Kurt Angle Interview

[haVoc 0]

Maximum Human Performance sports nutrition supplements (www.maxperformance.com) presented this week's episode of Get in the Ring which featured Kurt Angle. MHP products are available at GNC.

 

Kurt starts off thanking the fans for their support and wants to let them know that he will be back soon. Phantom says how being in the hospital sucks and Kurt agrees, saying he was so eager to leave that he told the doctor he wanted to leave 4-5 hours after the surgery, which he did. Angle swears by Dr. Jho and estimates he will be back in the ring in about 6 weeks. This recent neck injury was caused by a Brock Lesnar chair shot from 3 weeks ago. One of Angle's discs exploded and part of it went into his spinal cord. Angle says that for what he does for a living, fusion is last thing he wants to have, as he needs to keep his flexibility. Sir A says Angle is now the Tommy John of this particular surgery. Kurt thinks it is a miracle for him to be back in the ring 3 months after the first surgery and now 6 weeks after this recent chair shot. Kurt knows he must be smarter in the ring and taking chair shots isn't the smartest thing with his neck.

 

The talk turns to WrestleMania 19 and how Phantom was amazed by Kurt's performance and respected how Kurt could compete like that even though he was obviously hurting. Kurt recalls that before the match started, he could barely raise his left arm. By the end, he couldn't raise it at all. Vince McMahon had wanted him to drop the title on Smackdown the month before due to the injury, but Kurt didn't feel right about that. He and Brock had worked their asses off and Brock deserved to win the belt at Mania. It was the first time that Brock missed the shooting star press and used to use it as his finish. Kurt says that Brock can go all the way across ring with the move and that Brock was confident he could do it, however, he lost his balance and was tired, so he didn't have enough "oomph" and landed right in front of Kurt. Kurt turned at the last second to get out of the way and thought to himself that Brock would be joining him in the hospital that night. Kurt was not even at 50% for the match and was just lucky to be there. Brock was knocked out after the failed attempt and Kurt covered him thinking that he would have to hold the title for 9 more months, but Brock kicked out and Kurt said, "do your thing". An F-5 later it was over.

 

The talk turns to his training regiment and Kurt says that a product he takes made by MHP helps him with the swelling in his joints. Kurt has a lot of arthritis in his neck. These products keep him going. He has been using MHP for the last 4 years and has seen his body drastically change. He says that it all comes down to diet. Most people are on low carb diets, not realizing they are losing muscle. The body needs a certain amount of fat and certain amount of good carbs. This is where MHP's new product “Up Your Mass” comes in, as it is the perfect equation for lean muscle mass. You don't need to do cardio with it, even though Kurt does. Sir A says how can you disagree with Kurt's recommendation. Kurt says that he wishes he had these at the Olympics as he is now as lean as he was when he started in WWE but with 15 lbs more of muscle. Phantom responds that he will be putting more yams in his diet and asks if Kurt could slide some Up Your Mass to Big Show. Kurt laughs and says that he won't listen to him. He jokes and says Big Show eats the skin and breading to fried chicken skin and leaves the chicken.

 

Next the conversation turns to Survivor Series. Kurt says he wasn't in there long, but under the circumstances he did what he could. However, he thinks it gave the opportunity for Cena and Benoit to shine and helped make them into stars.

 

Kurt's goal is always to steal the show. He usually does it, but is humble about it. Some guys don't like following him on the card because they know the match he is going to give and that they are then going to have to step it up a few notches. Kurt can be used anywhere on the card and doesn't mind it. He may not always be in the main storyline, but that is OK and people never leave for refreshments during his matches.

 

The hosts ask if there is a rivalry between Raw and Smackdown. Kurt says there is and that right now Raw is red hot, but Smackdown is always more consistent. Smackdown has better wrestling and Raw has better entertainment. With the guys on the Smackdown roster they're always going to have tremendous shows. Raw has HHH and Jericho but overall Smackdown is better technically. Basically, if you like wrestling matches watch Smackdown, if you like entertainment better than watch Raw. Kurt loves the competition and is always trying to have a better show. They are always comparing ratings and it is almost like the WWE's feud with WCW. It works well and Vince McMahon is responsible for sticking with the split.

 

Paul Heyman is a genius. While he is not Vince McMahon, no one is. Paul adds a different dimension as both a writer and talent. He comes up with great stuff and performs tremendously. Kurt doesn't think Vince would ever let Paul go. Initially, Kurt was almost with ECW. He was not a wrestling fan back then and it took a long time for him to realize that he respected the business. He attributes this as amateur wrestlers always resenting the pros because of the lack of exposure in amateur wrestling. Now with amateur wrestlers coming in like Haas, Benjamin, Lesnar and Angle, Kurt believes within the next 15 years WWE will be made up of all amateur wrestlers. However, Kurt feels that the hardest transition is from amateur to pro because in amateur wrestling you go on instincts. If you do that in professional wrestling someone will get hurt. As an amateur, he never let anyone throw him around and in the WWE you must give a little.

 

When asked about wrestling RVD, Kurt responded that RVD wrestles a hard style, which is not necessarily stiff. RVD can be a little careless because of the style he wrestles but overall his style is so intriguing that people love it and he needs to take the next step. Angle feels RVD deserves the title and is ready for it. He believes RVD can carry the company and that the fans are behind him 100%. Kurt feels that you can't push away the people who the fans want on top. RVD tends to be careless only because he takes chances and risks his own body at the same time. He is innovative and a different kind of wrestler. Kurt is not talking for Rob, but believes that RVD would have been the champ on Smackdown by now. If Kurt were holding the title he would have said that the fans were behind RVD and he deserves it. Although Van Dam is far from the best wrestler in the company, he is one of the most exciting. Kurt can have some influence over the title. He believes that Benoit and Guerrero also deserve it and something is wrong if they don't get it in the next year. Kurt thinks he may be too giving, but he believes that when a guy deserves a shot, and the fans want to see it, you have to do it. Kurt cites that he wasn't supposed to win at Summerslam until Brock Lesnar changed it since he knew Kurt needed it more than he did at the time. Ultimately, however, Vince makes the final decision. Vince has a good eye for when talent is ready and when they deserve it. Vince listens to everyone, but he makes the final decision.

 

The talk turns to Kurt's PPV match with Shane McMahon. Shane is another guy who lights up people’s faces and Kurt fears wrestling him, not just for himself but also for Shane's well-being. Kurt feels the McMahons do what they do because their passion for the business is so much more than Austin, Angle, HHH, whoever. They believe they need to go out there and, if the wrestlers do it, then so do they.

 

Next up, the wedding. Phantom asks if Linda DDT'd Michael Hayes. Kurt laughs and says it was a great performance. Michael sang a song and was awesome then he grabbed the mic again and someone took it away. He grabbed it again and couldn't even speak. Kurt says it was funny and you never know what happens with Michael and that he had a great time with him. The McMahons were on the dance floor all night. They tried to get HHH to dance but he just stood in the middle while people danced around him. He did slow dance.

 

With regard to Stephanie McMahon and HHH getting together, Kurt had no idea at first and doesn't think anything happened until everything was finalized with Chyna. He says they have good chemistry together and were meant for each other. When they are together, they are very happy and he is happy for them. People think HHH is set for life now, however, because he is a great wrestler and has a great mind he would have a spot forever anyway. The angle with Stephanie and HHH really let Angle show his personality, something that he feels it missing from his character right now. He thinks the company feels funny about letting him go off on his own like he did when he was a heel. However, he made himself by doing it and thinks the entertainment aspect of his character is lacking. He has talked to the writers and he thinks he is going back to heel. His favorite angles were with HHH/Stephanie, Undertaker and the scooter, all of the Austin stuff. He would love a long program with John Cena and believes they would have better chemistry if Cena was the face and Angle was the heel.

 

Kurt had a 1 ½ hour conversation with Bret Hart about a month ago. Kurt would like to wrestle him before he retires. He thinks Bret is the best wrestler ever and that they would have the best match in the history of the WWE. He feels that they have certain styles that would go well together. So he asks Bret one more time if he is listening to let them tear the house down together at Mania. Kurt believes it is possible for Bret to return to the ring, but not likely as bumps give him migraines. Bret feels it is not so much from the stroke he suffered as it is the superkick he received from Goldberg, which messed him up, and led to his neurological problems, which he has had since. Kurt says this can happen in wrestling and that he wouldn't blame Goldberg, but that it robbed fans of some exciting matches. Kurt would be hurt if he was not the first one Bret wrestled if he came back.

 

Kurt has not slowed down since his surgery, which probably did hurt him a bit. He says taking chair shots was not smart and that there are other ways of getting heat. He doesn't need to use a chair and is making a decision so he won't hurt more down the road. He is a little worried about his neck but he forgets what hurts him when he's in the ring and feels like he's robbing the fans if he doesn't give his all. When he got hurt a few weeks ago he tried to protect himself by putting his hands up, but he still got hit. He doesn't want to criticize the company, but he wonders why they allow chair shots but not belly-to-belly suplexes. He thinks it should be the opposite.

 

They discussed the triple threat match from a few years back involving Angle, Rock and HHH where Angle got knocked out. Angle remembers everything up until the move on the announcers’ table and then he was out until he was in the ambulance with the oxygen applied. Instead of hitting the table, he hit the concrete floor and was out. He was fine backstage and made the decision to go back out there. Nothing long term happened, but it was a bad concussion and took 12 weeks to over, during which period he did more promos than matches.

 

Kurt explained that he did not have a lot of training for his debut and was essentially thrown out there and told to produce less than a year after he began training. In his first four years, his only injury was a concussion and an injured tailbone from wrestling Shane. For 90% of wrestlers this wouldn't have worked but it worked for him. He is a good listener and wrestling Undertaker, Austin, HHH and the Rock made him look a like veteran and he thanks them for the opportunity. Now he is one of the leaders of the company and he feels good in that position. He again thanks the fans for supporting him and the company through the rough economic times and cites the hard-core fans who stuck by the WWE. He feels it will become mainstream again and guys like Eddie Guerrero and John Cena will help take them there.

 

Credit: 1wrestling

Edited November 26, 2003 by Fear Havoc

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Kurt seems EXTREMELY humble, which is something most wrestlers in his position probably wouldn't be.

[haVoc 0]

I'm shocked he talks as open as he does. Like telling how Brock was the one who asked to job the title to him at Summerslam. Or, the one everyone seems to hate here, ANGLE wants to go back to doing more comedy.

 

Also, maybe I should repost that in bold black letters since 90+ people clicked on the thread and then jumped right back off. Too many small words, for ya?

Edited November 26, 2003 by Fear Havoc

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I'm shocked he talks as open as he does. Like telling how Brock was the one who asked to job the title to him at Summerslam. Or, the one everyone seems to hate here, ANGLE wants to go back to doing more comedy.

 

Well, Kurt has been hit in the head a lot.

[Guest Choken One]

I still wonder what If Brock had been knocked out loopy for an extended time...Would they have Angle go over right then and there thinking Lesnar was out?

 

Or Would Angle have to drag his body around and somehow force Lesnar to pin him or something...

 

Likely, If Angle and Brock were both unable to compete...They likely would had to put the title on The Undertaker in liklihood since he was the then #2 face and was the only person that could pick up the ball.

[Guest BionicRedneck]

He thinks Bret is the best wrestler ever and that they would have the best match in the history of the WWE

 

Good god. This guy lives in his own little world. A little world where he is really good, and Bret Hart isn't totally fucked beyond repair.

[Guest Anglesault]

. Or, the one everyone seems to hate here, ANGLE wants to go back to doing more comedy.

Do you have a point?

 

They let Kurt do comedy with edge, Benoit and cena and they produced some of the most unfunny comedy on earth. That Edge feud is now the mark for horrible comedy based feuds.

 

I firmly believe that no other (comedy) feud will ever be that bad (In the sense that they tried to be funny for two months straight and batted .000)

[haVoc 0]

My point is WWE doesn't make poor little Kurt Angle do the comedy, goofy heel character. He enjoys it and has more fun with it.

[Guest Anglesault]

My point is WWE doesn't make poor little Kurt Angle do the comedy, goofy heel character. He enjoys it and has more fun with it.

But his best days with it are clearly behind him.

 

The midget skit was awful. As were both rap offs.

 

The whole "Watch Benoit and Angle blunder around" three month feud produced very few laughs.

 

I never even smirked in the Edge feud. Not once.

[haVoc 0]

I guess his best days are ahead of him as a serious babyface?

[Guest Anglesault]

Well, everytime he starts to get momentum as a serious babyface, he reverts back to bad (The Cena feud) or bizarre (The gay Lesnar run) comedy.

 

So I have no idea.

[haVoc 0]

Can you really call Angle/Cena a feud? They were more or less killing time for the Raw PPV.

 

Either way, Angle is boring right and I would like to see more comedy and edge back in his character.

[Guest Anglesault]

Can you really call Angle/Cena a feud? They were more or less killing time for the Raw PPV.

Okay, it was a way to kill time that featured to godawful skits.

 

Better?

[haVoc 0]

Jesus, they weren't that bad. I wasn't rolling around on the floor laughing, but they weren't as bad as you make them out to be. Well, you make everything out to be the "worst ever."

[Guest ligerbomb03]

Great interview. Thanks for posting it. Does Kurt not understand the fact that Bret cannot and will not wrestle ever again?

[cabbageboy 0]

Anyone else notice the stuff about RVD in this interview? He thinks RVD should have won the title by now. So let's finally put to bed this whole thing about "Angle hates RVD."

[bobobrazil1984 0]

When asked about wrestling RVD, Kurt responded that RVD wrestles a hard style, which is not necessarily stiff. RVD can be a little careless because of the style he wrestles but overall his style is so intriguing that people love it and he needs to take the next step. Angle feels RVD deserves the title and is ready for it. He believes RVD can carry the company and that the fans are behind him 100%. Kurt feels that you can't push away the people who the fans want on top. RVD tends to be careless only because he takes chances and risks his own body at the same time. He is innovative and a different kind of wrestler. Kurt is not talking for Rob, but believes that RVD would have been the champ on Smackdown by now. If Kurt were holding the title he would have said that the fans were behind RVD and he deserves it. Although Van Dam is far from the best wrestler in the company, he is one of the most exciting. Kurt can have some influence over the title. He believes that Benoit and Guerrero also deserve it and something is wrong if they don't get it in the next year. Kurt thinks he may be too giving, but he believes that when a guy deserves a shot, and the fans want to see it, you have to do it. Kurt cites that he wasn't supposed to win at Summerslam until Brock Lesnar changed it since he knew Kurt needed it more than he did at the time. Ultimately, however, Vince makes the final decision. Vince has a good eye for when talent is ready and when they deserve it. Vince listens to everyone, but he makes the final decision.

Aah, ANgle's a smark at heart

[Guest Anglesault]

Well, you make everything out to be the "worst ever."

Nothing can be "worst ever."

 

Angle/Edge is still on the book.

 

Jesus, they weren't that bad.

 

They had no redeeming qualities.

[NYU 0]

When asked about wrestling RVD, Kurt responded that RVD wrestles a hard style, which is not necessarily stiff. RVD can be a little careless because of the style he wrestles but overall his style is so intriguing that people love it and he needs to take the next step. Angle feels RVD deserves the title and is ready for it. He believes RVD can carry the company and that the fans are behind him 100%. Kurt feels that you can't push away the people who the fans want on top. RVD tends to be careless only because he takes chances and risks his own body at the same time. He is innovative and a different kind of wrestler. Kurt is not talking for Rob, but believes that RVD would have been the champ on Smackdown by now. If Kurt were holding the title he would have said that the fans were behind RVD and he deserves it. Although Van Dam is far from the best wrestler in the company, he is one of the most exciting.

*sigh* So naturally, RVD is on Raw.

 

It remains to be seen whether Kurt would ACTUALLY request to drop the title to RVD. People can talk awfully big if the chance of a certain event happening is near zero. But the thought is good, as are his comments about Van Dam.

 

I don't know if it was Angle's intention, but he completely showed what is wrong with Raw. While one guy with huge fan support would be a champ on Smackdown, he is pretty much ignored and placed with a secondary title on Raw. But oh well, it's not anything the typical internet wrestling fan didn't know by now.

 

Still, this idea of RVD being on the ENTIRELY wrong brand at this point for career improvement is depressing.

[iliketurtles 0]

Great interview and the point about how they can use chairs but no belly to bellys is a valid point.

 

And he'll never drop Bret until it happens. One thing that bugs me about Kurt is he said last year around this time that Brock vs. him would be the greatest match ever...and that match was good at Mania, but not the greatest ever.

[J. Hungerford Smith 0]

People said there would be terrible computer glitches at Y2K and even that the world would end.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

C'mon, Kurt's skit with Benoit on the October 11th Smackdown in 02 was hilarious. It started with Eddie and Benoit talking where Benoit says nothing and Eddie runs through various emotions. Then they do it with Kurt, and Kurt steps back and thinks and says "Oh.. I see... You want my gold medals don't you?" - that was legit funny.

[Guest Choken One]

That was great...but you have to attribute that to Eddy more then Angle.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Yeah, Eddie's skit was one of the highlights of 02 IMO - but Angles was still pretty fn funny. Benoit was basically an ink-blot for them to vent their own neurosis and paranoia on.