10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2003 Facts

6. Kurt Angle Claimed That Brock Lesnar Insisted On Tapping Out

shawn michaels triple h elimination chamber summerslam 2003
WWE.com

It was a bit surprising at SummerSlam 2003 to see a re-established heel Lesnar submit to Angle's ankle lock. Not that it's surprising to see anyone tap clean to a wrestling cyborg like Angle, but the fact that Lesnar, essentially a hybrid of Bill Goldberg and Rodan, was the one slapping the canvas was an eye-opener.

Weeks after the show, Angle did a Q&A session at the University of Pennsylvania, where he discussed the SummerSlam match. According to Figure Four Weekly's account of the appearance, Angle said that Lesnar wanted to lose via submission in order to flesh out his heel turn more, and show a hint of weakness.

Angle added that Lesnar was actually supposed to win the title at SummerSlam, but turned it down in order work on the new heel nuances. Lesnar would win the belt in mid-September on SmackDown, felling Angle in an Iron Man match.

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Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.