10 Most Shocking WWE Draft Moments

6. The Wrestling Machine

Kurt Angle ECW
WWE

Paul Heyman wasn't able to use his midas touch during the 2006 ECW relaunch controlled by Vince McMahon, but he did get off to a strong start in acquiring Kurt Angle as a founder member of his 'New Breed unleashed'.

Unveiling his the Olympic Gold Medalist as a wrestler that 'embodied what the new vision of ECW is all about', Heyman revealed his gifted Smackdown draft pick during a debate segment with former company icon Mick Foley.

Foley had been cast as a pro-WWE heel in the build-up to his match alongside the 'Rated-R Superstar' Edge against Tommy Dreamer and Terry Funk at the 'One Night Stand' pay-per-view later that month.

Taking potshots at Extreme doyen Heyman for his insistence on dredging up scarred and battered has-beens to champion the new cause, Foley was mentally physically overwhelmed by Angle, who stormed the ring with a huge takedown and Angle Slam on the 'Hardcore Legend'.

Kurt had refined his character in 2006, shifting almost entirely to a maniacal 'Wrestling Machine' since making a shock return to Smackdown early in the year to win their vacant World Title.

It looked a perfect marriage, but the real life disintegration of relations between Kurt and the company saw his exit to TNA months later overshadow any impact he could make on the new broadcast.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett