During his appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn Podcast, Shawn Michaels had high praise for the Olympian turned WWE legend Kurt Angle.
The WWE Hall of Famer believes Kurt Angle is in the upper echelon of WWE stars — alongside The Rock, Stone Cold, Triple H and The Undertaker — and called him “the standard” for upcoming WWE talent.
“He’s easily the best transition from what he did [in the Olympics] to our stuff [at WWE]. Did it seamlessly. He’s a stud.”
Notably, Kurt Angle won the freestyle wrestling heavyweight gold medal (100 kg/220 lbs) at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before joining WWE. He famously accomplished this feat with “a broken freakin’ neck” (two broken cervical vertebrae, two herniated discs) suffered during the Olympic Trials.
Once he entered the fray in WWE, making his televised debut at Survivior Series in November 1999, Kurt Angle was an instant main event talent.
“He was a natural,” Shawn Michaels added.
Kurt Angle defeated The Rock at No Mercy in October 2000 to become WWF Champion, just shy of one year from his debut. The stunning victory came a few months after he won the annual King of the Ring tournament.
Kurt Angle proved that pro athletes could thrive in WWE. Now, Shawn Michaels considers him “the standard” for the next generation of WWE stars.
“He is the standard, especially from an NXT standpoint. With recruiting now… we use Kurt [Angle] as the guy. To show the best whose done it. He [learned] in such a seamless and quick manner.”
Shawn Michaels Uses Kurt Angle as NXT Inspiration
GettyKurt Angle is one nine wrestlers to hold the WWE and TNA championship
Following his illustrious in-ring career, Shawn Michaels became a scout and developmental instructor. The former World Champion was promoted to WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative in September 2022, where he oversees creative and talent development for the NXT brand.
With his tutelage, and under his leadership, NXT has become a breeding grounds for WWE stars.
NXT, which airs weekly on The CW, is hosted at the Performance Center in Orlando and feature developmental talent. For wrestlers looking to make a name in WWE, NXT has become a proving grounds to earn a main roster slot.
WWE stars Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens all got their start in NXT. More recently, NXT produced rising talent Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans and Oba Femi, who will all compete at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.
While molding the next crop of WWE main eventers, Kurt Angle is a logical outline. During his WWE (and later TNA) run, Kurt Angle was the perfect blend of athleticism and showmanship.
His technical ability is second to none, and there was nothing the wrestling marvel couldn’t accomplish in the ring.
Whether heel or face, Kurt Angle was lauded as a powerhouse among his peers. His patented German suplex became one of the most feared moves in pro wrestling.
Despit his brute strength and hulking physique, Kurt Angle had a knack for comedy. His mic work and fight promos are some of the most memorable in WWE history.
Overall, he is one of the most complete wrestlers in history and Shawn Michaels is wise consider the Olympian as NXT’s gold standard.
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