What’s the story?
It was announced earlier this year that Kurt Angle would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania Weekend.
As Kurt continues to prepare for his Hall of Fame induction, he has been doing more than his fair share of interviews. Marc Madison of The Wrestling News Hub magazine had the opportunity to interview Kurt Angle this week, and he had plenty of interesting things to say.
In case you didn’t know...
Kurt Angle won the Olympic Gold Medal for Freestyle Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics. After winning his medal, Angle would eventually sign with WWE. Angle’s WWE career spanned from 1999 to 2006 and saw him win nearly every accolade he possibly could.
After leaving WWE, Angle would continue his career in TNA. He also compiled a similar list of accolades in that company. Angle left that company in March 2016 and wrestled solely on independent shows for the rest of 2016
Angle was announced as the first inductee in the 2017 class of the WWE Hall of Fame on January 16th, 2017.
The heart of the matter
Angle was asked if he thought that Nigel McGuinness was the best wrestler he faced that never competed in WWE. Kurt confirmed that he felt like that was the case as he thinks Nigel was gifted from an in-ring perspective.
He called McGuinness very special, stating that he had great technique and that he was one of the best technical wrestlers that Angle has locked up with. Angle also made it known that he felt like Nigel could have gone to WWE when he was still an active wrestler if not for his health issues.
Also read: WWE Video: Kurt Angle and Vince McMahon reunite for the first time after 11 years
Angle was also asked who was the greatest wrestler he faced that wasn’t the most advertised guy. His response:
“Austin Aries. Wow, that kid is so good. I would put him up there with an AJ Styles or Samoa Joe as far as his ability to work. He is a little smaller, but he makes up for it. He reminds me of a young Chris Benoit with what he is able to do. Austin is really intense, he has a lot of skill. Not just that, but he really has a good gift of gab. He is very intelligent. He is very precise in what he says. I would have loved to go an hour with him, I think we would have lit it up.
Angle talked about several other topics, including his Anglestrong app and the possibility of combining the app with DDP Yoga, as well as what his future may hold in WWE. You can read the full interview here.
What’s next?
Kurt Angle will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by John Cena on March 31st, 2017.
Author’s Take
I can’t say that I’m incredibly shocked by the praise that Angle gave to McGuinness and Aries. When Nigel McGuinness was an active wrestler, he was far and away one of the best technical wrestlers that I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.
As far as Aries is concerned, of course, Kurt would have wanted to work with him more. Aries is so smooth and crisp in nearly everything he does. While we’ll likely never see Angle get the hour-long match he wants with Aries, it’s nice to dream.
send us news tips at [email protected]
