The guy was probably trying to stand out. In retrospect, he probably realizes it wasn't quite a good idea to flirt w/ legit hurting Angle, but at the time he was involved in a "real" match w/ Angle. Since he knows the fans are doing the voting, he figured by looking good against Angle, he'd have a better chance of standing out when compared to the other TE contestants.
If he goes in and takes a dive, he comes off looking like a chump to the crowd (as well as looking weak to the WWE). If he puts up a decent fight, the crowd might see him as the person to vote for.