Kurt Angle Recalls WWE Title Win At No Mercy 2000, Working With The Rock

On the latest episode of the Kurt Angle Show, the WWE Hall of Famer talked about beating The Rock for the WWE Title at WWE No Mercy 2000. You can check out some highlights below:

On when he found out he was winning the WWE Title from The Rock at No Mercy 2000: “They didn’t tell me till probably four or five days before the pay-per-view, No Mercy. So they kept that under wraps. I literally did not know. I knew I was wrestling Rock at No Mercy, but I didn’t know I was winning the title until they told me basically at the last second.”

On how The Rock handled doing jobs: “The Rock was never political. He never got involved with any of the finishes. He always did what he was told to do, and that’s what I loved about Rock. He always took the high road and he never, never tried to go behind someone’s back and try to get a finished change.”

On his reaction to learning he was winning the WWE Title: “Listen to this, this is what’s really messed up. None of [my family] came to see it. And the reason is, Smackdown’s on Tuesday. They told me on Tuesday. Then I had house shows on Friday and Saturday, and then the pay-per-view on Sunday. So when I got home Wednesday morning, I told my family, ‘Hey you know, I’m going to be here wrestling for the world title.’ And then two days later, I leave. So I didn’t really set up any travel arrangements for my family because I was so damn busy and I didn’t know what — like, back then the WWE booked my flights. I didn’t know how to book flights. I know you call the airline, you say, ‘Hey, this is me and it’s my birth date and here’s my credit card.’ But I just didn’t really do it because I didn’t have time.”

On whether he was ready to be WWE Champion in 2000: “Like I said before, I don’t think I was ready. But I had to be ready. I had to go out there and perform at my very best. I thought my best was good enough, but it could have been better if I had more experience.”

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.