Baron Corbin breaks character to praise former WWE rival

Baron Corbin recently praised WWE legend Kurt Angle for agreeing to lose against him at WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

Angle’s career was originally supposed to end at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, but he asked Vince McMahon to bring forward his retirement by a year. Although Angle wanted to face John Cena, McMahon booked him to lose against Corbin at the event instead.

Speaking on Catch Off, Corbin said his high-profile win over Angle is something he will remember for the rest of his career.

“To me that was something that will live in my career forever because it was an amazing moment to be in the ring with not only an Olympic gold medallist, but a Hall of Famer and someone who has had an unbelievable career. To get that opportunity and to walk away with the victory is something I will hold dear for my entire life,” Corbin said.

Baron Corbin and Kurt Angle worked as authority figures on WWE RAW in the months leading up to their WrestleMania 35 match. Angle has revealed in interviews in recent years that Vince McMahon chose Corbin as his final opponent because he felt their storyline needed a conclusion.

---

Baron Corbin appreciates Kurt Angle “more than he will ever understand”

Before WrestleMania 35, Baron Corbin’s biggest WrestleMania moment came at WrestleMania 32 when he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

The 2019 King of the Ring winner added that he will always appreciate Angle for being so unselfish during their match.

“I appreciate Kurt Angle far more than he will ever understand,” Corbin said. “I think he is an amazing person in so many ways, inside the ring, outside the ring. The things he does as a family man, he’s someone to look up to. It [defeating Angle] was a really amazing thing.”

Baron Corbin, now known as Happy Corbin, was selected as the ninth overall pick by SmackDown on the first night of the 2021 WWE Draft. He recently formed an alliance with Madcap Moss, formerly known as Riddick Moss.

---

Please credit Catch Off and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.