Kurt Angle has had many onscreen roles in the WWE. Angle played a cowardly heel during his early days in the company before turning face and becoming the ‘American hero’ during the Invasion angle. He would also portray a comedic heel during the same time and later became the ‘Wrestling Machine’ during his final days in the company.
But in between all that, Angle served as the onscreen GM of SmackDown during 2004.
Angle had health issues at the time and the move was to keep him on TV while he recuperated. Angle would be a torment to the babyfaces on SmackDown, including Eddie Guerrero and John Cena, and would even be relegated to a wheelchair for some time following a Chokeslam off the ledge by the Big Show.
Angle would continue the gimmick, declaring that he could no longer wrestle, before appearing as a masked luchador during a steel cage match between JBL and Guerrero to prevent the latter from becoming WWE Champion again.
He would soon return to in-ring competition, beating Guerrero at Summerslam.
Today, we look back at the day when Angle became SmakDown GM. We also look back at the match that started the Attitude Era and saved a WrestleMania from total despair. And have you heard about SHINE Wrestling?
#1 Kurt Angle becomes SmackDown GM – 23rd March 2004
Paul Heyman had quit as SmackDown GM and Triple H had just been drafted to SmackDown, so when the Game’s music hit to open SmackDown on the 23rd March 2004 tapings, fans were surprised to see Kurt Angle coming out instead.
Angle declared that he was the new SmackDown GM and that his first official act as SmackDown GM was to trade Triple H back to RAW for three Superstars. Those three Superstars turned out to be the Dudley Boyz and Booker T.
Also read: 5 things we learned from Kurt Angle's Reddit AMA
Angle said that he was putting his wrestling career on hold to take on GM duties, but in reality, he had been having neck troubles following his WrestleMania XX match against WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero. Angle would go on to have feuds with the likes of Guerrero and John Cena during his time as the GM.
Angle would have Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak watch his back, forming the Angle Alliance after he returned to in-ring competition at that year’s Summerslam.
#2 Reby Sky vs Havok saga ends – 23rd March 2013
Many wrestling fans know Reby Sky as the wife of Matt Hardy and as an integral part of the ‘Broken’ Hardys storyline in TNA. But she first made her mark in SHINE Wrestling against Jessicka Havok.
SHINE Wrestling is a Florida-based independent women's wrestling promotion and it initially got some traction due to the matches between Sky and Havok. Havok had assaulted Sky with a chair after a match, leading to a number of rematches between the two.
Matt Hardy – who was dating Sky then – made an appearance on SHINE to be in Sky’s corner and had to throw in the towel for Sky after she was dominated by Havok.
The feud between Sky and Havok would come to a head on SHINE 8, with the match stipulation that Havok would shake Reby’shand in respect if Reby won. If Havok won, Reby’s SHINE career would be over.
In a brutal back and forth match, Sky was finally able to topple Havok and earn the latter’s respect. Havok would later have appearances in TNA, in addition to having a WWE tryout before joining Ring of Honor in 2016
#3 Bret Hart brutalises Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 – 23rd March 1997
WrestleMania 13 has been described as the worst WrestleMania in history – it is the only WrestleMania that wasn’t sold out and featured an average main event featuring the Undertaker and Psycho Sid.
But the saving grace was having one of the greatest WWE matches on the card.
Bret Hart and Steve Austin’s match might not have been the main event, but it was the best match of the night. It had UFC Superstar Ken Shamrock as the special referee and saw a heel Austin taking on the increasingly frustrated babyface Bret Hart.
The match saw a double turn, with Hart locking in the Sharpshooter on a busted open Steve Austin, who refused to tap out. Austin would pass out though, leading to Shamrock awarding the match to Hart.
Hart would try to attack Austin after the match, only to receive a suplex from Shamrock.
Fans got behind the Rattlesnake's gumption and Austin became super popular after the match. Hart would become a full-fledged heel the next night on RAW, interfering in a match between his brother Owen and brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith, to re-form the Hart Foundation.
The WrestleMania match is also considered as the beginning of the Attitude Era.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
