Kurt Angle spoke about a wide range of topics on a recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show.
During it, the WWE Hall of Famer discussed winning the WWE Title at the Unforgiven PPV from Steve Austin in 2001, which took place just days after the 9/11 attacks.
“It was the biggest moment in my pro wrestling career. I was in my hometown, Pittsburgh, wrestling the biggest star of all time with my family there. This was a huge, special moment for me.”
“I called Vince. I came up with the idea about a week before this event. I told him, ‘Listen, the country is hurting. People need a boost. They need someone to believe in. I’m the Olympic hero, the American hero. I’m representing our country during this difficult time. I really think that you need to give me the title, not for a long time, just to give the country a little booster shot of confidence and feeling good about who we are. Vince told me to talk to Steve, and if it was ok with Steve, we could do it. I called Steve and he agreed immediately. He said, ‘That’s a great idea. Let’s do it.’ I only held the title probably for a week and then I gave it back. I wasn’t supposed to win the title at that particular time.”
H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription