The Rock recalls Kurt Angle beating him to win his first WWE Championship

When Kurt Angle first came on the WWE scene during the Attitude Era, it was clear he was destined for great things. While his wrestling ability was never in question, Angle could also charm crowds with his silly all-American heel character who seemed to be from a bygone era.

October 22nd 2000, No Mercy. Less than 1 year after making his WWE debut @RealKurtAngle defeated The Rock to win his first WWE Title. #WWE pic.twitter.com/m6m4Gdfi3s

— WWE Today In History (@WWE__History) October 22, 2016

20 years to this day, Kurt Angle won his first WWE Championship at No Mercy in 2000. The man Angle beat to win the title was The Rock. Ariel Helwani tweeted that he went to the event in Albany, New York, with friends and loved every moment of it. The Rock responded to the Tweet and stated that he loved the match.

The Rock calls Kurt Angle the greatest athlete of all-time

The Rock recalls that the match at No Mercy had a significant build-up, and he loved the match. Moreover, The Rock was honored to put over Kurt Angle that day. The Rock won back the title at No Way Out in 2001.

Love this match! It was a brilliant build up and promotion. Honored to “do the honors” for Kurt. He’s one of the good guys AND one of the greatest athletes of all time. Rare combo. Didn’t know your wrestling roots go this far back, Ariel. We gotta talk 😉👊🏾

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 22, 2020

The Rock never forgets people he worked with, including Kurt Angle. Angle would eventually become a 4-time WWE Champion and be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.