WWE legend Kurt Angle reflects on working with The Rock, Steve Austin
When he was coming up in WWE, Kurt Angle had the benefit of learning from two all-time greats.
The WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist spoke with Going Ringside and reflected on what it was like to work with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin early in his pro wrestling career. Angle said The Rock taught him a lot about cutting promos — but Austin was the person he learned the most from overall.
“He was so entertaining, the guy was such a phenomenal athlete,” Angle said about Rock. “And his promo skills were above everybody else’s. He taught me a lot about cutting promos. He taught me a lot about wrestling in the ring.
“‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin actually was the one guy that I learned the most from. He was one of those guys who would call the match out in the ring, you know? He was an old-school wrestler. That means you don’t plan a lot of it backstage, you just go out there and do it. Improvise. And he was a great improviser. Him and Triple H and Undertaker were three of the best improvisers I’ve ever wrestled.”
Going Ringside also asked Angle to name the hardest opponent he ever faced in the ring.
“Brock Lesnar,” Angle responded. “He was a mixture of power, speed, agility. And he was so — 300 pounds and moved like a cat. I had never been in the ring with an athlete like that. He was an animal.”
The 56-year-old Angle is currently part of the Real American Freestyle wrestling organization as a commentator, analyst, and partner.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.