"The Rock made me world champion" - Superstar credits Dwayne Johnson for his first WWE title win
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is one of the biggest names, not just in professional wrestling but across the world. The Great One's staggering journey began in WWE, where he won countless titles and became a household name.
Unlike a few top guys in the business, The Rock was known to be a selfless performer, and Kurt Angle gave an example of the same during the recent edition of 'The Kurt Angle Show' on AdFreeShows.com.
Kurt Angle won his first WWE title from The Rock at No Mercy in 2000, and the Olympic gold medalist reminisced about the memorable moment. Angle shared that The Rock informed him about the planned title change five days before the No Mercy PPV.
At that time, Kurt was on a PPV losing streak heading into No Mercy, having lost four matches in four consecutive events. He admitted that he was stunned when he was told about the plan.
"The Rock told me five days before at SmackDown, and I wasn't expecting it because the last four months, the last four PPVs, I lost. I lost four straight PPVs and didn't see any wins coming in the near future. So, it was really surprising to know that I was going to become world champion after I just did four jobs on four different PPVs. But they were all enhancement matches. They were all with big names."
He didn't have any problem: Kurt Angle on his experiences of working with The Rock
Kurt Angle added that The Rock had no problems doing the job of letting him win the title. Angle enjoyed working with him, and the title win was a massive moment in the early stages of the Olympic hero's career.
Kurt Angle also realized that his professional wrestling future was bright after he captured the championship from The Rock.
"I was affiliated with those big names. It kept me in the limelight to some degree, even though I wasn't a dominating heel. I was getting beat, but at the same time, The Rock made me world champion. I mean, that guy, this match that we had was so important to me, and he didn't have any problem to job [sic]. I really enjoyed working with him, and he was awesome. He was very giving."
"Winning the WWF title was huge for me, especially in my first year. I never expected to be a champion in my first year, and to beat The Rock, I mean, one of the biggest names in the business, that was spectacular, and I knew that my future was very bright."
Kurt Angle solidified himself as a top talent in his rookie year, and not many WWE wrestlers have been able to replicate his seamless transition to pro wrestling. His world title win against The Rock was the beginning of a legendary career that included many iconic victories 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.