Well known ESPN MMA journalist Ariel Helwani shared a video on Twitter of the 20-year anniversary of Kurt Angle defeating the Rock to become WWE champion at No Mercy, where Helwani writes, “Twenty years ago today, my four buddies and I drove down to Albany, NY to watch @RealKurtAngle beat @TheRock to win the WWF title for the first time at No Mercy. What a night it was.”
The Rock would later respond to Helwani and add, “Love this match! It was a brilliant build up and promotion. Honored to “do the honors” for Kurt. He’s one of the good guys AND one of the greatest athletes of all time. Rare combo. Didn’t know your wrestling roots go this far back, Ariel. We gotta talk.”
This win would mark Angle’s first world title victory in what would become an illustrious WWE career.