Kurt Angle reveals he absolutely regrets WWE feud with six-time world champion
While there aren't many matches in Kurt Angle's WWE career that can be deemed awful, including this one, the storyline featured some really uncomfortable-to-watch material on television. The Olympian reflected on his 2005 feud with Hall of Famer Booker T.
They wrestled in a fantastic one-off match at the Judgment Day pay-per-view, but the segments that were aired on TV during the buildup are what Angle regrets.
Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer reflected on the feud, feeling that using him and Booker's wife Sharmell in an angle was the worst creative chance Vince McMahon and Co. took with him:
"I totally regret it. I didn't want any part of it. Even though I got to wrestle Booker, I'd rather not wrestle Booker than do what I had to do with Sharmell." (H/T Wrestling Inc.)
The Wrestling Machine thoroughly disliked Sharmell's involvement, but the former WWE Chairman wanted Angle to play a pervert on television, and the latter was not used to saying 'no' to Vince McMahon.
The Booker T vs Kurt Angle video package was so crazy 😳
Can't believe WWE really did this storyline. https://t.co/KP2M4iwqWQ
Kurt Angle was originally slated to wrestle Batista following WrestleMania 21, but sadly, the planned feud didn't pan out. The Animal wound up getting drafted to SmackDown, while John Cena moved to RAW. The Olympic Gold Medalist ultimately contended for the WWE Championship against the latter months later.
WWE Hall of Famer on his half-hour clinic against The Undertaker
In 2006, Kurt Angle defended his World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker at the No Way Out pay-per-view.
Following Batista's injury, Angle moved to SmackDown and captured the world title and immediately embroiled in a brief feud with Mark Henry. However, it's The Olympain's bout against The Deadman that many fans fondly remember as one of the greatest of all time. Angle called it his second favorite match:
"My second favorite is with Undertaker at No Way Out 2006,” Angle said. “I had a match with him and it lasted 30-minutes and it was incredible. The false finishes, and the submission trade-offs, it was a really good match and told a great story. Undertaker is a really incredible worker, especially for a big guy. He’s so athletic for his size and I had great chemistry with him."
Kurt Angle vs The Undertaker
No Way Out 2006
World Heavyweight Championship https://t.co/uyUtU1bWS9
After dropping the title to Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 22, Kurt Angle left WWE a few months later. However, he eventually returned to the promotion, albeit only 11 years later.
The Wrestling Machine returned in early 2017, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and spent two more years wrestling sporadically for the global juggernaut promotion. He retired from in-ring competition after losing to Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35.
You can read more about Kurt Angle recounting a Hall of Famer's request to get him a job in WWE following the former's WrestleMania match against Shawn Michaels here.