WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle Recalls Vince McMahon's Idea For His Heel Turn

WWE legend Kurt Angle has discussed his heel run in WWE and how he was apprehensive about being a bad guy when it was presented to him by Vince McMahon.

Angle, who initially thought that he would be a good guy in pro wrestling due to his heroics at the Olympics, was in for a rude awakening when McMahon told him his plans.

"He [Vince] said, 'Listen, I'm going to turn you into the anti-hero. You're going to be the biggest heel in the business.' I said, 'Vince, it's not going to happen. These fans, they know I'm an Olympic gold medalist, I'm an American hero. There's no way you're going to make me a heel.' He said, 'Yes I am, and the way I'm going to do it, is you're going to preach the three I's — intensity, integrity, and intelligence, but you're going to do the opposite. The people are going to think you're a hypocrite.' That's what makes people sad, when you tell them one thing and you're preaching it, and you're doing the other," said Angle during his interview with "WFan Sports Radio."

Angle believes that he became the biggest heel in the pro wrestling business and held that accolade for a long time, before turning babyface. He thinks that he was a success as a good guy too because the fans appreciated what he did. The WWE Hall of Famer expressed that he thoroughly enjoyed being a heel, and revealed that he liked being a heel more than a babyface as he loved angering the fans.

"I loved pis*ing the fans off. It was so much fun. It was so easy to get them angry — just being me, I thought I'd be likable but fans literally hated my guts," stated the WWE Hall of Famer.

Angle debuted in WWE in 1999, playing a key role in the Attitude Era, and then earning a reputation for being one of the best in-ring technicians in pro wrestling history.