"That was a creative mess" – WWE veteran gets honest on Stephanie McMahon's involvement in his match

One of the biggest matches on the No Way Out 2002 card was the co-main event between Kurt Angle and Triple H, which featured Stephanie McMahon as the Special Guest Referee.

After a long injury lay-off that kept him out for eight months, Triple H returned to WWE as a babyface to feud with Kurt Angle. WWE also decided to explore the on-screen hostility between Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, which resulted in a chaotic match at No Way Out.

Kurt Angle rewatched the No Way Out contest on this week's episode of his podcast and revealed he wasn't in favor of the high frequency of referee bumps:

"Yeah, I was happy with the match. I just hated the ref bumps. There were four referee bumps. It was absolutely way too much."

While the WWE Hall of Famer didn't have a problem with Stephanie getting involved in the storyline, he felt she should've ended the match with a fast count.

After multiple twists and turns, Kurt eventually won but believed he could've drawn more heat with a different finish:

"I don't think she helped or hurt. I don't think it was really much of a difference, really, whether we had her or not. I think the problem is we had way too many ref bumps. When you have a special guest referee, it can get a little difficult. I'd say this, she should've done a fast count, both times, on the count on Hunter. It wasn't her fault. That was a creative mess. I think the creative dropped the ball on that. I would've gotten more heat if it was a fast count."

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Kurt Angle feels WWE wanted to rejuvenate the love triangle story with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H

Kurt Angle and Triple H previously feuded in 2000 in a love triangle storyline featuring Stephanie McMahon.

Angle mentioned on multiple occasions that he was uncomfortable during the entire program. WWE reignited Triple H and Angle's rivalry and again got Stephanie into the equation, and the Olympic Hero realized WWE's motive.

The romantic story was a ratings success, and Angle realized he had to do what was required to deliver a compelling wrestling narrative:

"I don't know what they thought was, you know, the love triangle wasn't long before this, and Triple H was out for almost a year. So, him coming back and me having a program with him, I felt they wanted to rejuvenate the love triangle and have Stephanie involved in the show, in our program, which I didn't mind at all. It's a little bit uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, I'm doing what I can do to have the best possible program."

On the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the WWE Hall of Famer confirmed rumors of backstage tension over WWE signings of three big names and how even Steve Austin and The Undertaker were concerned about the new arrivals to the roster. You can check that out here.

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