WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently joined Adrian Hernandez of KXST 1140 The Bet Las Vegas for a discussion about his classic SummerSlam 2002 opener against Rey Mysterio, and why he believes that defeating Mysterio on that night was actually super beneficial to the lucha-libre legend’s career. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
Says McMahon wasn’t going to let a WCW guy win over a homegrown WWE talent:
“I think that Vince (McMahon), you have to remember, you come from another company. You didn’t choose WWE, you chose WCW. You come in, you think Vince is actually gonna have me put that guy over, one of his WWE homegrown talents? Hell no. Of course Rey was going to lose. At that particular time, I was one of the top guys in the company. I think 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.”
How Mysterio gives the impression that he can win any match that he’s in:
“The thing with Rey is that he’s always been beatable, 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 he’s the most exciting kid in the world to watch wrestle. For the most part, if he’s going to wrestle Big Show, he’s going to lose to him, but there’s a chance he could win. That’s what the fans believe in. That Rey Mysterio always has a chance.”
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)