Kurt Angle reveals how Vince McMahon reacted after he suffered a head injury from a botched Pedigree
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently appeared on the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show on AdFreeShows. The Olympic gold medalist and host Conrad Thompson spoke about Angle's WWE Championship match from SummerSlam in 2000.
Kurt Angle faced The Rock and Triple H in a WWE title match at the pay-per-view and Angle, unfortunately, suffered an injury midway through the contest.
The plan was for Triple H to send Kurt Angle crashing through the Spanish announcer's table with a Pedigree. Sadly for Kurt Angle, the table caved in at the wrong time, and his head hit the concrete.
Kurt Angle revealed that WWE's original plan was for him to act as if he was knocked out. Angle was supposed to suffer a 'storyline injury' and get stretchered to the back. He was then going to come back out upon the request of Stephanie McMahon.
However, Kurt Angle was legitimately out cold, and he had to be taken to the hospital after the match.
"To go back and explain, that was supposed to happen. I was supposed to pretend to get knocked out. I was going to be carted backstage, and I was going to come back for Stephanie and help Triple H try to beat the Rock. She wanted me to help. So, that was the whole idea."
Kurt Angle explained how Triple H usually executed the Pedigree and that there was a specific time during the move that was reserved for the jump. The table, however, broke earlier than expected, and Kurt Angle's head hit the floor.
According to Triple H, Kurt Angle was heard snoring after the impact.
"The thing is, it happened for real. I got knocked out, like, really knocked out. I, you know, when Triple H went to hit the Pedigree, he goes down, up, and down, to time it, so that you can time it when you hit and land on the ground. So when he went down, the table broke early, and he had my hands trapped behind my back; that's how he locks it. So, I landed four feet below straight with my head on the concrete. And I was out. Triple H was trying to get my attention, and he said I was snoring. Like, I was just out of it."
Kurt Angle reveals how the injury affected WWE's plans
The Rock would later come out and continue the match with Triple H while Kurt Angle received medical attention.
"So, Triple H improvised and tried to, you know, work on me and beat me up a little bit while The Rock. I don't think the Rock was out yet, right? He wasn't out from the match yet. So Rock came out, and they wheeled me back, and you know, I was supposed to be wheeled back."
Kurt Angle also revealed that he was scheduled to have a pre-taped backstage segment with Stephanie McMahon after the injury spot. Kurt Angle, however, was dazed and couldn't remember his lines. Angle called the whole experience a nightmare.
"We were supposed to do a pre-tape backstage. Stephanie says, "Kurt, could you go back out there? You've got to help me?" And I had to say, "Only for you, Steph. I'll do it for you." The problem is, I got knocked out, and when I had to do the pre-tape, Stephanie would tell me what I had to say, and I would say okay, and thirty seconds later, I would say, "What am I saying? again?" I don't know what I'm saying. I couldn't compute what I was going to say. I couldn't remember. So, it was a complete nightmare."
The positive takeaway from Kurt Angle's ordeal was that Vince McMahon was really impressed with the Superstar's efforts. Kurt Angle believed he had hit a 'home run' that day, and the WWE Chairman felt that Angle had stepped up for the company.
Vince McMahon promised to reward Kurt Angle, and the WWE boss stayed true to his word.
"I don't remember any of it. But the match came across really good, and the thing is, the outcome was Vince, you know, thought I hit a home run that day. I stepped up for the company, and he said, "I'm going to pay you back for this," and he did."
Kurt Angle went on to become a WWE world champion in his rookie year and an established talent in the WWE in the years that followed.
If any quotes are used from this article, please credit 'The Kurt Angle Show' and give a H/T to Sportskeeda.