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Matt Hardy thought Kurt Angle legitimately wanted to hurt him after an awkward moment in one of their first matches.
In 1998, the legendary superstars trained at the Funkin’ Dojo in Stamford, Connecticut, at the start of their WWE careers. Hardy landed a chop to Angle’s chest one time during a match, infuriating the 1996 Olympic gold medallist.
Speaking on “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” podcast, the AEW star recalled how Angle reacted furiously after receiving the painful move.
“One of my first matches with him, we did a thing where we got in the corner and I chopped him a couple of times, and obviously when you chop someone you hit the motherf****r as hard as you can,” Hardy said. “That’s just how chops go. And I remember Kurt looking at me like, ‘What are you doing?’ He was almost so offended by it like he was gonna take me down and really whip my a**.” [44:16-44:31]
Angle and Hardy later crossed paths on WWE television and in TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. One of their most notable matches saw Hardy retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against the wrestling icon on the February 2, 2016, episode of IMPACT.
Matt Hardy praises tag team for helping Kurt Angle
After debuting in WWE as a serious athlete, Kurt Angle began appearing in comedy segments alongside popular tag team Edge and Christian.
Hardy, who famously feuded with Edge and Christian alongside his brother Jeff, believes the duo helped Angle evolve as a character.
“He was a prodigy for pro wrestling, the way he caught on and learned things,” Hardy added. “Being with Edge and Christian, guys who knew the ins and outs of wrestling, especially from doing indie wrestling, was perfect because they were great to lead Kurt in the right direction, and then Kurt really opened up and found this amazing entertainment version of himself.” [44:39-44:57]
Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017. He recently reiterated that he does not plan to wrestle again after undergoing double knee surgery.
Please credit “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
