"Let the guy soak it in" - Kurt Angle recalls the time Vince McMahon allowed former World Champion to get a 15-minute standing ovation during a WWE pay-per-view
While it isn't uncommon for WWE stars to get standing ovations from fans, a 15-minute standing ovation might be something unheard of, especially in wrestling.
However, there was one exception where even Vince McMahon allowed Chris Benoit to receive a standing ovation from the Boston fans at Royal Rumble 2003 after his match with Kurt Angle.
The match was a 17-minute encounter that saw the two technically gifted wrestlers go at it in what was deemed an instant classic. The fans keenly watched as the match went back and forth with Angle managing to successfully defend the WWE Championship.
Despite Angle's win, it was Benoit whose performance was appreciated and lauded by the crowd in Boston that night.
On the recent episode of Gold Medal Q&A w/ Kurt Angle on AdFreeShows.com, the WWE Hall of Famer shared of the matches he was proud of as he made note of his 2003 encounter with The Rabid Wolverine:
"It was my best performance by far," said Angle. "That match was magic. Chris and I lit up that night. As a matter of fact, when the match was over I won. I remained champion. Team Angle carried me off and Vince McMahon allowed Boston fans to get on their feet and give Chris a standing ovation for 15 minutes during the pay-per-view. So he was wasting time but the match was that good that Vince McMahon just decided to let that guy soak it in and that speaks volumes about the kind of match it was."
A great aerial photo of my match vs Chris Benoit at Royal Rumble 2003 for the WWE Championship, in front of a sold out Boston crowd....where Chris received a standing ovation after our match. Hear about it on my past episode of The Kurt Angle Show at adfreeshows.com #TAP https://t.co/KWxYIBpf38
Kurt Angle competed in multiple memorable matches throughout his WWE career
While the Olympic Gold Medalist just listed some of his best off the top of his head in the Q&A, it was a rare sight to see him fail to deliver in the ring. He became one of the most reliable performers in the company.
During the same episode, Kurt Angle spoke about showing some of his WWE matches to his kids:
"I showed my kids my matches against Shawn Michaels WrestleMania 21, WrestleMania 19 against Brock Lesnar, No Way Out 2006 against Undertaker and this one- this is the doozy: 2003 Royal Rumble against Chris Benoit," said Angle.
Angle's amateur wrestling background helped the transition into professional wrestling be a bit smoother as he quickly rose to the top where he held multiple world championships.
It didn't take Angle that long to consistently put on classics with the likes of Brock Lesnar and Shawn Michaels.
IT'S TRUE! IT'S TRUE!
WWE Hall of Famer @RealKurtAngle returns home to Pittsburgh next Monday on #WWERaw! https://t.co/1IatQnGpgb
His impact in wrestling is felt to this day as he is regarded as one of the greatest technicians of all time. Kurt Angle is currently scheduled to appear on the upcoming episode of Monday Night RAW.
Angle also just recently dropped an update on an in-ring return.
If you use quotes from this article, please add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling and credit AdFreeShows.com's Gold Medal Q&A w/ Kurt Angle.
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