Kurt Angle calls former WWE tag team partner lazy, says he skipped practice sessions and never improved
Kurt Angle picked up pro wrestling faster than any talent from outside the business. While he worked with several promising wrestlers, the Olympic hero recently revealed why Luther Reigns never became a big name in WWE.
Luther Reigns, real name Matthew Wiese, worked for WWE between 2004 and 2005 and was once tipped to be a major star due to his jacked-up look. He eventually requested his release after alleged creative differences with Paul Heyman, and the 51-year-old has not set foot inside the squared circle since 2006.
WWE was so high on Luther at one time that he was even paired with Kurt Angle, an alliance that was relatively short-lived and never accomplished the company's goal.
While speaking on his podcast, Kurt Angle admitted that despite having a great look, Luther Reigns never developed his in-ring skills. Angle noted that Reigns chose not to attend the training sessions spearheaded by Fit Finlay and felt that Luther was just too lazy for someone who needed to work harder in WWE.
"His work needed a lot more work. He was really green in the ring. As far as microphone kills, he was incredible. He had a great look. He had everything going for him. He just couldn't improve," the WWE Hall of Famer said on The Kurt Angle Show.
Angle added that Luther would have been a big star if not for the latter's laziness:
"The problem was, I think, he never really practiced. They would have practice sessions earlier in the day during the shows, and Fit Finlay would lead the charge. Luther never attended. I think that's where he needed to be every day. He just didn't do it. He had time to get better. He had ways of getting better, but he chose not to for some reason. He just needed more work. He would have done it. He could have been really big. He was lazy." [From 15:20 onwards]
Kurt Angle revealed in the past that Vince McMahon had big plans for Luther Reigns
During an older episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the former WWE Champion confirmed that Luther Reigns had managed to impress Vince McMahon.
Getting into the boss' good books was what every WWE Superstar wished for, and in Luther's case, he'd already done what most talents failed to do during their careers. During his WWE stint, Reigns faced the likes of The Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero, Big Show, and John Cena. He was among the wrestlers that could have been a massive success higher up the card.
However, the former SmackDown Superstar couldn't live up to the promotion's expectations even though McMahon "was crazy" about him.
"I know Vince loved him at the beginning. He absolutely loved him. [Vince] was crazy about him and had big plans for him; that's why they put him with me," said Angle.
Luther Reigns As A Protege Of Kurt Angle: Reigns was part of Team Angle 2.0 along with Mark Jindrak. Reigns as a protege of Angle wasn’t very successful however, he lost all the big matches against the likes of Big Show and The Undertaker and failed to win the tag team (1/3) https://t.co/Ym8KAk30eP
A former world champion recently also opened up about his heated post-match conversation with Angle, and you can read more on that story here.
If any quotes are used from this article, please credit 'The Kurt Angle Show' and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling.