Kurt Angle On Brock Lesnar And The Botched Shooting Star Press, Classic WrestleMania Matches
Kurt Angle spoke to ESPN about four of his WrestleMania matches (19-22). Here are some of the highlights:
When Brock Lesnar missed the Shooting Star Press at WrestleMania XIX:
"First of all, this is selfish, but I was like, 'Damn, he broke his neck. I'm going to have to hold this title another month,'" recalled Angle, who was in serious need of neck surgery at that time. "Then I was concerned about him because he wasn't responding. When I covered him, he did kick out. I did tell him to kick out, and he kicked out. I remember asking him, 'Can you give me an F-5?' He didn't respond. I was getting really worried. I started picking him up. I said, 'Could you F-5 me?' He said, 'I think so,' and he did. Brock's a pro. He came out of that. Let's face it. That's one of the most famous moves in WrestleMania history. It's because he came up short, and everybody remembers that. If you want a WrestleMania type of memory, that's a good one. Unfortunately, Brock got his bell rung. But he didn't have any long-term damage, and thank God for that. I'm very proud of that match — it's one of my favorites of all time."
The finish to his match with Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania XX:
"Eddie and I spoke about it two weeks prior to WrestleMania, and he came out with this finish that he was going to slide his boot off. The whole psychology of the match was to wear his ankle down, get it to a spot where I'm going to be able to make him tap out. We did that. We followed it perfectly, built to that moment, and that's what made it so special. Eddie's entire character, it was all about that lie, cheat and steal gimmick. I had him in the ankle lock, and he was able to slip that boot off. I think that's one of the best finishes in WrestleMania history, period. I really enjoyed being part of that, and winning and losing was never important to me. I've always been about the quality of the matches, and that finish is my all-time favorite finish I've ever been a part of."
Kurt Angle also discussed his matches against Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio – Randy Orton. You can read the full interview by clicking here.
Source: ESPN