Kurt Angle Recalls Backstage Fight He Had With WWE Hall Of Famer
Kurt Angle and fellow WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero were once like brothers. As such, the two shared many fond memories together. At the same time, they also fought like brothers. During a recent appearance on "Story Time with Dutch Mantell," Angle recalled a backstage brawl he had with Guerrero back in the early 2000s
"I was a part of a faction at this point in time with Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak. We had to get heat on Eddie and Chavo that night," Angle said. "It was at the end of the show and I never touched Eddie. I only grabbed ahold of Chavo and I got heat on him. The other two got heat on Eddie. When we came backstage, Eddie was pissed. He's like 'What the f***. You guys were shooting on me, beating me up for real.' I'm like 'Eddie, I didn't touch you.' He said, 'Yes you did.'
"He pushed me and I said 'Eddie, don't do it again.' He pushed me again, so I pushed him back and he went to double leg attack me. I sprawled on him. I got him a front headlock and I started choking him out."
According to Angle, Guerrero was on the verge of passing out from the chokehold when fellow WWE star Big Show intervened, yanking the Olympic gold medalist to the corner of the room by the back of his singlet. The seven-foot talent then pulled Guerrero to another corner, urging them to stop fighting. Unfortunately, Big Show's efforts to mediate only infuriated Angle even more.
Angle Details The Aftermath Of Their Initial Brawl
"I was so pissed at Big Show because I got like little guy syndrome," Angle said. "I couldn't believe how quickly he picked me up like I was nothing and carried me over. I was like 'Holy s***, Big Show, don't ever do that to me again,' so we had a little bit of an altercation."
After tensions between him and Big Show eventually defused, Angle approached Guerrero in his locker room to apologize. Guerrero, however, did not feel ready to do the same just yet. As a result, the two men began trading strikes once more until Big Show stepped in again, this time breaking things up for good.
WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield previously recalled his encounter with Guerrero in the moments following this backstage fight, specifically asking him why he would attempt a leg dive on an Olympic gold medalist. According to JBL, Guerrero promptly responded with "'Cause I'm stupid!'
Regardless of their brawling, Angle maintains the utmost admiration for his late former colleague, whom he wrestled several more times on WWE television. "We had this love-hate relationship that went up and down, up and down, but I truly loved Eddie Guerrero," Angle said. "He was one of the best human beings I've ever known in my life. I have so much respect for him."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Story Time with Dutch Mantell" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.