Kurt Angle looks back on the time he legitimately wrestled Brock Lesnar.
Angle and Lesnar were two of the top stars throughout WWE's Ruthless Aggression era. They faced each other on-screen a number of times, but over the years, the legend of their legitimate wrestling match backstage has caught the interest of many fans. Angle is an Olympic gold medalist, while Lesnar is a fprmer NCAA Division I national champion and All-American, so they shared plenty of genuine skill.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Angle recalled the untelevised match. Angle noted that his technique led him to victory. Angle also described how the Brooklyn Brawler goaded Lesnar into challenging Angle, as the veteran encouraged Brock to say he could defeat Angle.
“We wrestled just once. It was during the day before a WWE show back in 2002. Dave [Shultz] taught me how to teach myself,” said Angle. “The technique he instilled in me, that’s ultimately how I beat Brock. Brock said he’d beat my ass. So when Brawler told me that, I said, ‘Let’s go,'" Angle said.
Angle went on to describe how Lesnar was showcasing his skills on the Big Show, and the sight made him doubt whether he could defeat the powerhouse. However, he figured he would try. Angle stated that it was a "tight" match, and he emerged victorious in what Barrasso noted was a 15-minute match.
“Brock was picking Big Show up, double legging him, just wrecking him–and that’s when I thought, ‘I don’t know if I can beat this kid. But I figured, I may as well try. It was a tight match. I didn’t dominate. But I won," Angle said.
The WWE Hall of Famer noted that there's a major difference between a national champion and a gold medalist. This difference proved to be a vital factor in the match, and while it was a competitive battle, Angle scored the win.
“There’s a big difference between a national champion and a gold medalist. I knew Brock was going to do his college wrestling with straight double legs. It was all about positioning. That’s what Dave taught me, and that’s why I hardly ever got scored on. Brock didn’t score on me," he said.
Angle recently compared the talent in the wrestling world today to the Attitude Era. Check out his comments here.
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