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Kurt Angle had a televised 54th birthday celebration on WWE SmackDown last night. The celebration saw many legends of the past come out and share the joy of Angle turning 54. But that didn't stop with the show. Rey Mysterio took to the mic shortly after SmackDown went off the air and told Kurt that the celebration wasn't over. This was followed by wrestlers and fans alike singing Happy Birthday to Angle. Triple H also joined in shortly after.
Watch the extended celebration in the video below:
The celebration began backstage and was used to introduce stars and further storylines. A few callbacks were also made during the birthday party as Jason Jordan was seen gifting Kurt a "Best Dad" card, while Wyatt was spotted in the background talking to someone. Angle was also used as a vehicle to reintroduce Gable Steveson, who had a short backstage interaction with Strowman, sowing the seeds for a feud between the two later down the line.
Nonetheless, the highlight of the night was definitely Triple H taking his executive cap off for a while and coming out to embrace his longtime friend and rival.
Triple H and Kurt Angle have had a storied history in WWE
When Kurt Angle made his WWE debut, Triple H was on the brink of superstardom, while Angle himself was coming off of winning a gold medal, having all eyes on him. Naturally, this meant that Angle and Triple H wouldn't be separated for long, as the two feuded for the first time in 2000 for the WWE Championship.
This transitioned into a love-triangle storyline also involving Stephanie McMahon, with the first iteration of the rivalry settling with a win for Triple H. The two would meet multiple times, and they reignited their hatred for one another in 2017.
Angle was announced by Vince McMahon as the new general manager of RAW and with Triple H and Angle both in managerial positions, it was only a matter of time before the two crossed paths. At Survivor Series 2017, Triple H attacked Kurt Angle. This developed and snowballed into a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania, also involving Ronda Rousey and Stephanie McMahon.
It seems that the two won't ever share the ring again. While Kurt Angle has expressed his wish to step back into the squared circle again, The King of King's heart condition won't allow him to wrestle again. It remains to be seen whether Kurt Angle will ever compete again.
