Kurt Angle opens up about the long-rumored legitimate wrestling match he and Brock Lesnar had more than 20 years ago.
In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Angle confirmed that in 2002, he and Lesnar faced each other in a legitimate wrestling bout. According to Angle, the match happened after the Brooklyn Brawler was able to talk Lesnar into it, saying that he believed Lesnar could beat Angle.
“We wrestled just once. It was during the day before a WWE show back in 2002,” said Kurt Angle. “Dave [Shultz] taught me how to teach myself. The technique he instilled in me, that’s ultimately how I beat Brock. Brock said he’d beat my ass. So when Brawler told me that, I said, ‘Let’s go.'”
Angle went on to describe how he wasn’t sure if he could actually beat Lesnar due to his sheer size and strength. However, Angle did that he came out on top in the match.
“Brock was picking Big Show up, double legging him, just wrecking him–and that’s when I thought, ‘I don’t know if I can beat this kid,” Kurt Angle said. “But I figured, I may as well try. It was a tight match. I didn’t dominate. But I won.
“There’s a big difference between a national champion and a gold medalist. I knew Brock was going to do his college wrestling with straight double legs. It was all about positioning. That’s what Dave taught me, and that’s why I hardly ever got scored on. Brock didn’t score on me.”
During the interview, Angle reflected on his struggles with addiction. Check out his comments here.
