10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Feb 15)

3. Why A 2003 TV Match Was Kurt Angle's Most Intense

Brock Lesnar Kurt Angle Iron Man match
WWE.com

Kofi Kingston's performance on this week's episode of SmackDown broke a long-standing WWE singles record for the program. His 60:12 showing was longer than the one Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar worked in a 60-minute 'Iron Man' match back in 2003. That match will forever be Kurt's most personally intense.

Why? Well, not only was he wrestling a muscled-up Lesnar, but Angle's sister also passed away the night before the match. That interrupted his preparations for such a physically-draining performance, and it made the 24-hour period between her death and work an emotional rollercoaster.

Kurt will never forget it, and he shared that with fans via his regular Facebook Q&A sessions.

Brock was determined to put on a show, and there was always a competitive spirit between both men anyway. That, along with the family heartache Kurt was going through, made the 18 September '03 edition of SmackDown his most bitter-sweet.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.