10 Fascinating WWE Survivor Series 1999 Facts
9. Kurt Angle's Character Was Designed To Be An "Intentional" Rocky Maivia
When Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle was ready to be set loose on WWE's main roster, he was programmed with go-nowhere Shawn Stasiak for the Survivor Series pay-per-view. In the weeks leading up to the show, WWE aired short, dignified vignettes that extolled Angle's legitimate athletic background.
Simple and innocent as they seemed, Angle later claimed that it was part of the design to make sure he was hated out of the gate. In a 2017 interview, Angle admitted he'd had doubts that the fans would hate him for being authentic, but said that McMahon told him that was the idea: that he'd be portrayed as too squeaky-clean and perfect, and that would turn the crowd against him.
Angle adds that McMahon took the idea from Rocky Maivia's 1996 push, the "learned lesson" of trying to force a milk-and-cookies do-gooder onto hardcore WWE fans. Except this time, McMahon would put All-American Angle in that role, knowing the fans would turn on him (which was the desired effect). The reaction in Detroit proved McMahon right.