• Sports News
  • WWE
  • WWE WrestleMania 2024
  • WrestleMania Rewind: When Kurt Angle faced Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania | 4 unbelievable facts
Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX

WrestleMania Rewind: When Kurt Angle faced Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania | 4 unbelievable facts

WrestleMania 35 pulls the curtain down on Kurt's in-ring career while Brock Lesnar will be defending his Universal Title against the Royal Rumble winner Seth Rollins. If the Kingslayer manages to defeat the Beast Incarnate, then he may well be leaving the company for good.

Ad

However, even if Brock remains, he may not be performing much. The title is the only reason for Lesnar to show up at the big events. If he loses it, he may be waving goodbye to WWE in a short while.

Ad

The rising popularity of different talents might pose a serious threat to part-timers like Lesnar in the future. He may not be needed if more deserving talents get recognized and given main event opportunities in the promotion.

Ad

On the other hand, we have Kurt Angle, the legendary superstar who has achieved almost everything in WWE. He had been one of the best wrestlers in his era. However, time changes almost everything. The once glorious wrestler is now a pale shadow of his former self.

Ad

His desire and passion to be in the ring is as same as it was years ago, but his body is not the same. While Lesnar is privileged with a good WrestleMania opponent, Angle is not. His retirement match against Corbin seems so absurd to the fans.

Ad

These two veteran superstars who are currently at the crossroads showed an unparalleled technical brilliance at WrestleMania XIX. Let us take a look at some interesting facts from their WrestleMania feud.

Ad

Ad

#4 Lesnar was building his resume while Angle was already an established star

Ad
Lesnar is entering WrestleMania 35 as a bigger star than Kurt Angle

Here in 2019, Brock Lesnar looks like a big deal than Kurt Angle. However, when we travel back in time to 2003, Angle was a far bigger deal than Lesnar. Angle was an Olympic gold medalist and the reigning WWE Champion at that point of time.

Ad

Sure, Lesnar also had a list of accomplishments to brag about. He was the 2002 King of the Ring winner and the youngest WWE Champion, but there was still a long way to go for the Next Big Thing at that point in time.

#3 Brock Lesnar had to win the Royal Rumble to earn a match against Kurt Angle

Brock Lesnar entering the Royal Rumble in order to earn a championship match seems like a joke at this point of time. The Beast Incarnate is a megastar who can virtually demand any match at the Show of Shows. Vince would be happy to give him any match he demands along with loads and loads of cash.

It happened earlier this year when Brock Lesnar supposedly requested a match against Finn Balor at the Royal Rumble. Vince, who felt that Balor should not face Lesnar at the 2018 Royal Rumble, was more than happy to give the green signal when Lesnar demanded it a year later.

Ad

This shows how the bargaining power of Lesnar had improved. That wasn't the case at the Royal Rumble 2003 though. Lesnar had to win the 30 man Rumble to book his ticket to WrestleMania. He did exactly that by eliminating his last Rumble opponent, The Undertaker.

#2 Angle fought the match with a neck injury

Angle applies his famous ankle lock on Brock
Ad

Those who are seeing Kurt Angle wrestle for the first time in 2019 are very unfortunate. They really missed the best part of his wrestling career. This old, slowed down competitor was once second to none. He gave instant classics every time he stepped into the ring.

Nothing stopped Kurt Angle from giving great wrestling classics. Not even a freaking neck injury. Yes, he had a very severe neck injury ahead of WrestleMania XIX. He almost opted out from competing in the match.

Vince McMahon wanted Kurt Angle to drop the title ahead of WrestleMania but a very emotional incident made Kurt Angle change his mind. He reflected back on the whole incident in a Q&A session:

I was over at my neighbor's house about two days before that SmackDown match where I was supposed to drop the title to Brock, which was a week before Mania. A good friend of mine who has Down’s Syndrome came up to me and said, “I heard that you are not wrestling!” He started crying. He said, “I heard you are not wrestling Brock at WrestleMania,” and he held up a DirectTV cover that had Brock and I facing off, and the kid made me cry.
Ad
At the moment, I literally called Vince right then. I said, “Listen, let me go at Mania. I can do this. Have Brock and I go out and do it. I’ll drop the belt to Brock.” I wasn’t supposed to lose the title to Brock. I was supposed to continue to be the champion, but because of my neck injury, I was going to drop it to Brock. I talked to Vince into having the match.

#1 It was a SmackDown storyline

Now in 2019, WWE frequently claims that SmackDown is a b-show and how it is a house that someone tried hard to build after so many episodes. On the buildup to WrestleMania 35, can we even believe that a SmackDown feud headlined WrestleMania XIX?

A newcomer who claims to be the next big thing goes tearing through everyone to face the WWE Champion. An established champion with a neck injury waiting for a WrestleMania showdown. The storyline had every ingredient for the match to be an instant classic.

Ad

The storyline between Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan ahead of WrestleMania 35 is a fantastic one. However, the WrestleMania XIX classic match has some sort of magic that cannot be replicated. Brock Lesnar's shooting star press was the highlight of the match.

The near 300-pounder botched the high flying move but it definitely created one huge WrestleMania moment worth watching in repeat mode. The match received 4.25 ratings from Dave Meltzer.

At WrestleMania 35, don't hold your breath for Lesnar attempting a shooting star press but do hope for Kurt Angle to battle the challenge of aging just like he battled the challenge of injury in 2003. Kurt has the heart and resilience but age is now his worst enemy.

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE

Ad
Edited by
Gabby Duran
 
See more
More from Sportskeeda