FanSided WWE Hall of Fame roundtable: Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle will become a member of the WWE Hall of Fame during Friday night’s ceremony to commemorate the Class of 2017 in Orlando. Two of our own here at FanSided decided to have a little discussion about the only the Olympic gold medalist in WWE history. Oh, it’s true. It’s true.

You’ve probably heard by now about the WWE Hall of Fame class for 2017 that includes Kurt Angle.

Wait, you don’t know who Kurt Angle is? First off, shame on you. Secondly, how have you never heard of Kurt Angle?

If you haven’t, you’re in luck, because our own Michael Whitlow and Cody Williams had a long chat about the legacy of Kurt Angle with WWE.

Come on in, sit back and relax. You’ll probably learn a little bit and come mark out when you realize that you know exactly who Kurt Angle is.

Oh, it’s true.

Who is Kurt Angle?

Michael Whitlow: Kurt Angle was the greatest technical wrestler that I’ve ever seen in WWE. Sure, he was an actual wrestler that won a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics with a BROKEN FREAKIN’ NECK, but he was so gifted in a WWE ring, too.

His character evolved so much over his time in WWE. He was a geek in a singlet, a butt-kissing geek that loved his boss more than any employee ever and a no-nonsense destroyer that would suplex you repeatedly and then make you tap out. Angle was amazing in every sense of the word. The man even outrapped the Basic Thuganomics version of John Cena. He was everything his peers say he was and that’s nothing short of great.

Cody Williams: Kurt Angle is the greatest professional wrestler of all time, without question …100 percent. Okay, so that might just be an opinion. However, there are few people to ever step in the squared circle that have been the overall natural talent that Angle was. He had the technical ability, clearly, as an Olympic gold medalist in the 1996 games in Atlanta (with a broken freakin’ neck). But he offered the total package as he picked up the nuances of being an A-plus talker and performer in the process.

How true is that assessment?

MW: OH, IT’S TRUE.

CW: It’s damn true!

Okay, but seriously. When you think of Kurt Angle, what’s the one WWE memory that comes to mind?

MW: God, this is a great question. There’s so many moments. Angle was that good. When he won the World Heavyweight Championship in an over-the-top rope battle royal as a member of Raw in 2006 was shocking and downright awesome. His match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21 is one of the greatest I’ve ever seen. You could say the same for Angle and Eddie Guerrero the year before in New York, too. Beating Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship at Unforgiven 2001 and celebrating with his entire family was a special moment.

If I had to pick just one single moment, it has to be the night on Raw in 2001 when he sprayed the entire WCW/ECW Alliance in the ring with milk in a milk truck. Kurt’s reaction, the milk hose and Jim Ross yelling, “MILK O MANIA!” was one of the best things in the history of wrestling.

CW: I’m going to cheat and offer up two, one being a specific match and the other being a prolonged “moment.” The first is his WrestleMania XIX match against Brock Lesnar. I was 11 years old at the time of the match, so there’s definitely some nostalgia involved and that adds to it. Angle fought through the match despite being severely injured and the result was an absolute clinic. There were unpredictable high spots, incredible feats of strengths, and just one of the less talked about great WrestleMania matches of all time in my opinion.

The second “moment” would be him basically helping make John Cena into a star. Of course, we’re talking about Doctor of Thuganomics Cena here, not Captain WWE that we see 99 percent of the time today. From Cena debuting in an open challenge against Angle to a rap battle between the two to countless great matches, Angle deserves a lot of credit for helping to make possibly the greatest WWE ambassador of all time into a viable wrestler and character.

Besides in-ring ability, what was Angle’s greatest asset?

MW: We all know Kurt could wrestle. He was the very best at it. The thing that helped make him more than a wrestler was his humor. Sure, the years later in his WWE run where he just massacred everybody was the best, but the earlier years when he was a sniveling brown-noser or Vince McMahon’s right-hand man were great times from Angle. He was hilarious.

The other answer to this question was his smarts, or the third I of the three I’s: INTELLIGENCE. He knew how to work a crowd in his character. Triple H always says nobody picked up the pro wrestling business quicker than Kurt Angle did. He really did. It came natural at times, but Angle always looked for perfection with everything he did on camera and off it.

CW: Like I mentioned before, the natural charisma that Angle possessed is near unparalleled in the vast history of WWE. That’s not to say he was the most charismatic — he wasn’t Ric Flair by any stretch. However, we’ve seen tremendous athletes come and go through this company that just simply don’t make it at the level they should because they can’t connect with the crowd and audience. Hell, you even see that with guys coming into WWE after having sustained success on the independent scene. So for Angle to be able to come into WWE and have that personality and full-fledged character out of the gate with no real experience previously is something that makes him as singular of an overall talent as he is.

Given his success, why do you think WWE doesn’t target more Olympic wrestlers, or that more don’t seek out wrestling?

MW: I think WWE has definitely looked into it. They’re not shy in trying out different styles, personalities, body types, looks etc. The business has changed and I think they see that. You don’t have to be 6’5”, 270 to build a career in pro wrestling. (Personally, I think that has a lot to do with Triple H’s influence.)

I’m not sure why other amateur wrestlers don’t seek a career in WWE. I’ve always thought “actual wrestlers” despised “fake wrestlers.” Hell, even Angle thought it wouldn’t be believable that he could lose in a WWE match because of his background (before he actually knew how the business was ran). I wish more guys would look into it. I don’t think Kurt was an once-in-a-lifetime thing. I do think he was special and one of the best ever, but I think we could see another one someday.

CW: Put simply, Angle is probably the exception to the rule rather than the rule. While you have someone like Chad Gable of American Alpha who’s tremendously blessed as a technician and even mildly entertaining with a microphone, he’s not nearly the level that Angle was in the latter category. So while they know that the transition to being able to put on a match technically would be there, perhaps WWE has realized that it’s almost a formality they won’t find someone with the same ability to (for lack of a better term) get over with the crowd beyond just being a good technical wrestler.

As for the latter part, that’s tough to say. Maybe some see it as demeaning, but it’s also possible they know that the interest on the part of the company just isn’t there because of the aforementioned reasons.

With the change in mentality of the fans, would Angle still be as over if he debuted today? Why or why not?

MW: Honestly, I don’t think so. At least not as a heel. I’m sure internet nerds like us would still love him like we did growing up watching him, but Kurt came about in a different era. He’d find a way to be successful, but I just don’t think he’d be embraced like he used to be. I look at it like Kevin Owens. WWE fans and casual fans don’t see how good he is. Wrestling fans see how great he is. It’s a different feel in pro wrestling these days. WWE is more a kid-based product (obviously with the TV-PG rating). He’d be a god in ROH or New Japan standing up to the Bullet Club or something, but I don’t think it would be the same for him now compared to back then.

CW: When you look at a lot of the stars from the Attitude Era and even the Ruthless Aggression Era, it’s hard to imagine them having the same success today, partially because of the fans and also due to the PG rating. That, however, is another reason that Angle is so unique. While he had some spots that likely would never happen in the PG era simply because they were so over the top (not due to any vulgarity, profanity, etc.), his gimmick was something that ostensibly seems timeless. He was an American Hero as a face and a cocky, arrogant and entitled former hero as a heel. That’s simplifying things, of course, but even in its simplest form, that’s a shtick that still gets over in 2017. Then you add the nuances that Angle brought to his character, and it works even better.

Is there anyone currently signed by WWE that is even comparable to Angle?

MW: Chad Gable has the singlet look, but that’s about it. Same with Jason Jordan. Both do remind me of a really young and more green version of Angle, but not necessarily Angle at his peak. Brock Lesnar throws guys around until they’re basically dead, but that’s about it. Kurt had it all: the look, the mic work, the in-ring ability and the awareness to tell a good story. If you built a wrestler, he’s a template you’d consider.

CW: The comparison that most people try to make when it comes to Angle is Gable simply because of the USA Wrestling background. Though I love Gable and think he deserves more shine than he often gets, he’s not in the same stratosphere as a performer. Thus, I think that causes him to fall short of the mark.

This might seem like an odd comparison given that he’s a career professional wrestler, but AJ Styles might actually be the closest thing to what Angle was in his prime that’s currently under a WWE contract. No, their in-ring styles aren’t similar by any stretch. However, they both could or can put on a high-caliber match with just about anyone. What’s more, they both are also fantastic at getting their character over on the mic as what essentially amounts to an entitled diva.

Whereas Angle would cite his Olympic achievements, Styles can do so with his achievements in wrestling around the world. It’s certainly a loose comparison, but it’s the closest thing I believe that the company currently has.

On the indies?

MW: He’s obviously not as big or great of a character that Angle was and it’s kind of a stretch, but Zack Sabre Jr. is probably the most technically-sound wrestler I’ve seen since Angle. He has the in-ring style down outside of a few different things, but it’s as close as I’ve personally seen. He’s not as intense obviously, but he’s one of the few (if any) that remind me of Kurt. Angle portrayed so many different characters in WWE. He was truly unique. (Also, the recent indie match with Angle and ZSJ for RPW was awesome.)

CW: Oddly enough, there’s probably a better comparison for Angle on the independent scene than there is on the WWE roster. Matt Riddle was fired from UFC after having both wins and quality fights during his brief time with the MMA giant due to failed drug tests over marijuana. While that’s not much like our milk-chugging American hero, what is like him is the blend of physical prowess and personality.

Billing himself as the King of Bros, Riddle has the same type of natural charisma that fans gravitate toward. He’s just out in the wrestling world trying to be the best bro he can be and, though silly and simple, it works to perfection. Throw in the fact that he’s a beastly strong human being with tremendous abilities as a grappler as well, and it’s not hard to see why he might be compared to Angle. Frankly, it feels like only a matter of time before he’s moved up and put into the category of most like Angle on the WWE roster. If he’s not, Vince McMahon and company are severely missing out on a big-time money-making talent.

If Angle was in his prime and could face anyone currently on the roster in your dream match, who would it be?

MW: I love this question because this answer is so easy. The answer is Roman Reigns just so we can chant “YOU SUCK!” at Roman. (I’m only slightly kidding.)

If Daniel Bryan was still an active wrestler, that would be a WrestleMania main event in the making. With active guys, I’d love to see Angle wrestle Sami Zayn or Shinsuke Nakamura. I feel like he could have a great match with basically anybody, but as for a match I haven’t seen (like with AJ Styles or Samoa Joe), those two definitely come to mind.

CW: Styles and Gable, who I’ve already talked about, would obviously be fun. I also think it’d be a good time to see him go toe-to-toe with Braun Strowman as Angle taking on a behemoth like that almost always resulted in great work from him.

With that said, I would pay large amounts of money to see him Angle in his prime against Shinsuke Nakamura. Granted, Nakamura is another guy that could probably have a great match against anyone. However, one of my personal favorite parts of Angle’s in-ring acumen was his ability to take heavy amounts of punishment and then muscle through, take down the straps and go to work. That’s the type of opponent made to have a match with The King of Strong Style. Plus, just think of Nakamura going for the Kinshasa, Angle ducking under it, then popping up quickly to catch Nakamura in the Angle Lock. That’s a mark-out fantasy moment if I’ve ever heard one.

Do you want Angle to return to the ring in his current state?

MW: The selfish fan in me wants to see Kurt Angle suplex the ever-loving hell out of James Ellsworth and maybe pull a Goldberg with a title run in his later age.

In all seriousness, I do want him to. I do. But, I want him to be in the right frame of mind and with him in a good place in his life, which is where he appears to be. Kurt’s had so many demons and he’s flirted with death more often than you’d think. If he gets the OK from WWE’s doctors and the ever-important OK from his wife Giovanna, then put him back in the ring, please and thanks. I’d love to see it and I know I’m not the only one.

CW: Obviously the gut reaction here is to say yes, but that’s probably based on my affinity for him and the fact that his issues with addiction ultimately took away some of his prime years that we could’ve been watching him in WWE. With that being said, the more thoughtful answer is definitely more nuanced.

If there is any foreseeable chance that he could permanently injure himself — not out of the question given his history — then he should stay the hell away from a WWE ring. However, if WWE clears him medically and can say that there’s no risk outside of a freak accident that could happen to anyone that he won’t get severely hurt, then I think a short run could certainly be worth it. If you’ve watched any of his work on the independent scene in recent years, he’s definitely not the man that he was in the ring back in 2002. But he can still go with the best of them and put on a show for the fans. So the answer, I suppose would be yes, but with plenty of caveats.

Final thoughts?

MW: I still cling to the aura of WCW. That’s why Diamond Dallas Page’s induction is going to hit home on Friday night. He was our Rock on the other program. Our people’s champion. But, man … I’m going to completely mark out when Orlando starts chanting “YOU SUCK!” at Kurt freakin’ Angle. Kurt was one the greatest ever and it’s about damn time he came home to WWE. The man could do it all. Name a bad Kurt Angle match. Do it. You can’t, can you? He was that good. If this is truly it for him in terms of wrestling, it should be a special night and one that he rightfully deserves. Oh, it’s true … it’s damn true.

CW: Angle’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame is long overdue. Sure, it’s not a legit Hall of Fame with voters as every decision on who to induct is essentially arbitrary. Even then, though, Kurt Angle is one of the most unique and polarizing figures to ever grace a WWE ring. No matter what kind of bad blood there was between him and the company, it shouldn’t have been bad enough for them to go this long without recognizing his impact on the business, the company and on the fans. Personally, he’s one of my favorites that have ever been in the company, and it’ll probably get a little dusty in my living room on Friday night as he’s inducted. It’s been a long time coming, but that’ll make the trumpets and “You sucks!” filling the Amway Center all the more sweet.