WWE Hall Of Famer Discusses His WrestleMania Match With Shawn Michaels

"Kurt Angle's quest to be in the main event of WrestleMania has been ended by Shawn Michaels," said Jim Ross on commentary after Michaels superkicked Angle out of the 2005 Royal Rumble match. 

While laying on the floor, the camera caught Angle's right hand twitching. "My neck was really messed up at this particular time," said Angle on the "The Kurt Angle Show" podcast. "I remember having this feeling in my neck and it was causing numbness down my fingers. It was really a bad time for me."

Frustrated at being eliminated in just 37 seconds, Angle went back into the match and tossed out Michaels. Once on the floor, Angle lacerated Michaels with the ring steps, applied the ankle lock, and delivered a vicious mule kick to Michaels' face. 

A couple of months later when Michaels faced Angle at WrestleMania 21, it was the first time the two legends locked up for real. 

"We didn't practice the week before," said Angle. "We only talked about the match. The only thing we did was he put me in an armbar, and I had to lift him up over my head and he dropped behind me and did a sunset flip and getting a false finish. We practiced that and that was it. We did it once."

From the first tie-up, Angle knew it was going to be a good match and the two delivered a 27-minute instant classic that received a standing ovation from the Staples Center crowd. "Only at WrestleMania will you see a match like that," said Jerry "The King" Lawler on commentary. "It was a phenomenal effort by two amazing athletes," added Ross.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Kurt Angle Show" podcast with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.