Kurt Angle’s amateur wrestling background is unmatched in professional wrestling history, but on Scott Johnson’s “Going Ringside” podcast, he named another professional wrestler who he believes had the “world class” ability to have succeeded in the amateur ranks: Chris Benoit.
When asked which professional wrestler (other than Brock Lesnar) he thought could have done well in legitimate amateur wrestling, Angle did not hesitate. “Chris Benoit,” Angle stated. “He had the ability to be a world class wrestler. He’s Canadian. If he would have pursued that, he would have been on the Canadian Olympic team… Yeah, he was that good.”
Angle, who was famously pushed to the top of the card immediately upon his 1999 debut, also discussed the Attitude Era legends he worked with and learned from. He credited one particular rival for teaching him the most about the craft of professional wrestling.
“Stone Cold. Steve Austin actually was the one guy that I learned the most from. He was one of those guys that would call the match out in the ring,” Angle said. The host asked what “calling the match” meant, and Angle explained: “That means you don’t plan a lot of it backstage. You just go out there and do it improvise. And he was a great improviser, him and Triple H and Undertaker. Were three of the best improvisers I’ve ever wrestled.”
While Austin was his best teacher, Angle had high praise for The Rock’s all-around talent. “He was so entertaining. The guy was such a phenomenal athlete, and his promo skills were above everybody else’s,” Angle said of The Rock. “He taught me a lot about cutting promos. He taught me a lot about wrestling in the ring.”
Finally, Angle was asked to name his hardest opponent. While he learned from Austin and The Rock, his answer for the toughest was the man he shared an amateur background with. “Brock Lesnar. He was a mixture of power, speed, agility, and he was so 300 pounds and moved like a cat,” Angle said. “I’ve never been in a ring with an athlete like that. He was, he was an animal.”
Angle also confirmed that his famous milk-drinking gimmick was based in truth, clarifying a joke he once made. “I love milk… It’s my favorite drink,” he said. “I had a podcast I did a couple years ago, and I was joking around. I said, guys, I don’t even like milk. And they got out there, like, Kurt Angle doesn’t even like milk. And I was like, oh my god, I’m just kidding, guys, obviously I do love milk.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Scott Johnson’s “Going Ringside” podcast with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
