‘Olympic Gold Medalist’ Kurt Angle has told of how Shawn Michaels informed him that he wasn’t scared prior to their classic WrestleMania 21 war.
At the 2005 Royal Rumble, Kurt Angle began his feud with ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ by attacking him mid-Rumble for eliminating him from the 30-Man spectacle. In order to force ‘The Showstopper’ into a bout on ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All’, Kurt then set-upon the legend’s former manager Sensational Sherri and partner Marty Jannetty.
However, prior to their pair titanic clash at WrestleMania 21 on April 5, 2005, Michaels and Angle came face-to-face backstage when the former, according to the latest edition of his Kurt Angle Show podcast, told the host that he wasn’t afraid of him:
“The last I really spoke to Shawn before that was Survivor Series [2004] when I told him, ‘Hey, you’re pretty good.’ He was like, ‘Oh, thanks.’ I didn’t know Shawn because when I started, he was out with injury and didn’t come back until a couple of years after. The next time I see him, he knows he’s wrestling me and he comes up and wants to tell me he’s not afraid of me. He says, ‘Listen, I’m not scared of you. If it goes down, it goes down. I’m not afraid to fight you.’ I was like, ‘…Okay. I don’t know why you’re saying this, but I respect that.’ I guess because I was a shooter and I had a little reputation of being stiff in the ring. I think that might have added to it. He was just telling me that if I took advantage of him, he was going to fight back. I respected that. I was shocked because I had been professional up until then. I was in the company for five years and never did anyone wrong. I’m not sure why he said it. It was the shock factor and crazy he said this to me. It blew my mind.”
After 27:27 of back and forth action which included Angle Slams, Sweet Chin Musics, and countless breathtaking reversals, Kurt Angle defeated ‘Mr. WrestleMania’ via submission when the legend’s ankle could take no more punishment.
The pair didn’t stop their, however, When Kurt Angle was drafted to Monday Night Raw in June 2005, the pair clashed again at that year’s Vengeance when Michaels evened up their rivalry at one victory apiece. With the result tied, the duo collided one final time at WWE Raw Homecoming on October 3, 2005, in a 30-Minute Iron Man Match which ended in a draw and a refusal from the heel at an offer of sudden death.
Credit for the interview: Kurt Angle Show
h.t for the transcription: Fightful