More than 18 years later, Kurt Angle remembers everything about his first appearance on WWE "Monday Night RAW" in his hometown of Pittsburgh.
“Vince McMahon told me we're going to do a promo before the show and you're going to tell everyone you hate Pittsburgh,” said Angle. “You're going to tell them that you're the biggest, best athlete to come out of there. You're going to pick on Mario Lemieux, Jerome Bettis, and they're going to hate you.
"I said Vince, they're not going to hate me. I won a gold medal. This is my hometown. He goes, "Trust me, they're going to hate you.'”
MORE: WWE 2018 pay-per-view schedule
It was a crash course for the Olympic gold medalist who couldn’t remember any of the five minutes of content that the WWE CEO rattled off. After McMahon repeated it one more time, he went out in front of the live audience and did it almost word-for-word and received exactly the response the boss wanted.
“That night, I got a negative response from the fans,” said Angle. “I was surprised and I think Vince McMahon said 'OK, I think this guy is going to be all right. I think we're going to utilize this guy more than just wrestling in the ring. This guy is going to be a great character on our show.'”
That proved to be true, with Angle entertaining WWE audiences for the next seven years utilizing his incredible in-ring skills and developing a memorable character that earned him induction into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year.
“It was like a coming out for Kurt Angle because I didn't practice promos,” admitted Angle. “All I did was wrestle and train to get on TV. I wasn't accustomed to what I had to do or what I had to say, just get in the ring and wrestle. So, it was a very trying time for me but I was able to deliver.”
After an 11-year absence, Angle returned to the WWE earlier this year and is a regular part of "RAW" every Monday night as the brand’s general manager.
WWE is gearing up for the 25th anniversary of its flagship show that will take place on Jan. 22, 2018. That night, "RAW" will broadcast live from both the Barclays Center and Manhattan Center in New York City. The milestone show will feature superstars from both "RAW" and "SmackDown" as well as appearances from WWE legends including The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash.
BREAKING: The 25th anniversary of #Raw will emanate from @barclayscenter & @TheHammerstein in New York City! https://t.co/owLjzLBZoR
— WWE (@WWE) October 30, 2017
“I can't wait,” said Angle. “Vince McMahon doesn't tell anybody anything. I'm going to be as surprised as anybody else at the show. I know that I will see people, superstars that I worked with in the past and it will be nice. I know that Vince McMahon has a huge night set. There's going to be a lot of celebrities, a lot of former superstars, a lot of current superstars so it's going to be a huge night. And I think it's going to be one of those nights that will be remembered forever.”
Each week, "RAW" provides a unique opportunity for talent to showcase their abilities on the live broadcast with most of the backstage segments airing live rather than being pre-taped like in the past.
A lot has changed since the last time Angle worked for WWE. Years ago, he typically received his promos early in the afternoon, allowing ample time to look over the material. That’s not the case anymore.
The creative team writes and re-writes the show throughout the day until receiving McMahon’s approval in what makes for very chaotic Mondays.
“It’s a different ballgame now,” Angle said. “We usually get our content right before the show and then we have a few minutes to deliver. Sometimes, we don't get it until the middle of the show or later on in the show. Things are different now. It seems like the wrestlers are war-proof. They know they're going to go to war that night. It's sink or swim and the wrestlers have adapted to making sure they do the promos properly and the pre-tapes properly.”
Angle provided countless classic matches during his first WWE tenure but also showcased his incredible charisma and comedic shops in memorable skits that saw him singing alongside “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or Milk-O-Mania, in which he hosed down the "Texas Rattlesnake" and The Alliance with his favorite beverage.
Those moments stand out for him as he looks back at that time in his career.
“It was always delivering my character, the character that the fans loved to hate especially my first year-and-a-half,” said Angle. “It was a lot of fun to go out there and cut a promo about how horrible the city is and how bad their sports teams were doing and get that negative response. It wasn't just me that couldn't wait every single week to see what I was going to say; the fans couldn't wait to see what came out of my mouth.”
While Angle typically had great chemistry with whomever he interacted with during promos and skits, he noted that there are a few in particular that stand out.
“Nobody was better than 'Stone Cold', said Angle. “Triple H too. Those two, they've always been able to adapt in the ring, on the mic. John Cena is another one. The Rock was great at it but I think, in particular, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Triple H, they know how to deliver and they know how to make a change that would be better during that moment. Some guys have it, some guys don't.”
When the light goes on every week on "RAW", Angle still understands it's time to perform and with it comes a lot of pressure on the live broadcast.
“Honestly, to this day, I've never felt comfortable,” Angle said. “I'm still as nervous as hell but somehow I deliver. I don't think I could ever feel comfortable. If I felt comfortable, I don't think I'd be able to live with the performances I did in the ring or on a promo or backstage.
"And I don't like to feel comfortable because I don't feel like I'm at my best. I like to have nervousness and feel uncomfortable about what I'm doing and go out there and deliver. For me, even though it's the worst feeling at the time, I usually do better that way.”
Everyone in the WWE has likely had that paralyzing moment when it’s go-time, yet the words don’t come to mind. Angle admits that recently happened to him but luckily for him, the show was in the United Kingdom and there was a five-hour delay before it aired in the United States, allowing a rare do-over.
It’s not the first time he’s been through that experience as it happened early in his career when he was teamed up with Bob Backlund.
“They were telling us, listen, this is going live so be ready,” remembered Angle. “You're going to walk up to this guy. This guy is going to say something bad about you and you're going to tell Bob Backlund to put him in his crossface chicken wing. They said remember, this is live. So, I walk up to the guy and the guy says something bad about me. I said, Bob, do the honors. Put him in the crossface chicken wing. And he slaps his hands and start rubbing his hands like he's getting ready to do it and he looks up at the camera and he goes 'isn't he supposed to stand up first?' That's how the pre-tape ended.
“Bob forgot it was live. He thought we were going to do it over again. You might be able to see that one on the (WWE) Network.”
The 49-year-old Angle made his long-awaited return to a WWE ring in October at the TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs event. That wasn’t the original plan but when Roman Reigns was unable to perform due to illness, he got the call to fill in and be a part of The Shield for one-night.
“The crazy thing is I just took my physical and it wasn't so I could compete at TLC,” Angle explained. “I think WWE was getting ready to utilize me at Survivor Series and, all of a sudden, I get a call from the big man, Vince McMahon, who says look, I need a favor. Roman's out and I need a big name to fill in for him. Can you do this? Are you ready? I said 'Vince, I'm always ready for you.'
"It was a huge honor to be a part of The Shield and do it that night. It wasn't the comeback that I was dreaming of but you can't complain when you're with The Shield and main-eventing TLC. That's not a bad way to come back. Was I thinking more of a Royal Rumble or WrestleMania moment? Yeah but I think that moment will come.”
When it comes to creating a moment at the "RAW" 25th anniversary show, Angle would happily do that by singing again with Austin and McMahon one more time.
“I hope so! Man, I'd do that.”
Brian Fritz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on Blog Talk Radio.
