Kurt Angle Says He Pitched Himself For WrestleMania 18 Main Event

On the latest episode of the Kurt Angle Show, the WWE Hall of Famer talked about his pairing with Stephanie McMahon on WWE television in 2000 and more. You can check out some highlights below:

On his pairing with Stephanie McMahon in 2000: “You know, she was kind of my manager, but there was like a romance going on and I don’t know why it came to an abrupt end. I’m not sure if somebody didn’t like it. I don’t really know, but I thought we were going to continue on, especially knowing that Vince knew that I was going to be world champion in the next couple of months. I thought that we would continue on, but it didn’t happen. Eventually, we got back together.”

On the possibility of Stephanie being his manager during his first WWE Title run: “The best duo in the history of the business. Oh honestly, I’m not sure what occurred because it went from being a romance program where she was my manager to a romantic kind of thing, and then they kind of backed off and took her away from me for a little while. Then they brought her back and said, ‘Listen, it’s strictly business. She’s just your manager. No more romance.’ So I’m not sure I know what happened in that period. No, it is what it is. And that’s what I had to deal with. And that’s okay with me.”

On whether Triple H ever had a problem with the romantic storyline: “Honestly, he didn’t seem to have ever had a problem with it. I’m being honest with you. I actually kissed her on TV, and he didn’t like [express any displeasure].”

On the Triple H vs. Chris Jericho & Stephanie storyline heading into WrestleMania 18: “I felt like Jericho relied on Stephanie too much. Jericho, this was his first world title, right? I mean, this was really big for him. He actually won the Undisputed Championship and they put him with Stephanie, and I felt like Stephanie was the head of it. You know, she was calling the shots. And it was like Jericho, he should have been on his own, at least for his first title run. I really believe that, because Chris had the ability to entertain people. You knew he eventually was going to be a champion. He didn’t need somebody like Stephanie. But they did that, and Stephanie is not a bad person to have with you. Actually, she’s very effective. She doesn’t miss a spot. She’s great at promos, she’s a very good-looking woman. It’s actually a good idea to have her as your manager. But I just felt like Chris could have done it alone.”

On trying to have the WrestleMania 18 main event changed: “I called Vince two weeks before WrestleMania. I’m like, ‘Hey, Stephanie was my manager and we had a little romance going, and now she’s with Jericho. I think you should throw me in the world title match with him and Triple H and make it a triple threat… I don’t blame him [for not doing it]. Probably Hunter said, ‘No, no, I just want to focus on Chris.’ Which is fine with me. I thought that’s the way they were supposed to go anyway. But yeah, I got shut down.”

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.