What’s the story?
During a recent Q&A on his official Facebook fan page, Kurt Angle revealed his top three picks for pro wrestling legends that he would like to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame. The names that Angle revealed were The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena.
Angle will be inducted as a part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017 during WrestleMania weekend in Orlando, on March 31st.
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All three men suggested by the former Olympian have made a profound impact on his career in professional wrestling.
The iconic Undertaker was one of his first major rivals after Angle became a main event star and the two had several battles over the WWE Championship, both in Kurt’s first run in 2000 and later on as the two top stars of the Smackdown brand.
Steve Austin, who Angle has stated is his number one pick to do the honours, was perhaps his greatest rival during the later years of the Attitude Era, where the two were on opposing sides of the WCW Invasion vs. WWF Alliance story.
Also read: WWE Rumors: Kurt Angle could be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match
Finally, there may be no wrestler on earth more important to the early development of the now 15-time world champion John Cena, than Kurt Angle. Fans may recall that when Cena made his debut on Smackdown, he did so by answering an open challenge from Angle.
Years later, when Cena had risen up through the ranks to become WWE Champion and had been drafted to the Raw brand, the two had an epic war over the company’s top prize, and it was really Angle who gave the leader of the “Cenation” his first main event exposure on the flagship show.
Cena’s signature manoeuvre, the STF, was actually created as a result of Cena having to defend his title in a submission-only match against Angle, who was known at the time for being a submission expert.
The heart of the story
Last week, Angle told ESPN that the first person he called after receiving the big news from WWE was Stone Cold himself. He has since stated that if he had his choice of any one person to induct him into the Hall of Fame, that it would be the Texas Rattlesnake Steve Austin.
But in a new Facebook Q&A, Angle told a fan that he was proud to be going into the Hall of Fame and that while a decision hasn’t been made yet as to who will do the honours, he hopes it was either Austin, The Undertaker, or John Cena.
What’s next?
Angle will headline the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 on March 31, and WWE will be rolling out the list of legendary figures that will join him in being honoured over the next few months.
The currently rumoured list of names includes Diamond Dallas Page, the late Rick Rude, Christian, William Regal, the Natural Disasters, and Mike Rotunda (I.R.S.).
Sportskeeda’s take
Obviously, we are psyched to see an all-time great go into the Hall of Fame and make his highly anticipated return to the WWE family. No matter who inducts him, it should be a great ceremony, but Cena does seem like the easiest pick from the WWE end.
That being said, Hall of Famers have historically had a great amount of input on who inducts them, and WWE obviously wouldn’t miss an opportunity to use “Stone Cold” for Angle’s induction, provided things work out.
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