10 Things We Learned From Kurt Angle On Stone Cold's Broken Skull Sessions Podcast

6. Kurt Legit Thought He’d Headline WrestleMania X-Seven

When Kurt answered his phone on 12 October 2000, he wasn't expecting to hear Vinnie Mac tell him that he'd be beating The Rock to become new WWF Champion at No Mercy 10 days later. The relative newbie was honoured and flattered that Rocky would do the job for him, and touched that McMahon viewed him in that light.

The kicker was that Angle totally thought he'd be carrying that strap all the way to the bright lights of WrestleMania X-Seven. Privately, he started thinking about how cool it'd be to work with Steve Austin in Houston. That's when the WWF made it clear him that he'd be a transitional champ who'd drop the belt back to Rocky before 'Mania.

Spoilsports.

It didn't even cross Angle's mind that he'd have such a fleeting first run with the title. He viewed No Mercy as a surefire sign that he'd be one half of a huge main event the following spring. What a letdown that must've been.