Kurt Angle is indisputably one of the greatest in-ring workers in pro wrestling history. Kurt Angle's fundamentally sound, hard-hitting move set has several iconic maneuvers, with the Angle Slam being one of the most prominent on the list.
Kurt Angle had a visually ruthless version of the Angle Slam, which he used during the WrestleMania 21 match against Shawn Michaels.
During the latest episode of 'The Kurt Angle Show' on AdFreeShows, the WWE Hall of Famer revealed that he stopped using the variation after getting it wrong on HBK at WrestleMania 21.
Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels brawled on the outside during the moments leading up to the spot in question. Kurt Angle initially teased delivering the Angle Slam on HBK onto the floor, but he ended up slamming Michaels against the steel ring post.
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The point of contact wasn't perfect, and Michaels got hit in the rear end. The spot even kicked off an 'it looks vicious' chant from the fans in attendance. Kurt Angle explained that even though he got the positioning wrong, the spot still did the job of creating a great atmosphere in the arena.
"Well, he didn't hit his hamstring. He hit his a**. I didn't have him lined up properly, and I went backward and Shawn; it was a little lower on his body, but it did the job. It made sense. There was nothing wrong with the move, whether I hit his lower back or his a**. I think the fans got an idea of what I was trying to do."
Shawn came up with the idea: Kurt Angle loved HBK's Angle Slam spot
Fans understood the idea behind the move, and it was incidentally Shawn Michaels' idea.
Kurt Angle would later decide to retire from the Angle Slam variation. As brutal as it looked, the former WWE Champion executed the move for the first and last time in his career against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21.
"But, it's a vicious move, and because I didn't hit it right, I never used it again. But it was great; actually, Shawn came up with the idea, and we used it because Shawn came up with it, and I thought it was awesome. I was like, 'You know, I can use this as a heat spot anytime I want to stop a wrestler, But when I didn't hit the move right, I decided not to use it anymore. So, that was the first and last time I used it."
Kurt Angle's WrestleMania 21 epic against Shawn Michaels is regarded as one of the best 'Mania matches in the PPV's illustrious history. Angle and Michaels tore the house down that night, and the savage Angle Slam was just one of the many highlights of the 27-minute wrestling classic.
If any quotes are used from this article, please credit 'The Kurt Angle Show' and give a H/T to SK Wrestling