Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle | Tales From Backstage

Kurt Angle signed with WWE in 1998 after a lot of initial institutionalised skepticism.

Thanks to just about every influence on him during his formative years at amateur and Olympic level, he had previously dismissed professional wrestling as beneath a legitimate Olympic gold medalist, and the aforementioned ECW situation didn't exactly do much to change his mind. However, the more the opportunities to capitalise on his achievements dried up, the more his stance softened.

The bedfellows were not that strange after all, and few proved that quicker and more effectively than Kurt Angle. Debuting on screens at Survivor Series 1999 after a year working in the company's feeder system and several months of dark matches, Angle shocked audiences with his natural charisma, comic timing, and athletic prowess. Within months, it was clear that WWE had unearthed a gem, but within minutes it was clear that Angle himself was the one to lead yet another gold rush.

Angle’s initial faux-babyface persona was rooted in the clean-cut, all-American hero persona that had become cruelly passé. He encouraged fans to live by the "Three I’s" - Intensity, Integrity, and Intelligence - but did so with a tone deaf smugness that stood in total opposition to pop culture's leanings at the time and WWE's own Attitude Era. Instead of supporting him, fans rejected his holier-than-thou attitude and smugness, understanding the assignment as well as Angle himself.

His first significant storylines involved feuds with other wrestlers who mocked or downplayed his Olympic achievements, but the likes of Chris Jericho and Rikishi were made to suffer the consequences when actually locking up with the all-smiling, milk-guzzling buffoon.

This was the inherent genius of the bit and not something the company were truly able to explore until his first babyface turn - Angle could seriously, seriously go, and fans know to back a winner when they see one. It was too much fun hating his obnoxiousness, but bell-to-bell he was proving himself and building a rock solid foundation for when his obvious brilliance could be celebrated. In just a few months, Angle had become a top-tier talent capable of working with virtually anyone on the roster. He perfected his naive heel character and nailed comedic timing in lockstep during a time where WWE's in-house humour had never been sharper.

He added the rom to the com in the summer with one of the era's most celebrated storylines that yet again confirmed where he sat in the pecking order. His snake-like attempts to steal Stephanie McMahon's affections from her husband Triple H were at first played for gags before unleashing a sinister side so effective that it turned 'The Game' babyface. The feud ended with a whimper when Hunter insisted he go over with the belief that fans wouldn't buy McMahon choosing Angle, but by then Kurt had done enough to prove himself worthy of the top spot anyway. He won the WWE Championship in October, 11 months after his debut, cementing his "best rookie year ever" status, and the spot hasn't really been challenged since.

By 2002, his versatility had put him in a category of his own. From high-profile singles matches to multi-man bouts in the midst of a badly blown Invasion he somehow managed to thrive within anyway, Angle's improbable abilities in just about every category made him a rare commodity during a difficult and transitional time for wrestling writ large.

With multiple WWE Championships and main event runs to his name, Angle made his three years in the game look like thirty and the rest of the locker room looked to him as one of the top performers in the industry. His reputation as a workhorse all-rounder made him peerless. Until, as is often the case, somebody dared to present themselves as a peer.

Lesnar's rise was mirroring Kurt's, and their similar backgrounds only enhanced the fantasy warfare element of a potential showdown between the two. The sharks of the locker room circled in such a way that made confrontation inevitable, but the small matter of them doing actual business together seemed to be an obstacle in the way of any sort of Bret/Shawn locker room confrontation blowing up first.

"Friendly" competition, though?

(CONT'D...)