"You have got to steal moves from the best" - Former WWE Champion admits he took Bret Hart's move
The latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show on AdFreeShows.com focussed on the WWE No Way Out 2006 PPV, at which WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle faced the Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship.
During the match, Kurt Angle executed a figure four leglock around the ring post on The Undertaker, a modified variant of the submission move popularized by WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart.
Kurt Angle revealed that it was the Undertaker's idea to incorporate the spot in the match as Bret Hart did the same when The Hitman faced The Deadman.
"Well, the Undertaker brought it up because he said Bret Hart used to do it with him, and so I thought it was a pretty cool move, and I think we might have even done the hit on the post."
Kurt Angle added that he used the move a few times in his career and admitted that he took it out of Bret Hart's arsenal of maneuvers.
"I have done that a couple of times (figure four leglock around thge ring post). I got it out of Bret Hart's playbook. You know, you want to be the best, you have got to steal moves from the best (laughs). You know, it was a great spot in the match, and it worked out really well."
Psychology changed: Kurt Angle on the evolution of wrestling in the WWE Attitude Era
Host Conrad Thompson asked Kurt Angle whether he'd studied Bret Hart wrestling tapes during the early days of his WWE career.
The Olympic gold medalist was told not to watch the old footage as the wrestling business and the psychology in matches were continually evolving. Angle explained that Superstars from the Attitude Era of WWE had ditched the age-old tie-up in favor of a strike-heavy start to matches. WWE Superstars didn't lock up in the Attitude Era and got straight down to business with the punches.
"I didn't study old tapes because I was told not to. Psychology changed, you know, when the Attitude Era came around, there was a lot more action. It wasn't, you know, you didn't start off slow. I think everybody was starting with punches; nobody was tying up. It was just the intensity level of the Attitude Era. You didn't tell a story in the match; you didn't wrestle much. The thing is, you get attacked backstage, you go out there, and you're mad and attack him back; during your match, the GM will book the match. You go out and have the match, and instead of starting with a tie-up in wrestling, you are mad because he attacked you backstage. So, you start beating him up. That's how every match was. I mean, it was ridiculous."
Angle keenly observed the performers of his era in the WWE, and history is proof that he picked up all the nuances of wrestling faster than anyone else in the WWE.
"So, I didn't want to watch tapes of old-school wrestling matches. I wanted to watch tapes of previous, or the present product and what they were doing. So, I watched a lot of Stone Cold, Rock, Triple H. Once I got to know him, Shawn Michaels. You know, Undertaker, I watched a lot of their stuff."
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