"You liked him and feared him at the same time" - WWE Legend reveals how it actually felt to wrestle The Undertaker
Kurt Angle opened up about the experience of working with The Undertaker during a recent edition of his podcast that revolved around SummerSlam 2000 and all the top stories from that year.
Kurt Angle revealed that while it was easy to work with The Deadman, Undertaker was liked and feared at the same time by talent backstage. The WWE Hall of Famer stated that Undertaker was usually level-headed but would take necessary action if a fellow wrestler did something unfavorable.
The Undertaker has been a respected locker room leader in the WWE for many years, and Angle said nobody could mess with his former colleague.
Angle also reminded co-host Conrad Thompson that The Undertaker almost choked him about on the infamous 'Plane Ride from Hell.'
Angle said the following:
"Taker was great to work with. He was easy to get along with. You liked him and feared him at the same time. He just had this way about him that he was cool, calm, and collected, but if you stepped out of line, he was going to do something. He literally choked me out on a plane once when I was wrestling Vince McMahon. So, you don't want to mess with The Undertaker," revealed Kurt Angle.
It's the same equation every time, but it works: Kurt Angle on how The Undertaker laid out matches
Kurt Angle faced The Undertaker for the first time in a singles match in 2000, back when the Olympic hero was still a rising star in the company.
Angle lost to The Undertaker in an 8-minute match as he was still developing as a performer. Kurt Angle termed it an 'elevation match' for him as he got to share the ring with an established talent like The Undertaker.
The Olympic Hero and The Deadman locked horns on several occasions as the years passed, and Angle noted how The Undertaker always followed a fixed plan for every match.
Kurt Angle explained that the Undertaker first worked on the arm and tried to 'get some shine' off his opponents. This was the phase of the match where The Phenom executed some of his trademark moves, including the "Old School."
Angle said the momentum shifted when the Undertaker crashed his knee into the turnbuckle, effectively creating a storyline injury in the match for the heel to work on until the his eventual comeback.
The WWE Legend added that the Undertaker called their matches right before the babyface fightback and the finish.
"He calls everything up until the comeback and finishes," Kurt Angle stated, "You just have to listen to him and trust him, and I did. Every time I worked with the Undertaker, he has the same equation in every match. He shines on you, he works your arm, you know, he does the jump off the top rope, I forgot what it's called. Yeah, the Old School! So, he works our arm, and then when he's done shining, he will have you take his knee out, and you know, he will run into the corner with a high boot, and I'll move, and it will hurt his leg. And, it's the same equation every time, but it works. You know, for him, it was perfect. So, that's the way it always went with the Undertaker, but he called the whole thing up until the comeback and finish."
Kurt Angle and Undertaker have had some memorable battles over the years, and it's not surprising to note that the Phenom orchestrated the in-ring action.
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