12 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2003
7. Why A 60-Minute ‘Iron Man’ Is Astonishing
If you haven't heard it before, then you'll never believe the backstory for Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar on the 18 September 2003 episode. The regular on/off partners/rivals worked a 60-minute 'Iron Man' match on that edition. Obviously, that dominated approx half of the show's 2-hour run time (including ad breaks), and it was a herculean effort from both. Brock was sweating buckets, but his exertions were nothing compared to Kurt's.
Get this: Angle had overdosed the day before and hadn’t slept after hearing his sister had passed away. He’d previously told her they’d never talk again unless she got clean and off drugs, so he was in mental agony heading into the match. Depressed and totally lost in his own head, Kurt once told Joe Rogan how he swallowed around 20 extra strength Vicodin without even blinking, then went to sleep.
WWE couldn't get a hold of Angle, and there were real concerns as time ticked down to bell time on the SmackDown 'Iron Man'. Incredibly, Kurt woke up and made his way to the arena for the match. How he managed to wrestle for an hour is anyone’s guess. Some don’t view this as one of the truly great ‘Iron Mans’ out there, but they should - if only for this backstory.
What a colossal effort. The story behind Angle's work that night is insane. Going hell for leather with Lesnar for an hour kept Kurt sane for a while, and it helped block out the pain of losing his sister without getting to patch things up with her. That narrative backdrop completely changes things when you watch the match back.
Kurt Angle was superhuman at times, seriously.