Kurt Angle Recalls Wrestling John Cena In His WWE TV Debut Match

On the latest episode of the Kurt Angle Show, the WWE Hall of Famer talked about wrestling John Cena in his main roster TV debut match on a 2002 episode of WWE SmackDown. You can check out some highlights below:

On working with John Cena in his debut match: “We didn’t do much to prepare for it. We talked a little bit and went out. The match was only about nine minutes, so it wasn’t a very long match but it was a good match. It was a very solid match, especially for John’s first match on TV. I thought it was really good.”

On when he found out about the match: “I found out that day, it was like last second. And I think what happened was he came in, they invited him in for a tryout and John showed up, and Vince loved his look. You know, you look at the kid. He looks like a freaking bodybuilder. He’s a pretty damn good athlete. He’s smart, intelligent, and can cut a promo. So, did I know he was going to be a big superstar? You don’t know that after only one match. But did he impress me? Yes. He did.”

On whether he had an issue with Cena getting a shine in the match: “He was supposed to shine because I was the heel, and he was the babyface. When they have a match like that where someone’s not under contract against the WWE superstar, it’s usually a crush match. It’s quick, you know, it doesn’t last long and the person doesn’t shine. But John, they were really looking at him. They wanted to see what he had. So they wanted me to get on him and, and put a really good match together. So that’s what I did.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Kurt Angle Show with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.