Kurt Angle Recalls Botched Finish In No Way Out 2001 Match With The Rock, What Rock Told Earl Hebner

In a recent edition of The Kurt Angle Show, Kurt Angle discussed his No Way Out 2001 match with The Rock, working with Rock, and much more. You can read his comments below.

Kurt Angle on the botched finish in his No Way Out 2001 match with The Rock: “I distinctly remember that Earl probably thought that was the first Rock Bottom. I believe we hit a Rock Bottom earlier in the match and Earl forgot. So, the finish was supposed to be the second Rock Bottom, and Earl thought the second one was the first. That’s why he hesitated on the count. The Rock was pissed. He picked me up, Rock Bottomed me, and looked Earl in the eye and said, ‘Count the motherfucking finish.’ He was pissed [laughs]. But Rock was mad at the time, but he got backstage and cooled off. He didn’t yell at Earl or anything. We all make mistakes and things like this happen. You just have to move forward and continue with the match. That’s what Rock did. He Rock Bottomed me again to get the win.”

On the importance of the match for his character: “I loved the match. This match transcended me from the funny, goofy Kurt Angle to a more serious competitor. This is when I started using more offense. As a heel, you bump and sell, and you don’t get much offense in. This match, I got a lot more offense. I started transitioning into the wrestling machine.”

On working with The Rock and criticism of Rock’s selling: “He was awesome. He was such a great athlete and always a step ahead. His athleticism really came out in the ring. His biggest asset is selling. A lot of people think he oversells, and that’s why he does it. He oversells because he wants everyone at home, every fan in the arena, he wants the little girl at the top of the rafters to see him selling and to see his face. He makes it visible to everybody and oversells. That’s the way you’re supposed to do it in pro wrestling. A lot of people undersell. Dwyane had it. Another guy that had it was Vince McMahon. He had the facials. He would do his weird faces and stuff. He got it too because Vince always told us, ‘The money is here. This is where you sell tickets. You’ve gotta show emotion. You’ve gotta show when you’re angry or scared or hurt.’ Those two were the best at it.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit The Kurt Angle Show with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.