Kurt Angle recently reflected on facing Rey Mysterio at WWE SummerSlam 2002.
Angle, a WWE Hall of Famer, and Mysterio are two all-time greats. In 2002, the Olympic gold medalist was a former WWE Champion, so facing a talent of his caliber was a signifcant opportunity for Mysterio, who made his debut the month before.
Speaking with Adrian Hernandez on The Playmakers, Angle looked back on this classic match. The bout was Mysterio’s WWE pay-per-view debut, and while the two men delivered an unforgettable contest, the newcomer came up short. In hindsight, when asked about this outcome, Angle explained that it made sense for Vince McMahon to have him beat Mysterio because he was an established star with the company, whereas the latter was just starting out.
“I think that Vince, you have to remember, you come from another company, and you didn’t choose WWE, you chose WCW, and you come in,” said Angle. “You think Vince is actually gonna have you put that guy over, one of his WWE homegrown talents? No way in hell. Of course Rey was gonna lose. At that particular time, I was one of the top guys in the company. I think that Vince gave him a good opponent to utilize for his debut match. Of course he lost, but it didn’t hurt his career. It actually helped.”
The WWE Hall of Famer continued by noting that Mysterio has always been an exciting performer because he can beat anybody at any time.
“Rey, the thing with Rey Mysterio is, he’s always been beatable,” said Angle. “But he also has been able to beat anybody at any particular time. That’s what makes it so exciting about watching Rey Mysterio wrestle. He could beat The Big Show, he’s gonna have to sneak a win on him, but the kid’s the most exciting kid in the world to watch wrestle. So for the most part, if he’s gonna wrestle Bog Show, he’s gonna lose to him. But there’s a chance that he could win, and that’s what the fans believe in, that Rey Mysterio always has a chance.”
Mysterio recently celebrated his 20th anniversary with the company. He also commented about his future in the business, stating that he doesn’t want to wrestle past the age of 50.
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