WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle Opens Up About Bond With Brock Lesnar
Kurt Angle has discussed his bond with Brock Lesnar inside and outside the ring, as well as why his former rival is a special pro wrestler.
The Hall of Famer was a recent guest on the "True Geordie" podcast where he touched upon his connection with Lesnar inside the ring, and why they had such a great bond.
"Well, we had a connection right away because we were both amateur wrestlers and we both understood each other and what we accomplished throughout our lives," said Angle.
He revealed that he and Lesnar traveled together, even when they were in a feud with each other, which is not the norm in WWE. The Hall of Famer then explained what made Lesnar special and stand out from the rest.
"Brock was special because not only was he a great amateur wrestler, but this guy was the most powerful, quickest person I've ever met for his size ... strongest, smartest, just overall best wrestler I've ever seen," Angle remarked. "It didn't matter where Brock went, he was gonna succeed no matter what. It didn't matter what sport you put him in — basketball, you put him in football, you put him in soccer, doesn't matter. He's going to excel, he's going to be at the top, he's going to be the best at whatever he does. That's how good Brock Lesnar is."
Angle then listed out all of Lesnar's achievements away from the pro wrestling ring, highlighting how adaptable "The Beast Incarnate" is.
Angle on why he knew Lesnar would be a success in UFC
Kurt Angle also stated why he knew that Brock Lesnar would succeed in UFC, despite an initial hiccup in his MMA career. Lesnar lost his very first UFC fight to Frank Mir by submission back in 2008 but bounced back with a few wins.
"I saw his first fight when he tapped out to Frank Mir and I knew right then, the way he manhandled Frank Mir, he just didn't have the knowledge. Frank got him with a leg lock ... ankle lock, a foot lock, and you know Brock didn't understand how he was able to do that," analyzed Angle.
He argued that once Lesnar understood the reason for his loss, he was set for success in UFC.
"Brock didn't really know how to defend that. Once he did, he was good to go. I knew right then, I was like, 'Wow, he manhandled Frank Mir, this guy's going to be a force to be reckoned with,' and he was. I mean, he won the next fight, he won the UFC title and then he defended it I think for three or four fights before he lost it," said the veteran.
Following his loss to Mir, Lesnar defeated Heath Herring and later Randy Couture to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship, which he defended twice before losing it to Cain Velasquez. One of the wins that Lesnar had when he was Heavyweight Champion was against Mir, which took place in 2009. He called time on his MMA career back in 2019.