With WrestleMania 41 on the horizon, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle looks back on his grand stage encounter with Shawn Michaels, which riveted fans back at WrestleMania 21.
According to Angle, he and Michaels did not practice any moves beforehand. Instead, they leaned into the natural flow of the moment, offering up an improvised spectacle, which resulted in the latter submitting to the Ankle Lock.
“That match against Shawn Michaels could have very well been the greatest wrestling match of all time,” Angle told WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard. “That’s how good it was. I’m not saying it is, but it’s pretty damn close if it isn’t. Shawn and I, what’s amazing about it is we did not touch. We did not practice anything before that match started.
“We didn’t even lock up. We didn’t even tie up. The first time I touched him was in the ring when I wrestled him at WrestleMania. All we did was discuss the match earlier in the week. We didn’t get in the ring in practice. That’s something you need to do to have chemistry with someone, but we didn’t do it,” Angle continued. “And you know what? It didn’t matter. That’s how good it was between the two of us. We had incredible chemistry, and the match was just off the charts.”
Angle Recalls Funny Pre-Match Story
Before stepping out onto “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels shared a brief moment backstage, which Angle found amusing. Michaels, on the other hand, seemed worried about what his opponent might do.
“Because I was an Olympic gold medalist, and I think I was a little stiff in the ring with some of the other guys, Shawn walked up to me before the match and he said, ‘Listen, I’m not afraid of you.’ I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’” Angle recalled.
“He’s like, ‘I ain’t afraid to fight you. I’ll fight you no matter what.’ And I’m like, ‘Why are you saying this to me?’ I find out later that Shawn was afraid that I was going to take advantage of him in the ring. It wasn’t going to happen. I’ve always been a professional. I’m not sure why he said that to me, but it was really funny.”
Watch our full interview with Kurt Angle below:
Read More: Kurt Angle Shares Which ‘Overshadowed’ WrestleMania Match He Wants To Talk About More
