WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle defeated the “Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar in a real shoot wrestling match.
In their own right, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle are two of the biggest names in pro wrestling. Their classic rivalry takes us way back to the ruthless aggression era. Both legends tore the house down at WrestleMania 19 in a match that is considered to be one of the most iconic matches of all time. Before they stole the shows with their historic rivalries, Lesnar and Angle engaged in a shoot fight that the WWE never revealed to the fans.
When Brock made his debut in 2002, his sheer size was enough for people to take him seriously. He was introduced as “the next big thing”. His athleticism in the ring stemmed from an impressive college wrestling background. In his collegiate life, Lesnar was an amateur wrestler who won NCAA Division I national championship in 2000. Just his presence in the ring made him look like a monster among men. Soon after his debut, he was pushed early rubbing elbows with the likes of major superstars like The Undertaker and Kurt Angle.
At the time, Kurt was already an accomplished main event superstar. Angle is well known as the only Olympic Gold Medalist in the history of professional wrestling having won it with a broken ‘freakin’ neck. Since both athletes shared the same background, they were often juxtapositioned and compared. While Angle gave Lesnar credit for his impressive appearance in the company, the newcomer Lesnar did not have much respect for what Angle had accomplished in the business.
Kurt Angle beats respect out of Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar’s brash attitude landed him in a legitimate shoot wrestling with Kurt Angle. It was when the cameras weren’t rolling and the fans weren’t around. It was as real as it gets. The two wrestling machines locked horns backstage fighting for supremacy.
In an interview with the Sun, Kurt Angle revealed how close Brock got yet he came up short against the Olympic hero.
Angle stated, “He turned around and I said, ‘Let’s go’. And all the wrestlers around the ring, like lumberjack style, looked at him and said, ‘You’re not getting out bro,’“We had the showdown. It was close. It really was. He had 90 pounds on me, but I probably took him down into the ropes a good 7-8 times. He used the ropes to say we’re out of bounds. That’s OK. I did take him down once. He didn’t take me down at all,”
In an interview with RF Video, Kurt Angle addressed the issue stating that if it were a shoot “fight”, Brock would have killed him. According to Angle, they went on for 15 minutes and Angle came on top because it was a shoot “wrestling” match. The Hall of Famer denied the rumors that say that he dominated Brock Lesnar.
Both athletes have enormous respect for each other and have contributed hugely to the wrestling business. Brock left WWE in 2004 to pursue a career in NFL and UFC and later returned to the company in 2012. To this day, Brock continues to dominate the roster.
Kurt ruled the wrestling business for many years having more World Title reigns until he finally retired in 2019.
