Kurt Angle reveals canceled dream match with 5-time WWE Champion at WrestleMania 20
Kurt Angle is considered the master of the ankle lock and probably one of the best technical wrestlers on the WWE Roster, during the Attitude Era. Fans always wanted to see him face Bret 'The Hitman' Hart.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Kurt Angle was asked whether it was true that Bret Hart was being considered as his opponent for WrestleMania 20 and Angle confirmed that it indeed was true. He said that the match didn't happen as Bret Hart felt his age and health were against him. Angle explained:
"Me being at 51 now and looking back, a young Bret Hart came to me right now and said let's do our dream match ...I would be like..it's not going to be the dream match I like to be. I probably don't want to get in that ring.
So, I understood why Bret didn't want to do it. Because he had the stroke and he had a lot of bad luck, you know, some things happened that made it medically difficult for him to come back and be at his very best."
Though he said no, Kurt Angle still tried to make it happen but Bret refused. He said:
"I told him, you know, listen, you didn't even have to bump at all. I'll do all the bumping and he was like, 'Nah, it won't be the Bret Hart match that I want to be and I can't do that."
It does sound like it would have been a dream match for the ages. Imagine the billing. The Sharpshooter vs The Angle Lock. Hit Man vs Wrestling Machine. It truly would have been certainly gotten people into the arena.
It does seem that though Kurt Angle wanted to make it happen, Bret Hart felt that he wouldn't have been able to give his best in the ring as his health issues had caught up with him.