Poor Choices On Hollywood Drought

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle expressed his belief that his history of alcohol addiction led to him missing out on more Hollywood roles.

“I actually thought I’d have a great opportunity. I think what happened with me was I was doing movies.

“I did Warrior, I did Dylan Dog, I was a small part in Pain & Gain with The Rock, started doing movies but my behavior with the alcohol and the DUIs got me into a little bit of a bind with Hollywood [laughs].

“So, they stopped calling and I’ve been spending the last eight or nine years trying to gain my reputation back so that Hollywood would start to call me back again. It’s just one of those things that I dug myself into a hole and I have to get myself out of it.”

Angle’s last known Hollywood role was for the 2015 film, The Last Witch Hunter starring Vin Diesel. Angle played the role of a bodyguard.

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After WWE purchased WCW, they took their former rival company’s unbranded “World Championship” and unified it with the then WWF Championship at Vengeance in 2001. Chris Jericho became the first Undisputed WWE Champion (also the first undisputed champion in over 50 years of wrestling, in general). One of the competitors he beat to achieve this feat was Kurt Angle, who was unable to win the match. It turns out that if plans hadn’t been changed then Angle would have made history instead by becoming the first Undisputed WWE Champion.

On a recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Hall of Famer discussed the tournament that took place featuring himself, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Chris Jericho to unify the championships. According to Angle, Jericho was never planned to win the title. Instead, it was Angle who was supposed to win the championship.

Conrad asked Angle if he knew about the plans on the day of the show or if he had a good idea that he’s not going to win on the way to San Diego (where Vengeance 2001 took place).

“Well, the first thing was, you know, the week before the pay per view, I was still supposed to be Undisputed Champion. Vince McMahon had me pinned as the Undisputed Champion and wanted me to win the two titles. Vince came to me at the week prior to the pay-per-view and said ‘Listen, is it okay if I give it to Jericho ’cause I want to start pushing Jericho and I think this would be great for him.’ I said ‘No Vince, you should do that. I think Jericho needs it and it’s a great opportunity for him.’ So I was supposed to win the Undisputed Championship but Vince McMahon changed it at the last second and gave it to Jericho.”

During the four-man tournament, Jericho would go on to win against The Rock and then Steve Austin in the final to win both the titles and becoming the first wrestler in history to unify the championships.

Read more: Kurt Angle On Not Signing With AEW: “I’m A WWE Guy”

While Kurt Angle has retired from active competition, the Olympic gold medallist still keeps an eye on the happenings of the wrestling world. The rise of AEW has been the biggest wrestling stories of the past few years and the former world champion has big praise for one of the stars that helped start the promotion.

Chris Jericho interviewed Angle for an episode of Talk Is Jericho on Wrestling Rager At Sea Triple Whammy. The episode that was released recently saw the two long-time friends discussing a number of topics including Kurt’s TNA run. Speaking about his decision to join the company, Kurt Angle said wrestling with AJ Styles was one of the things that inspired him to join the promotion:

“You know, I got to wrestle with AJ Styles. That was my inspiration coming into the company. I had my eyes set on AJ. He was one of the greatest overall performers I’ve ever seen. The stuff he can do in the ring. He was great at technical stuff. He was great at high-flying. He had the whole ball of wax.

The great thing about AJ was you didn’t have to do any work. I mean, when you wrestled him it was like a night off. He did all the bumping. He did all the selling. He did all the flying around. All you did was catch him. And I could go an hour and a half with AJ and not even break a sweat.  But he’d be exhausted.”

Angle Praises Kenny Omega

Kurt Angle also had some big praise for the former AEW world champion Kenny Omega. He said that Omega reminds him of the Phenomenal one. The former WWE star claimed that both these stars have the it factor:

“Another wrestler that reminds me of AJ is Kenny Omega. Very much so. These guys are a step above everybody. For whatever reason. I don’t know what it is, but they have the it factor. These guys put on tremendous matches.

I’m not buying all the six and seven star matches by Dave Meltzer, but the only person that gets like six, seven, eight, nine stars is Kenny Omega, and he deserves it. It’s really incredible how good he really is.”

Apart from this, Kurt Angle talked about his feud with Samoa Joe. He revealed that he wanted to wait a few months after joining TNA and build the rivalry before finally having a match. Though the officials decided that they didn’t want to wait. Angle ended up facing Joe in his first PPV match for the organization at Genesis 2006.

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Former AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega says Kurt Angle has served as an inspiration to him.

Kurt Angle is widely regarded as one of the best performers to ever enter the wrestling industry. Not only was Angle world-class in the ring, but he was also a top-notch entertainer.

Those two key ingredients propelled him to legendary status.

Kenny Omega Reveals How Kurt Angle Inspired Him

Kenny Omega was on the receiving end of a chiropractic adjustment from
Dr. Beau Hightower. During the process, Omega said Angle is one of the top American wrestlers who inspired him.

“If I were to name one more guy that was really an inspiration to kind getting to where I’m at now in the ring, maybe it’s Kurt Angle.

“Again, I just appreciate the real athleticism that goes into what he does without sacrificing that entertaining aspect.

“He was willing to do whatever it took to make a crowd happy. To make people laugh, to make people cry but his capabilities were second to none.”

Angle was feeling the love from Omega and he took to his Twitter account to express gratitude.

Omega responded, heaping even more praise on the Olympic gold medalist.

There’s been some speculation on Omega’s immediate future following his title loss to Hangman Page at Full Gear.

Wrestling Observer Radio reported that Omega went into the match with shoulder issues. “The Best Bout Machine” was scheduled to undergo a medical evaluation on Wednesday.

Some reports have since surfaced saying that surgery might be an option.

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Kurt Angle has reflected on the most dangerous moonsault he ever landed.

Oftentimes, Angle went above and beyond in the ring. While he had great technical wrestling abilities, he was also the definition of a performer.

If Angle was in a steel cage match, fans knew there was a good chance the Olympic gold medalist would do a moonsault from the top.

Kurt Angle’s Scariest Moonsault

On an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle explained why a moonsault he did against Ken Anderson at TNA Lockdown 2010 was his most dangerous one.

“They were all dangerous but I did one in TNA. The TNA cage was about two feet higher than the WWE cage. The first time I did a moonsault off a cage was against Chris Benoit in WWE and I actually had to have knee surgery because of it.

“But the most dangerous one I did was when I moonsaulted on top of Ken Anderson in TNA and the cage was about two feet higher than the WWE cage, and when I came down I landed on his face [laughs].

“My hip landed on his face, I almost broke his nose. I jammed my toes into the ring from that and my toes were never the same. They’re still not the same. I got some major arthritis in my toes from that moonsault. It was very dangerous.”

Kurt Angle Shares Hilarious Story Involving Stone Cold

The first time Angle did a moonsault off the cage was when he faced Chris Benoit back in 2001. Both men tried impressing Stone Cold, but they almost scared him away.

“The first time I did it was the first time with Chris Benoit. Stone Cold Steve Austin was actually watching it from the announce table, I remember that. The match was incredible.

“The crazy thing about that match was we were doing so much crazy stuff that Austin was like, ‘I ain’t working with these two assholes ever.'”

Of course, Stone Cold did end up working with Angle. In fact, Angle credits Austin with teaching him how to blade.

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Kurt Angle has revealed a wrestlers’ court story involving perhaps the most highly-praised writer to ever work for WWE.

Angle and ex-WWE writer Brian Gewirtz always had solid chemistry. Angle has gone as far as to say that Gewirtz is one of the smartest minds to enter the business. Today, Gewirtz works closely with The Rock, who has become a Hollywood megastar.

Kurt Angle Recalls Wrestlers’ Court Story

Taking fan questions on The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist revealed why Gewirtz was once sent to the dreaded wrestlers’ court.

“I remember there was one case if you wanna call it that [laughs]. It was the writer Brian Gewirtz. He was accused from the prosecuting attorney, Bradshaw, John Bradshaw Layfield, he was accused of favoring certain talent to write for them. That talent being me, Jericho, The Rock, and Edge & Christian. The judge was Undertaker and Brian had to go to court and facing Bradshaw you’re not gonna win [laughs]. So, Brian had to defend himself and Bradshaw was the prosecuting attorney.

“What happened was a lot of the wrestlers got to speak their minds about Brian not writing for them. But listen, Brian was told who to write for. It’s not like he got to pick and choose but he did find chemistry with certain people. When he did that, he would put a little more time and effort into those people that he had chemistry with. So, I understand Brian but I also understand the boys being upset cause Brian did write specifically for The Rock, me, Jericho, and Edge & Christian, I think Hurricane Helms.”

Ultimately, Brian’s punishment wasn’t too bad.

“The end of the court, the end of the hearing Brian had to buy five cases of beer for the wrestlers. So, at least they didn’t do anything physical to him. They only made him buy beer [laughs].”

Angle has said on his podcast that the reason he appreciated Gewirtz is that he was always a wrestling fan. Angle believes that all WWE writers should be fans of the business before being hired.

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Kurt Angle thinks more can be done on WWE’s part to make Shinsuke Nakamura a big-time star.

Nakamura entered WWE with a ton of hype. After all, he was one of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest stars. When he went to WWE, many expected great things for Nakamura.

Shinsuke has had some moments on the main roster and he certainly isn’t presented as a slouch, but some have wondered why he isn’t featured in the main event picture.

Kurt Angle Vouches For Shinsuke Nakamura

During the latest episode of his Kurt Angle Show podcast, the Olympic gold medalist reflected on his 2008 feud in NJPW with Nakamura.

“It was [great] and Nakamura was pretty young at the time. He was very talented. We had a great match, great chemistry together. First time we ever worked, the first time we ever touched and I knew he had a huge future. I knew if he came over here and entered the WWE he would end up being a big star, and he did. He did that.”

Angle went on to express his belief that WWE could do a better job of going all the way with Nakamura as a top babyface.

“He’s gotten opportunities but I don’t think they follow through entirely. I think that he should be on another level. He’s not just a great wrestler, he’s entertaining. ‘Come On!’ The way he is, his charisma is off the charts and I think someone like that should be a huge superstar for the company.”

Nakamura is the current Intercontinental Champion. He’s in his second reign as the IC titleholder and has been champion for about three months now.

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Kurt Angle thinks WWE would benefit if all of its writers were longtime wrestling fans.

Angle knows a thing or two about working for WWE when the company was red hot. The former Olympic gold medalist was a main eventer in the Attitude era. He was a part of a memorable love triangle storyline involving Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Kurt Angle Reveals What Made Brian Gewirtz Special

Brian Gewirtz played a crucial role in the execution of the love triangle. During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle said that Gewirtz made things seamless because he was always a wrestling fan.

“I think all the writers were involved but Brian was pretty much the lead writer. Brian had a lot of talent because he was a wrestling fan his whole entire life. He went to college at Syracuse University for journalism. He majored in journalism and he took those two passions and put them together and became the best writer in the business.”

The Case For All WWE Writers Being Fans

Angle went on to say that he agrees with the notion that longtime fans would make for better writers for the WWE product.

“I believe that. I don’t know if it’s true but I think it definitely helps. You would be a better writer for pro wrestling if you’re a wrestling fan than if you weren’t a fan. So, I think yes.”

Today, WWE hires a slew of writers from different backgrounds in television. Some have only dabbled into comedy, while others have flat out admitted they were never wrestling fans prior to being hired by the company.

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Kurt Angle was in rough shape at the end of his first WWE run back in 2006.

Angle had been drafted to the ECW brand. He was to be positioned as the brand’s top star but things didn’t last. That’s because, at this point, Angle dealt with nagging injuries, a painkiller addiction, and personal problems at home.

Throw in WWE’s rough schedule and it didn’t make things easy on Angle’s mind and body.

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist revealed the breaking point that signaled the end of his first WWE run.

Kurt Angle’s Breaking Point

“Oh, it wasn’t just a groin injury,” he began. “I tore my groin muscle, tore it. Tore my hamstring, my left hamstring, my left groin muscle, and my lower left abdominal muscle. All of them tore. They bruised up, my whole crotch and my hamstring and leg were completely black in three hours.”

Angle continued, “The blood rushed to it and the swelling was so disgusting, I literally didn’t know what to do. Here I was, I just got finished with a match with RVD and I probably needed to go to the hospital and I didn’t.”

Angle had to wrestle Danny Doring in a house show match the following night. He couldn’t go through with a full match so he just ended up head-butting Doring and made him tap via Ankle Lock in a matter of seconds.

It was at this point that Angle knew if he didn’t leave WWE, his life would be in danger.

“I had my head down, I grabbed my stuff and walked out because I knew right there I made the decision I wanted to leave the company. That was it, that was my last straw. I knew that my body couldn’t handle what I was going through. I knew that the painkiller problem was just getting worse. The marital problem, it wasn’t getting any better. I was just [in a] really dark time in my life and I knew that if I didn’t get out of this environment, something really bad was gonna happen.”

Kurt Angle ended up signing with TNA Wrestling that same year. He’d stick with the company until 2016. The following year, Angle made his return to WWE. Today, Angle is retired from the wrestling industry and has been putting his focus on other things.

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WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has unveiled what he believes to be the biggest regret of his career.

Angle has been recognized as one of the best performers to have ever entered the wrestling business. Angle was the first Olympic gold medalist to sign a contract with WWE. He had one of the best rookie years in WWE history that most agree can only be rivaled by Brock Lesnar.

Kurt Angle Suffers Broken Neck In 2003

While Angle has had a storied career, there’s one thing he wishes would’ve never happened to him. On an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist reflected on suffering a broken neck back in 2003.

“My biggest regret was breaking my neck. Everything went downhill from there. My whole career, my painkiller problem got worse. It actually started with my neck being broken in 2003 and I just wish it would’ve never happened. I would’ve had a nice, long, successful career, drug-free, and would’ve been elated on it. So, that is my biggest and probably one and only regret.”

Angle wasn’t away from the ring for long thanks to a special procedure that was done by Dr. Jho in Pittsburgh. While Angle was back in the saddle quickly, he developed a painkiller addiction that was negatively impacting his life.

Thankfully now, Angle appears to be in a far better place although he remains in some pain. He has retired from the pro wrestling industry and says he is currently focusing on other ventures.

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Kurt Angle has looked back on the first time he knew how to bleed in wrestling.

Back in Aug. 2001, Angle challenged Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship at Summerslam. Angle was the face while Austin was the heel going into the PPV. Angle won the match on that night but he didn’t win the title because he defeated Austin via disqualification.

Fans who remember that match know that Kurt Angle donned the crimson mask as he was bleeding quite a bit. He explained why that was the case during an episode of The Kurt Angle Show.

“Steve made me a blade. So I had it, I put tape around my wrist and put the blade inside of it. And when the time came to do it, I kept slicing my head and nothing was working. I was barely scratching the surface and it was hurting, killing me. It starts getting painful when you keep trying to gig yourself.

“Austin was like, ‘Shit, kid. Give me that razor.’ He dug it in my head and twisted, and I bled like a sieve. I didn’t stop bleeding the whole entire match. It was horrible. He taught me how to bleed [laughs]. And from then on that’s how I did it, I just didn’t do it as hard as he did. He dug it in real hard and twisted real hard. He probably got the blade in there a good half-inch right up against my skull and I bled profusely. But that’s how I learned how to bleed, how to gig. Austin taught me the hard way [laughs].”

Angle would end up defeating Austin for the championship at the Unforgiven PPV the following month. Stone Cold won back the title back and Angle wouldn’t hold the gold again until Dec. 2002.

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Kurt Angle admits that he wanted to win back the World Heavyweight Championship from Rey Mysterio back in 2006.

Kurt Angle, Mysterio, and Randy Orton had been involved in a feud leading up to WrestleMania 22. Mysterio won the Royal Rumble but ended up losing his big World Title shot to Orton. Mysterio earned his way back in the match and it was made a triple threat. At the time, Angle was the World Heavyweight Champion.

Mysterio ended up capturing the gold by nailing Orton with the 619 followed by a springboard hurricanrana. It was a memorable moment, as Mysterio’s win was in honor of the late Eddie Guerrero.

During an edition of The Kurt Angle Show, the former Olympic gold medalist said that while he loved the moment that Rey had, he felt there was an opportunity to create a new star had he won back the World Heavyweight Championship.

“Rey won the title and I was all for it. I thought it was awesome. I think that Rey winning the title for the first time and representing Eddie Guerrero was an incredible moment. But I’m the best at making people. That’s what I do and I know Rey didn’t really need that title for very long. And I thought that if I took the title and had a program with somebody else to bring them up, that’s what I wanted to do.

“It’s not like I need more titles. I’ve won real titles in my life. Olympic gold medalist, world champion in 1995, two NCAA Championships. I won the real stuff, I don’t really need the fake hardware. Not fake, you know what I’m saying? In pro wrestling and sports entertainment. But I wanted to do what I did best and that was bringing up younger talent and making them.”

Mysterio ended up holding the title for 112 days. Booker T ended his reign at The Great American Bash on July 23, 2006. Kurt Angle never had a run with the World Heavyweight Championship again.

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Kurt Angle admits he was nervous ahead of the major announcement that he signed with TNA Wrestling.

When Angle signed with TNA back in 2006, it was a big deal. TNA Wrestling was the new kid on the block. The promotion hired a slew of former WWE stars but at that point, they hadn’t signed a megastar who was in their prime. That’s why when the promotion announced that Kurt Angle put pen to paper, it threw the wrestling world for a loop.

During a recent edition of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist reflected on shooting the secret vignettes.

“They were very quick. There were background lights and water falling and it was just me doing poses and revealing myself at the end of the pay-per-view when I made my debut. ‘It’s real, it’s damn real’ and I started laughing. Those were the vignettes that I did. It didn’t take us very long. We got them done and out of there.”

Angle took note of fans chanting Goldberg’s name before the announcement was made and he went from being excited to sweating bullets.

“Everybody thought it was Goldberg. I was scared. When they were chanting ‘Goldberg’ I was like, ‘oh sh*t. I hope they’re not disappointed it’s me.'”

It’s safe to say that no one inside the Impact Zone was disappointed on that night.

Angle would stick around with TNA until 2016. He made his return to WWE the following year and earned a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. Angle is now retired from the pro wrestling industry, citing injuries throughout his career, his age, and wanting to focus on other things.

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Kurt Angle wasn’t exactly gung-ho about his first feud with Samoa Joe in TNA Wrestling.

Angle signed with TNA back in 2006 after an eight-year run with WWE. In his first pivotal feud with the company, Angle went to war with “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe. It was a memorable rivalry for many fans who watched the product back then but the Olympic gold medalist took issue with it.

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle discussed why he didn’t like the idea of going one-on-one with Joe right away.

“I don’t know. I did not like that because Samoa Joe was undefeated. I felt like if I came into the company and started out with someone else, Joe and I could work up to each other in six months to a year. Really build our program, but they wanted to slingshot this thing and do it really quickly. Unfortunately, I ended Joe’s undefeated streak the first pay per view I wrestled. It made no sense at all. I just felt like we could’ve built this up, done a lot more pay per view buys if we built it the correct way instead of slingshotting it. That’s what the company wanted, so that’s what I did.”

Joe did eventually pick up a massive victory over Angle. He defeated Kurt for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship back in 2008 in a Title vs. Career match. Joe’s reign lasted 182 days and it was his only run with the championship.

Today, Angle is retired from pro wrestling while Joe is featured on the NXT brand for WWE. Joe recently was forced to relinquish the NXT Championship due to an injury.

Kenny Omega has had a slew of high-profile matches but there’s one showdown that he never got to have.

Omega is the reigning AEW World Champion. He captured the gold on the Dec. 2, 2020 edition of Dynamite. He defeated Jon Moxley for the gold thanks to a distraction from Don Callis. This solidified Omega’s heel turn.

During his reign, Omega has defeated the likes of Rey Fenix, PAC and Orange Cassidy in a three-way match, Jungle Boy, and Christian Cage. Of course, the “Best Bout Machine” also had classics in NJPW with the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Tomohiro Ishii, Kota Ibushi, and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

There’s one major name who Kenny Omega wishes he had faced, however. He revealed to Adam’s Apple that the wrestler he always wanted to go one-on-one with was WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle.

“I felt like I just missed out on maybe wrestling Kurt Angle, and that would have been a dream match for me. He’s a guy that I consider probably one of the best of all time. Especially for what I try to do in the ring and I try to bring in athletics and real sports. He was a jack of all trades and there won’t be anyone like him ever again, I don’t think.”

Angle was the first Olympic gold medalist signed to WWE. He quickly became an elite talent thanks to his in-ring work as well as his charisma. He was a unique performer and as Omega alluded to, there really isn’t anyone quite like him in the wrestling industry.

Angle has retired from the wrestling business. He has said that AEW contacted him several times but he says his body is just too broken down to make a commitment.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is cautioning WWE on dismissing signing independent wrestlers.

Wrestling Inc’s Nick Hausman interviewed Angle on August 31st to promote Angle’s new sneakers. During the interview, Hausman asked him about WWE focusing more on signing athletes than independent wrestlers. He also noted that most applicants had never been in a wrestling ring at the latest WWE tryout. Angle responded by warning WWE not to ignore independent wrestlers as potential employees.

“…I would tread very lightly on that because there are a lot of incredible independent wrestlers and wrestlers that never did any real sport, but very good at their craft,” said Angle.

WWE Developmental Changing

The WWE developmental program NXT is going through a change. WWE is promoting that the change will start as soon as September 14th. The announcement came with the introduction of the new NXT logo.

WWE President Nick Khan has shared in an interview with BT Sports’ Ariel Helwani that NXT will change his views on new talent. “In terms of an NXT rebrand, look for it in the upcoming weeks, it’s going to have a whole new look, it’s going to have a whole new feel, and we believe because of a lot of the ‘indie wrestlers’ if you will, have come through our system, and are in our system with SmackDown and RAW now. We don’t want to keep doing that same thing; we want to look elsewhere for great young talent,” said Khan.

NXT History with Independent Wrestlers

The WWE has had a successful history of acquiring famous independent wrestlers to NXT. Wrestlers like Matt Riddle, Johnny Gargano, and Asuka came from independent promotions and had successful careers in WWE. However, the success of All Elite Wrestling and other independent promotions has created more options for wrestlers. WWE’s decision to focus on younger athletes with no professional wrestling background seems to be their response.

In August, WWE released several former independent wrestlers from NXT. With the new era of NXT coming next week, it’s still unclear if WWE’s new direction in talent scouting will be a success.

Olympic Gold medalist Kurt Angle spoke with Nick Hausman this past week for the Wrestling Inc Daily podcast. They discussed a variety of current events, including AEW’s popularity and reports that Bryan Danielson will soon be All Elite.

Kurt Angle was one of the top Superstars during the Attitude Era, a time when WWE attracted young adults in droves. In recent years, WWE has toned down the product and is geared to be more family-friendly. Angle thinks that AEW is gaining ground with the demographic that brought WWE monster success twenty years ago.

“WWE are losing the young adults,” said Angle. “The 18 to 40 years olds that WWE had during the Attitude Era, that’s more the way AEW’s direction is right now. They’re swearing on the air, they’re putting up the middle fingers. It’s more of an Attitude Era attitude.”

Kurt Angle on Bryan Danielson to AEW

Angle also commented on the rumor that Bryan Danielson will be joining AEW in the near future. Angle says he’s very surprised by this development and never thought WWE would let him go.

“Daniel was a big part of the company for the past ten or so years,” said Angle. “He was literally the top babyface in the company for a few years, so, I’m really surprised they let him go. But Daniel is probably happier in AEW for whatever reason. I don’t know if it was money or if he wasn’t happy with the direction of his character, but it had to be something that made him leave.”

As of this writing, Bryan Danielson remains a free agent and has not yet appeared for All Elite Wrestling.

Kurt Angle got his release from the WWE in April 2020, and we haven’t seen him anywhere since he became a free agent. It was speculated that we’d see him somewhere soon enough — most likely AEW, but he’s said that it’s off the table. The Olympic gold medalist has recently said that he’s received offers from AEW comprising of different roles from being an active in-ring wrestler to simply being an on-screen personality.

Angle detailed the various offers he’s received from AEW and stated that while Tony Khan’s been really nice to him, he can’t accept any offers at this time. “Yes, they offered me a couple of different contracts,” Angle told Wrestling Inc. Daily. “I turned it down for personal reasons, but Tony Khan’s been really nice to me, very generous, and I really appreciate his interest in having me there. But at this particular time, I can’t do it.”

Angle added that with AEW’s first offer they offered him “many” matches with the company, and the subsequent deal included three matches and deal following after that included an on-screen role with no wrestling.

Back in July, Kurt Angle revealed that he was contacted by Triple H and he was offered a role of a trainer at NXT. He was told that his task would be to go over stuff with talent, and that he could even do it from home on his computer. All he had to do was go through tapes and give the talent notes on what they did right or wrong. Angle said he was interested but he was ghosted by WWE and never heard back from Triple H. “I never heard back from him. Long story short, they were interested but at the last second they must have backed out, which is okay with me.”

Kurt Angle believes Christian Cage is world-class.

Cage has had quite a career. He’s made his mark for WWE, TNA Wrestling, and now AEW. Cage is fresh off an Impact World Championship victory over Kenny Omega on the debut episode of Rampage. It is actually his first Impact World Title run as he had only won the NWA gold twice under the TNA banner.

During an edition of The Kurt Angle Show, the former Olympic gold medalist and multiple-time world champion in WWE and TNA expressed his belief that Cage is a special talent.

“Every once in a while we touch base. He’s such a good guy. We were best friends, you know, Edge, Christian, myself, and Rhyno. We really were best friends. We spent a lot of time together and that time was so valuable. I’ll never forget what he did for me. What he did for the business. Christian is one of the most underrated professional wrestlers of all time. This guy should actually already be in the Hall of Fame. That’s how good he was and, I don’t know, I mean, I think someday he will be. I just think that he’s been underappreciated.

“He could have very well been the best professional wrestler of all time. That’s how good he was. He was creative putting the matches together. His timing was impeccable. He was one of the absolute best I’ve ever worked with.”

Cage is set to take on Omega a second time on Sept. 5. This time, it’ll be for the AEW World Title. The match is penciled in to serve as the main event of All Out.

Earlier this year, Christian Cage appeared in the Royal Rumble PPV. It was his first appearance as an active competitor since 2014 as he hadn’t been medically cleared to return. Cage wouldn’t stick around with WWE, however, as he ended up signing a full-time deal with AEW.

Kurt Angle’s WWE entrance music is iconic among wrestling fans. The accompanying “you suck!” chants have become a fan-favorite ritual to participate in, which evolved to being used affectionately for Angle as opposed to showing hatred for his character.

On a recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle gave his opinion about his theme song and revealed what he initially thought of it. He said it took him some time for him to warm up to his theme when it was first introduced, and once he started using it, the song became part of his identity as a wrestler.

“I listened to it beforehand but I didn’t like it so much at first. The more I listened to it, the catchier it got. I love my theme song. I love how catchy it is. It’s a really cool song, it definitely represents who I was and I wouldn’t change it. It’s the best entrance theme that I could ever imagine possible (for me),” Angle said.

Fans are always fascinated about musical side of wrestling. Angle was asked if WWE shows wrestlers a few songs and asks them to pick which one they liked the best, or if they even have any say at all regarding their themes. Angle revealed that the company would make a song for a wrestler on their own and show it to them when the wrestler is present at the arena. The music is not going to change drastically even if the wrestler doesn’t like it, as according to Angle once the track is made they would barely change it much.

“Well they make a song for you, and then you’ll show up at the arena and they’ll play it out loud in the arena. And you decide if you like it or if you don’t. But for the most part, they’re basically saying, ‘Hey, this is the music we made for you, this is the music you’re gonna have to use.’ You can say you don’t like it, they’ll go back and re-edit it, but for the most part it’s gonna be identical to the first one they made.”

Read more: Kurt Angle Wanted a Retirement Match Against John Cena