By Chris Walters on May 2, 2004 at 1:39 PM EST
Kurt Angle on TSN Off the Record
TSN @ 6:00 PM eastern April 29th 2004
Credit: Adam Lebow
Show opens with a montage of Kurt Angle entrance and in the ring, as well as with highlights of Kurt being on the show last time saying he will quit when he is ready to quit.
We go into the opening OTR montage.
Cut to a video from Angle warming up at Mania XX in the ring. Michael welcomes Kurt to the show and says he is happy to have Kurt back on the show. Landsberg says they get lots of email when they announce they will have wrestlers on the show, with Benoit it was his climb to the top, Hogan it was about his book and Kurt about his health. Kurt says he had 4 years of great health and then he hit a wall. He had neck surgery last year and will be having another one next month and will be back for Sumerslam. He is happy he has been put in the GM role so that he can still be on TV and develop, but it is hard for Kurt not to be getting in the ring. Kurt says he keeps on coming back from his surgeries to the ring because he did it in 1996 at the Olympics. He was taking major pain killers then and Michael asks what his major risk as an amateur was. He says in the 3rd round of the US Open he landed on his neck and it broke but he continued the tournament. Instead of going to the doctor, he just went to a Chiropractor. Michael asks if he is a danger to anyone in the ring and Kurt says no but Landsberg asks if he is a risk to himself. Kurt says he never would have thought of it until he had his baby daughter because he wants to be able to play with her.
Was it worth wrestling in the Olympics? At the time he thought so but looking back he really shouldn't have. It meant a lot to him and he was blinded by the fact. He had numerous doctors tell him not to wrestle until he convinced one doctor to give him medical clearance. Landsberg asks when his child was born, and he says just before Mania. They show tape of Angle entering the ring at Mania XIX and ask him to comment. Kurt says he had 20% strength in his arm and he just didn't want to hurt himself anymore. However, he was most worried about Brock Lesnar. It was his first Wrestlemania and he is a rookie and he says at the time Brock still didn't really know how to work. It was a really bad combination. Kurt says if he had HHH, Edge, Benoit or Guerrero, he would be fine but because it was Brock, he had to be pretty stupid to do the match. Kurt says at the end of the match, he couldn't even lift his arm and he broke into shock. The EMT's came to give him medical attention and Brock's neck was messed up. It was a bad situation. Landsberg asks if he is happy he went into something 'fake' and Kurt laughs and says wrestling is fake. He goes and says, yes it is scripted but if anyone goes out and wrestles they will see that wrestling isn't fake. They work for 250 days a year. They show footage of Brock missing the Shooting Star Press, and says that was expected to be the finish. Kurt says that Brock was out right away and he thought Brock was paralyzed. He says he went for the pin expecting to win then at that point because Brock wasn't responding to Kurt so he was just trying to end the match. Kurt says the first thing that came to his mind is that the top two superstars are about to go out with injuries. Kurt says that when Kurt Angle is injured, he is looking for the next Kurt Angle.
They come back from break and Landsberg says that Kurt has the ability to be known as the greatest wrestler ever. Kurt says he began to learn how to wrestle on a Monday and by Friday he had his first match. Landsberg says that is a great learning curve and Kurt says it is unprecedented. Landsberg compares Angle to Bo Jackson because Bo lost his career because of injuries. He asks Kurt if he will miss his opportunity because of his injury, and Kurt says yes. He will never be a Rock or Austin and he wants to be the best technical wrestler ever. However, he will never be the best because of the length of his career as he hasn't given it enough time. Kurt feels the company will never push him again because of the risk of injuries.
He compares it to Eddie Guerrero, 2 years ago they could have attached the rocket to his back but they didn't because they wanted to make sure he would be able to stick around, and now he is the champion. He doesn't see WWE being able to do that with him anymore because of his neck. They show old footage of Angle on the show saying that it is very difficult not to take pain killers, as it is the most brutal form of entertainment you are in. They ask if his attitude has changed over the years. Kurt admits that he has taken pain killers and the reason is they wrestle 250 days a year. Kurt believes the NFL is the most brutal sport but they only have to give 100% for 16 games + Playoffs but in WWE you have to give 100% 250 days a year. Kurt says he isn't putting down the wrestlers or the company because Vince has an agenda for everyone and if they screw up with drugs, Vince will fire them. However, he says wrestlers need the pain killers and as long as they take it on a prescribed basis there really isn't an issue. Kurt asks how can you tell someone not to take pain killers when they are in so much pain that they can't bare it and the doctor wants them to take it. Landsberg asks if Kurt wants to get back into the Olympics and Kurt says not anymore. That time has passed and he wants to retire.
Quirky Fact: Kurt Angle tried doing Sportscasting on Fox Sports Net in Pittsburgh before joining WWE.
They come back from break showing a Kurt Angle promo on Rock, Austin and Shane McMahon about Strudel when he was the WWF Champion and Rock was WCW Champion. Landsberg asks if he ever would want to be an interviewer and he says no, because he can read a crowd and play himself but he cant really be the one asking questions. Landsberg asks if Kurt has helped Amateur and Pro Wrestling come together. Kurt says when he came to WWE it was for himself. Landsberg asks if Brock could have happened without Kurt and Angle says no Brock wouldn't have happened because Kurt says he paved the way. Kurt says when he came he thought wrestling was stupid and it was really himself who was stupid. Kurt feels that he has changed the opinions of many Amateur wrestlers because of his cross over. It gives these guys in Amateur wrestling the chance to come and showcase themselves in Pro Wrestling. It is a great job and a great gig. It gives Amateur Wrestling an exposure that it never gets by being on WWE TV and it is a way to make money as there is none in the Amateur ranks. Landsberg asks if Kurt wanted to go back to the Olympics and Kurt says both in 2000 and 2004 but his knee in 2000 and his neck in 2004 wouldn't let him. Now he feels he is too old to go back because Amateur wrestling is really competitive.
E-Mail Question: Your character confuses me. I know the Undertaker isn't really the Undertaker but who is Kurt Angle?
Landsberg says not to answer that because they will do it after the break.
They return from break and Landsberg says he really enjoyed this interview over many of the others they have done. In regards to the e-mail question, Kurt says he just plays himself and isn't a gimmicked character like the Undertaker or a bad ass guy from Greenwich like HHH. He says he has done the nerdy and Tough Guy approach but mostly it is Kurt Angle from Pittsburgh who won the 1996 Olympics. Kurt says that people sometimes ask him if he really won an Olympic Medal. Landsberg says that is the problem with wrestling because people cant always define what isn't and isn't real, such as Kurt Angle going through a table. Landsberg asks how Angle has changed since the last time he was on the show. He says 3 years ago he was star struck about being in the WWE and really cared about the business but now his mindset is that he would rather be home with his wife and his kids. He doesn't really need to be the center of attention anymore on TV. They promote the upcoming Smackdown Taping June 1st at the Air Canada Center in Toronto. Kurt says it is the 1st time that all the talent will be healthy and be back in action on that show such as himself, Taker, Mysterio and others.
They thank each other and wrap up.
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