Kurt Angle Believes Botch Made This WWE WrestleMania Moment Better

WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle has been part of countless unforgettable moments and matches in WWE. His rivalry against fellow wrestling legend Brock Lesnar ranks as one of his absolute favorites, due in-part to the magic they created on television as well as the real-life friendship they cultivated behind the scenes. One of their most memorable bouts took place at WrestleMania 19 – Lesnar had won the 2003 Royal Rumble and was challenging Angle for the WWE title in the main event. Lesnar had a trick up his sleeve that most audiences hadn't witnessed before; "The Beast Incarnate" climbed to the top rope and performed a spectacular Shooting Star Press to finish the match, but disaster struck when Lesnar slightly slipped during the execution. He landed short of Angle's body with his head colliding forcefully into the ring canvas, causing a concussion.

"Besides the actual finish, that match was pretty damn close to being one of the greatest matches of all time," Angle said on "The Kurt Angle Show" podcast. "I mean, besides the issue that Brock actually missed the Shooting Star Press and landed on his head, you know, almost broke his neck. But, at the same time, that was such an incredible WrestleMania moment that people remember that forever. So that spot right there in WrestleMania 19 actually made the match better because people remember it."

Angle makes a good point, as the moment is regularly featured on WrestleMania countdowns as an unforgettable spot that happened. Lesnar still won the WWE Championship that night and would continue to dominate WWE until his temporary departure one year later. Since then, both Lesnar and Angle have each created lasting legacies in both sports entertainment and legitimate combat sports.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Kurt Angle Show and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.