Kurt Angle Reveals What Vince McMahon Told Him To Avoid During HOF Speech

On the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the former Olympic Gold Medalist spoke about Vince McMahon and the on-screen character he established during the Attitude Era. Kurt Angle mentioned how Vince created his character after realizing the reaction he was receiving from fans and knowing he was a great heel.

"I think the reason Vince McMahon did this is because he actually became a WWE superstar," Angle said. "The fans wanted to see him, they demanded him. I don't think Vince wanted to step in there and do it, I think he did it because he had to because of the fans. They reacted to Vince like no other, he was the guy, man. He was entertaining, he was funny, he pissed people off, he had a lot of ammo. He was one of the biggest stars in the company at this particular time and I think Vince finally smartened up and said I need to back off, stay away from TV and let these wrestlers become the bigger stars."

During his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mr. McMahon became one of the biggest villains in the history of the wrestling business. WWE Hall of Fame commentator Jim Ross stated on a previous episode of his podcast that Vince McMahon was the greatest heel of the Attitude Era.

Angle continued to talk about Vince and what it was like being involved in segments with the WWE CEO. The former Gold Medalist said with McMahon it was all about improvisation and had nothing to do with a written script while on screen.

"It's a quick walkthrough, it lasts one minute," Angle said. "Vince brings you to his office, he says 'Listen, we're going to do this promo. I say this, you say that, I'll say this, we'll be done.' You go out there and you basically don't go by the script, you have to improvise because we didn't rehearse it enough to go by the script. Vince McMahon is more of an improv guy and he's the best at it. The only other person that I know that's just as good is Stone Cold, he was also a great improviser."

Wrestling's only Olympic Gold Medalist was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017, which was the first appearance with the company in over 10 years. Kurt Angle spoke about how during his speech, Vince made sure he didn't thank his boss or the WWE at all.

"I had, 'I want to thank Vince McMahon for everything he did for me,' and he said, 'Kurt, take that out,' Angle mentioned. "He said, 'I don't want anybody thanking me, I do not want a thank you. I don't even want you to thank the company. I want you to thank the fans and whoever else you want, but do not thank me or the company. Leave my name out of it.' That's how Vince is, he never wants the credit for anything."

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