10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 19 Facts
2. Kurt Angle Claims Vince McMahon Tried To Talk Him Out Of Wrestling
Angle won Olympic gold with a "broken freakin' neck", so it's no surprise that the wrestling machine felt inclined to defend the WWE Championship with the same ailment. Already working with various spinal issues, Angle exacerbated those pains one month before WrestleMania, and was in dire need of surgery. There was talk of altering the WrestleMania main event, and having Angle lose the belt to Lesnar in 30 seconds on TV weeks beforehand.
Angle claimed in a 2015 interview that while at one point he was going to go along with that plan, he later insisted on doing the match because of his neighbor's son, a child with Down syndrome, who was excited to see Angle wrestle. Angle worked the hard-hitting match and then underwent unconventional spinal surgery, reducing his recovery time from one year to three months.