"I was kind of an a**hole to him" - Major star's first backstage meeting with Brock Lesnar did not go as planned
Few wrestlers would make the mistake of being hostile toward Brock Lesnar outside the ring. While The Beast Incarnate is one of the most intimidating men in wrestling, this didn't unsettle the legendary Kurt Angle when they first met backstage in WWE.
Brock Lesnar had some of the best matches of his career during his early years against Kurt Angle, with whom he went on to have a close friendship in real life. However, their first interaction wasn't as cordial as you'd imagine. This was because Kurt Angle confronted Brock Lesnar over a massive claim.
The young rookie, who was just called up to the main roster from OVW, was apparently heard saying that he would easily defeat Angle in a shoot wrestling match. While many fans know the story of Lesnar and Angle's unscripted fight, the Olympic hero recently opened up about the first time they bumped into each other in WWE, as you can view below:
"You know what? You would think I'd met him at an amateur wrestling event or something like that, but the first time I met him was when he was already signed with WWE. He was already training at OVW, and he came up to TV one night, and that's when we had the discussion that he thought he could beat me in a shoot wrestling match. So that was my introduction to Brock Lesnar." [5:20 - 6:00]
Equipped with unmatched amateur wrestling credentials and an Olympic gold medal, Kurt Angle was confident that he would beat Lesnar in an actual clash.
While Kurt was aware that Lesnar was an exceptional talent and a future top star for WWE, he admitted to being an "a**hole" to The Beast initially when they got to know each other:
"He told Brooklyn Brawler that he would whoop my a** because I was too small. I went up and said, 'Oh, you could whoop my a**? How about we go right now?' He said, 'Well, I have sandals on.' I said, 'Well, I'll take my shoes off. We'll wrestle bare feet.' He was like, 'No, no, I don't want to do that.' So this was the first time I met him. And I was kind of an a**hole to him (laughs). To be honest with you, he was claiming he could beat me, and I wanted to see if he could." [6:01 - 7:00]
Fans aren't happy about WWE's WrestleMania plan for Brock Lesnar
The expectation amongst fans this year was to see Brock Lesnar take on Gunther after their epic showdown at the Royal Rumble. Instead of giving the WWE Universe what they wanted, the company chose to take an undesired creative path by booking Brock Lesnar to begin a storyline with Omos.
Since making the first-time-ever match official for WrestleMania, the company has attracted a lot of criticism, with many speculating whether it was a sign of Vince McMahon's return to creative.
Reports suggest WWE had discussed multiple names regarding Brock Lesnar's WrestleMania opponent, and yet, they decided to go ahead with a seemingly underwhelming option in Omos.
What's your reaction to the upcoming match? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit The Kurt Angle Show on AdFreeShows.com and H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription.