WWE Hall of Famer on the advice Vince McMahon gave them at the start of their career
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has revealed the advice Vince McMahon gave him when he first signed with the company.
As a top WWE superstar, Angle expected to be presented as a strong and dominant force to fans, given his legitimate athletic background. However, Vince McMahon had other plans.
During a recent interview with WhatCulture Wrestling, Angle recalled how the WWE Chairman wanted him to show his funny side as well as his serious nature.
"What Vince McMahon told me was, ‘You’re an Olympic gold medalist,” Angle began. “You’re a badass. Everybody knows that, so you can be as funny or as dorky as you want, but when you get in the ring, you can be a serious competitor.’ I took that to heart, and I thought you know what I don’t have to, I can show my nerdy side, my funny side as much as I want to because everybody knows when I get in the ring, it’s gonna get serious." (H/t Wrestling Inc.)
#OnThisDay in 2001: Kurt Angle and the tiny cowboy hat. https://t.co/JMwWsgKn1x
Angle would go on to utilize both his comedic and serious side throughout his WWE career. He captured many world championships, and he is widely considered one of the top stars of his generation.
Vince McMahon knew when it was time for Kurt Angle to be serious
Despite Angle's ability to win over fans as a funny babyface, McMahon always planned for the Olympic gold medalist to be presented as a top legit megastar.
In the same interview, the WWE Hall of Famer stated that McMahon does not like it when superstars are funny for a long period of time. He explained that the WWE Chairman thought that fans would never be able to take those kinds of performers seriously.
"Vince doesn’t like wrestlers who get too hokey and too funny because he doesn’t think the fans will take them seriously," Angle continued. "With me, I was able to do that. Eventually, Vince McMahon sat me down and said ‘we’re done with the funny stuff. We’re gonna do the Wrestling Machine from now on." (H/t Wrestling Inc.)
Although McMahon wanted Angle to be seen as a more serious performer, Angle's funny characters are remembered by fans just as fondly as his "Wrestling Machine" gimmick.