10 Best Moments Of WWE WrestleMania 33 Weekend

2. The Return Of Kurt Angle

Lesnar Mania 33
WWE

It was a widely expected development, but no less welcome. Kurt Angle's return to RAW as General Manager was so good that it mattered little how overplayed the role is. If anybody has to play it - and really, they don't - Angle is an excellent choice.

He appeared in front of the live crowd only briefly, but it blew the roof off the place. It was his work in the few backstage segments he was part of that delivered most. Angle, as he demonstrated in an awesome highlight reel of a Hall Of Fame speech, hasn't lost the expert comedic timing with which he became one of the best sports entertainers on the planet as well as one of the best wrestlers. In vintage (sorry) Angle fashion, he took everything at face value. Enzo Amore trotted out his "...and he's seven foot tall, and you can't teach that" line. "You sure can't" said Angle cheerfully in response, before pointing out that Big Cass can't spell.

His facials in the Sami Zayn skit were even better. He looked at him with a classic "How much can this guy talk?" expression.

WWE are still booking Zayn like a "total geek", it would seem, but at least Angle is a far more palatable foil than Stephanie McMahon. Don't rush back.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!