12 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2003
11. There Was WWE Comedy Done Right
His name's Kurt Angle, and what the heck. He won a gold medal with a broken freakin' neck.
Normally, WWE comedy has fallen way wide of the mark. When Vince wasn't going for toilet humour ("JBL Is Poopy"), then everything felt just a little bit too forced. It takes seriously skilled performers to skirt the fine line between wrestling credibility and sports entertainment. Angle was always someone McMahon could rely on to strike a neat balance.
The battle rap segment he worked with John Cena on the 10 July '03 SmackDown was brilliant. Referee Brian Hebner’s beatboxing got a pop, and Kurt was on top form as a lovable goof. Meanwhile, Cena’s facials were perfect when selling Angle’s rhymes too. Again, a lot of WWE “comedy” fell flat during this era, so it was a pleasant surprise to see some of it land as intended.
Remember when Los Guerreros sprayed Big Show with sewage, or the giant got the runs from eating dodgy burritos? Yeah, that. By comparison, this battle rap was on point and charmed the live crowd into laughing, applauding and bopping along. Hebner's beatbox act shouldn't be downplayed either - Bri earned his spot in WWE lore by laying down a beat for Kurt to dad rap over.
Angle looked for all the world like he'd just been introduced to Eminem but thought Vanilla Ice was way cooler. He made it work, and that takes talent. Who knew a top notch Olympian would go on to become one of the most legit funny performers in pro wrestling history?!
It's true, it's damn true. You need to see his rap if you've never stumbled across it.