Kurt Angle Explains Why Baron Corbin Was His Last Match & Not John Cena At WWE Wrestlemania

I asked Kurt Angle how he felt about his last match being against Baron Corbin at #WWE #Wrestlemania and why Vince McMahon didn't have him wrestle #JohnCena.
Kurt Angle Explains Why Baron Corbin Was His LastMatch & Not John Cena At WWE Wrestlemania

[@TBOYTROY]

If it was Angle vs Cena at WrestleMania 35, this is how it would've been: John Cena's first match was against Kurt Angle, and Kurt Angle's retirement match was against John Cena

[@Henry-oq2kj]

If im correct cena was at that wrestlemania.

[@TBOYTROY]

@@Henry-oq2kj Yeah he interrupted Elias as the Doctor of Thuganomics

[@soar643]

@@TBOYTROY Yeah which made it even worse tbh. Felt like a huge slap in the face

[@BeansSoup23]

Don't forget, Angle made Cena tap out

[@wolvesrevenge866]

It would have been a beautiful story, imagine Cena for just this feud becoming the thuganomics Cena for the whole feud starting it by slapping curt trying to get the best out of him at WrestleMania. To end it off have Cena telling curt "at the end of the day, ruthless aggression is what brought us together. Now ruthless aggression will finish what it started." Or something like that

[@genzn1ster]

It would've been the perfect story with Cena finally getting that handshake.

[@nature-kv3xe]

Facts

[@spartanseventyeight8673]

It would have been a story if Cena was still a rookie, but by this point Cena was already a much bigger name. More title reigns, bigger household name, didn't go kill his reputation in TNA. Angles demons and his body caught up with him super hard, he couldn't go like he used to at all. If Kurt put his foot down and said he's not doing it, he'd be a selfish dick. The rule of wrestling, you go out putting over the younger guys.

[@aladpurehostility]

A Handshake 20 years in the making

[@romeomonteverde]

​​@@spartanseventyeight8673 what the hell are you talking about 🤦. Really? 😂 So Taker retired with a young guy? 🤦 Rock retired with a young guy? Dumb take. Super dumb

[@95truedon]

Yes! With all they've been through, two legends would've finally culminated their feud at Wrestlemania!

[@Atrac1059]

And so much good it did for Baron Corbin. The list of achievements since wrestling Angle has been nothing less than astounding 🙃

[@PeteTemplar101]

Absolutely. Baron got so much out of it. Remember his trilogy of five star matches with Seth Rollins that definitely didn't kill any momentum either of them had, before winning King of the Ring and not even challenging for a title...

[@josealvarez1348]

So true, and remember when everyone hated his poor Corbin gimmick and Vince graced him with going back to the same old Corbin?

[@derekmejia7532]

Well I just man happy Corbin is something relevant right? And now with jbl he’s something

[@akashgarg5224]

@@derekmejia7532 I still don't care about him. They had such a good talent in Baron Corbin and to me they fucked it up beyond repairs. I don't think I could ever care about Corbin again.

[@Noobie2k7]

Baron Corbin is honestly the biggest waste of talent the WWE's done in recent years. Every single thing they've done to him has been a massive flop and he is and always has been a fantastic talent but there's only so much a man can do when given garbage to work with over and over as gimmicks. Even myself as a massive Corbin fan from his time in NXT was completely done with him less than halfway into his 'corporate' gimmick where he was just being another lackey jobber. It was sad, then his King Corbin gimmick was awful, poor Corbin was even worse and happy Corbin is worse still. WWE really look like they're puroposfully sabotaging everything the guy does and from everything I;ve heard and seen he's actually the coolest and nicest guy backstage and super helpful with everything, a real true company guy but yet to be rewarded even slightly for that.

[@Taka-Kevz]

Angle and Cena would have been the perfect match. Back to where ruthless aggression started!

[@Noobie2k7]

That's why Angle wanted Cena to be his last match, since Angle was Cena's first match in the WWE. It would have perfectly wrapped everything up.

[@mikehunt8247]

I think brock would have been better. They had one hell of a rivalry in the ruthless aggression era

[@jayharv285]

​@@mikehunt8247 I don't think that would work that well plus again Cena's first match was against Angle which would have made it more interesting

[@mikehunt8247]

@@jayharv285 I don't see why it wouldn't they had great chemistry and already had old stuff they could have built on. Cena would have worked but I think someone like brock retiring someone like angle would par for the course. Honestly I would have liked eddie Guerrero to do it but he's dead

[@jayharv285]

@@mikehunt8247 well considering the fact that Brock was the universal champion and was in a program with Seth at the time it definitely wouldn't have worked

[@DRIVING_ME_CRAZY]

John Cena is the man he started his career with and I think that it would have been fitting for him to go out that way.

[@grittyboyross7138]

Kurt angle didn't start his career with John cena. By the time cena came in angle has already been wwe champion.

[@DRIVING_ME_CRAZY]

@@grittyboyross7138 Kurt Angle was John Cena's first opponent in WWE.

[@cesarampueroveliz9622]

Vince disrespect Kurt so bad :c

[@WGPhil-uw5cs]

For paying off a 7 month feud?

[@statikspark3055]

Vince didn’t disrespect Kurt, Kurt was having a major pill problem as well as multiple injuries he wasn’t addressing at the time, and Vince didn’t want to invest in Kurt knowing the issues he had

[@samanmoheban5172]

@@statikspark3055 Kurt was clean then moron

[@statikspark3055]

@@samanmoheban5172 sounds like you need to brush up on Kurt angles career a bit more

[@name3236]

@@statikspark3055 that was not in 2019

[@theoutsiderjess4869]

I honestly forgot this match happened shows how much they wasted Corbin

[@Evan-dm3si]

wasted Corbin? he’s a mid talent

[@klsecond5755]

WWE always fumbles on what was supposed to be the 'passing of the torch' moments.

[@quarohnholliday]

@@Evan-dm3si corbin is pretty good.

[@DDuMas]

@@Evan-dm3si No, Roman Reigns is a mid talent. Corbin has a lot of potential. Some Wrestlers are great on the mic and suck in the ring, Roman sucks at both. Corbin is great in the ring.

[@isaacalford385]

@@DDuMas nah you’re tripping. Roman has always been decent in the ring. He just wasn’t charismatic and couldn’t talk. But he does his job in the ring and does it well. He rarely botches his moves and his mic skills and presence have improved 7 fold

[@samanmoheban5172]

Having Baron Corbin as your retirement March has to be one of the biggest insults ever.

[@yifengtoh7529]

Deal with it kid

[@ethenstokes7608]

Why because wwe hasn’t pushed him as Much as everyone else he is a great wrestler

[@tdestroyer4780]

@@yifengtoh7529 You support cancel culture dont you?

[@ikon8275]

I have such bittersweet feelings towards Vince. On one hand I love him because he built up sports entertainment and turned it into a global juggernaut. On the other hand when I hear stories like this of him screwing over beloved wrestlers, and not letting them go out the way they want to go out it's very infuriating.

[@emerald_archer]

I mean, he could've waited another year. Just because you change your plans doesn't mean everyone else has to, yknowwe

[@vicentecastro6418]

well... now vince gets what he deserves

[@jonathanrye9772]

Integrity, intensity, and intelligence.

[@phyuck_hughe]

You fucked that one up... Intensity, integrity and intelligence.

[@brenski87]

...and should have went up against Hustle, Loyalty and Respect

[@chrisbaker5568]

Could’ve been another “End of an Era” match

[@Pokemon73lp]

Kinda wish Kurt and Cena could have that Mania match and go 20+ minutes in an intense showcase since nowadays, legends can’t go very long and it would be good to see these two go hard all 20 mins

[@tylerblair318]

I never understood why they didn't treat Kurt like a fucking monster and let him be protected like Brock. He's easily a top 5 talent they've ever had. Feed into the legend of Perc Angle.

[@davisjohnson7691]

Because he went to TNA, and Vince wanted to punish him for it

[@MarkDanger777]

It's a fact that vince love muscle men, he likes specific body types. Look at Roman, he was so awful but he kept getting pushed to the top. He's still mid card level in my opinion

[@quakeaboveall5048]

@@MarkDanger777 ur opinion suks dude

[@user-uj7in8il2i]

​@MarkDanger777 been bored of Roman since like 4 months before the Bloodline foramtion.

[@carlosalvarado5729]

Vince was an asshole for giving him Corbin in his retirement match.

[@Theterminato2013]

Well it would’ve been tough to get Cena available as his last opponent since he’s in Hollywood now and actors there have a busy limited schedule.

[@facelesscrowd0118]

@@Theterminato2013John Cena was at wrestlemania though that night

[@colincgc]

Angle is a living legend and a wrestling great, he will always be remembered for hundreds of things before who his last match was against. I was thrilled when he made his last return but it was obvious to see his body couldn’t do what he wanted it to anymore

[@tonee9562]

Oh my god thank you for uploading this because for the longest time I was always wondering why they did Corbin instead of bringing back cena for it and I could just never find the answer until now

[@H-MAN-yn3ok]

Couldn’t he just come back at the start of the next year and feud with cena? No one said he has to be a full timer for another year

[@melroyn]

Feels like that was for jumping ship to tna. Vince has always been known for being more vengeful than a cobra.

[@willigagbob8243]

Vince wanted Angle gone because of his addiction. He even let him go without a non compete.

[@shanewillis316]

Damn. Kurt vs John would have been fire.

[@flippineck2825]

They should've known Corbin is never going to benefit from retiring kurt.. he will never be The Guy.

[@DDuMas]

Not in WWE anyway. :-(

[@yifengtoh7529]

Who cares?

[@slanderman3296]

Kurt and randy cultoure sure look like brothers now

[@51UM]

That would have been a kickass feud and a fitting end to his amazing career.

[@KINGCORLEONE11]

The video I send people when they ask me why did I start back supporting WWE once Vince left

[@insanusmaximus2857]

Of course, Vince wanted to continue a 7 month program that nobody cared about. It's only Kurt Freaking Angle's last match.

[@TheSSUltimateGoku]

In hindsight if he had accepted a whole other year to retire next year‘s wrestlemania against John Cena it would’ve never happened because of Covid.

[@rcombs8077]

I understand the significance of Cena Vs Angle, but it's a long standing tradition in wrestling for vets to put over an up and comer in their retirement match.

[@RyujinRoot]

That’s a polite way to say yes he regrets it

[@robertodimas7429]

I wanted Kurt to come out during his entrance, be ready for his opponent Corbin, and while Corbins music hits and he starts coming out, Cena in the dark secretly takes him out and the audience wonders who it is.. eventually Cenas thugonomics theme starts playing and he comes out. They stare at each other in the face, give a handshake and start the match. Cena wins, and after they hug, Cena leaves to let Angle have the standing ovation, and eventually Angle walks off. It's a good thing Angle got his retirement match at WM35 rather than 36 though because 36 was at the performance center.

[@HonestAbe18]

And if Angle vs Cena happened at WrestleMania 36, we wouldn't have had Bray vs Cena.

[@billyb.1250]

Kurt Angle is a Legend! Kurt is a tuff guy! Thanks Kurt for the memories!

[@boblong6411]

Truly great questions

[@aryanverma8344]

They could've finished the Corbin-Angle storyline at royal rumble or some other events prior to WrestleMania. Angle vs Cena storyline had so much emotions. Kickstarting both Ruthless Aggression and the new face of WWE

[@shamarbennett4333]

My top favorite wwe wrestler and tna wrestler of all time kurt angle I wish it should've been a last match between two of my favorite wwe wrestler both johk cena and kurt angle at the biggest wwe ppv of all time wrestlemania becuase they both legends and they both had a long time rivalry this is classic that i will never ever forget.

[@theghostreckon69420]

If Kurt really wants to he can have that one last match with John Cena kinda like how Austin had that one last match with KO, they can still try to squeeze that into next Wrestlemania if he tells Hunter.

[@jiggleballs55]

Well who would want their retirement match against... Baron Corbin

[@Kanzuki]

If Triple H was running things 3 years ago. I bet he would've gave Kurt Angle the match he wanted

[@gi-joe_510CA]

Angle vs Cena would’ve been storybook 😂

[@Funkypanda87]

Program for 7 months - 7 MONTHS. tells you everything. They dragged it out so long they could've had the match at any show previously and still do a Cena match

[@dexterwooten7839]

As much as I really love Kurt Angle... and I really do love Kurt Angle... I honestly feel like WWE has no reason to do him any favors. He was such a problem child for them for so much of his career when he was with them and obviously when he worked as their competition. I don't blame them for not feeling the need to go out of their way and try to give him a great storybook ending, as much as I would have preferred a different match myself personally.

[@chasemartins3359]

Yea people are giving Kurt wayy too much credit in these comments, he doesn’t get what he wants just because Kurt says so.

[@loganwakanda9345]

Cena vs Angle should have happened, but then you think about it. They lowered the bar for Kurt facing Corbin, we all get the program, but if Angle got his match with Cena at WM 36 it would have been against him but with no one there to witness the magic. So WWE played it safe for Kurt as he said. Respect The Gold Medalist with the broken freaking neck. 🏅❤️💯❤️🏅

[@zanethind]

13 mins with Cena ans Angle is better than 13 mins with Baron Corbin and Angle

[@voolandashland2914]

it would be great to see if he had a match with Cena. I mean look at it, Kurt made Cena his first debut in the ring, suppose to be his last match with Cena too, that would bring heat on the crowd too.

[@uprisestyle1794]

Funny thing is I actually wanted to see angle and Cena put a simple fact that Cena debuted by angle and you should have been able to retire with Cena

[@parkerkrynen]

Corbin has been such a mess. They just can’t seem to get him right. It’s a shame that he had to be the last

[@willijbaybeh]

Corbin vs angle was a great match. Lived up to the hype. I was really entertained. No loss there. It was a good move i believe.

[@awesomepossum9898]

the poetic finish to his career. he gave Cena his start, and the end coulda been him going over Cena on the grandest stage of the them all. I respect his choice though.

[@tyronmariah97]

It should of been chad gable in my opinion ....he's the Kurt of this generation so it would make sense .. And Chad is a G😎👌

[@thebarrebaby3818]

Baron Corbin is the drizzling shits 😂

[@WGPhil-uw5cs]

He has more of a personality than most of the black and gold nxt who can only do flips and kicks.

[@markobighead3173]

So glad Angle has teased coming out of retirement. Hopefully he gets his match with Cena now that his surgeries are done. Corbin isn't over, he'll never be over, he has zero charisma and his ring work is mediocre at best. What Vince ever saw in him is beyond me, but he didn't deserve Angle's last match.

[@elijahhill6602]

If Vince wants Kurt to face Corbin so bad, he could’ve done it at the Raw before WrestleMania, so at least Kurt can pick his own surprise opponent the day of WM. It would’ve made sense.

[@Noccatics]

If it's with cena i don't mind angle losing, but losing to corbin on his retirement match was a bad idea

[@Jackazz67]

I've always wanted to see Kurt Angle vs Ken Shamrock that would of been an epic final match or Kurt Angle Vs Brock Lesnar for the one last time

[@jeretthopfinger5781]

Angle vs cena would have been great.

[@leadergeovanni7740]

Now baron Corbin is still an after thought lol

[@packleader1215]

I wonder how Baron thought of it

[@tehjboney4249]

Kurt Angle vs John Cena They could’ve built the story up from the Royal Rumble maybe having an epic story where of course it begins with John eliminating Angle from the Royal Rumble. Angle could post something on social media maybe his Twitter account where he states how he was eliminated by John Cena and that he would get him back soon. Kurt Angle during this time could have his feud being built up between himself and Baron Corbin with it leading to a match between himself and Corbin at FastLane with it saying if Corbin loss then he would be fired from RAW but if Angle loss then he would be fired as General Manager of RAW. The match of course would end with Angle defeating Corbin to retain his services as General Manager and would lead to Angle making one last announcement being that he would want his match against Cena at WrestleMania 35. And that this match will be his final match in WWE and will mark the end of his career.

[@MegaArcade_]

The interviews are great, Salcedos voice is like nails on a chalkboard.

[@wrathoftheflyingspaghettim850]

It makes me hate the decision that much more knowing that even Kurt himself wanted John cena

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

As if Vince wouldn't drop storylines at a moments notice. Everyone wanted Angle Vs Cena, perfect last match, full circle that you'll never see again. Against Corbin it was just another match, and it didn't elevate him.

[@balmorrablue3130]

All I’m gonna say is corbin is probably the safest wrestler on the roster really was a great pick for angle

[@hakeemgordon-fi8qz]

Kurt Angle Gable Stevenson and chad Gable should form team angle in WWE again

[@BoBnfishy]

Honest opinion, Kurt cut Vince deeper than any of us realize and Vince was taking that opportunity to get back at him. Doesn't make it right but I get it

[@thepeanutgallery6100]

Kurt is a real professional class act. Still sucks he didn't get to have that last match with Cena though.

[@dweem2009able]

It could have been a movie thing where it's in the contract that he couldn't wrestle incase he gets injured🤷‍♂️

[@mastercalippo]

rip cena angle would've been great

[@user-mu5ny1ks6t]

Kurt’s body was fading by the time he retired. Don’t get me wrong, Kurt’s fire and drive we’re still great but he had a lot of nerve damage. The pain of that damage was what got him in trouble with pain medication.

[@1201zj]

One more match Kurt. You still got it. If Austin can do it, you definitely can

[@kennyzapata]

And this is why I’m happy Vince is gone cause we missed out on Angle vs Cena as Kurt’s final match

[@rendell5863]

Kurt Angle vs Jack Swagger DREAM MATCH

[@Cybeast16]

Wow. So we could have had Cena. But because of Vince, we didn't. Huge moment missed by a mile.

[@tusharbhalla5336]

I guess Kurt lost that match , didn't get to choose his opponent i.e. Cena . I feel Kurt didn't get the sendoff he deserved . He is a pioneer in the world of pro-wrestling. He really delivered every time he stepped in the ring.I started watching wrestling in late 2013 ,but watching the old videos / clips just confirms the fact this guy couldn't be liked for being the good guy he was and still couldn't be hated for his heel gimmick. I personally feel it'd be a dream come to life if Angle teaches me professional wrestling. His kayfabe son Jason Jordan couldn't get the job done due to the way he was booked . But if I ever become a pro-wrestler and manage to make it to the main roster ,I would wanna challenge Corbin and defeat him on my debut night . He is a Golden Gloves boxer from Kansas . Has had many gimmick changes over the years , from the Lone Wolf to JBL's protégé ,but can't stand him beating the likes of Kurt Angle

[@WWEforlife]

All this for zero likes no wonder you hate me 😂😆😂😆

[@MunasheMugumira]

Bro wanted to sign off with the man he gave a first match, Cena..

[@ryanwiley7894]

Prime Cena vs Prime Angle sounds fun but honestly at that point probably wouldn't have been as good as we would hope for anyway.

[@jesussalazar1020]

Honestly, Corbin was better on NXT when he was the Lone Wolf, along with the theme song. Putting him on the roster seemed cool but they overhyped him to get burned off quickly.

[@autistic8bit203]

Honestly I'm sad we didn't get the Cena match but the feud started out with Corbin and at least Corbin got to finish a fued with a hof wrestler. And kept him safe.

[@cnotes1790]

If you remember Angle by his last match then man o man do I feel sorry for you

[@Darknova67]

Why not Summerslam? Not every retirement has to be a mania

[@savvyviper57]

This is why Vince needed to go ! He didn’t listen to his Talent more importantly he didn’t listen to the WWE Universe that wanted Angle/Cena

[@lonewolffang]

A match with Cena would've been a better send-off for Angle but it's already happened with Corbin so we're stuck with it. Sucks but it is what it is.

[@28098610w]

Having Angles retirement match against Corbin at Wreslemania really was the wrong move to make . Angles match should have been done noteworthy , like a Ric Flair , Shawn Michael's or Undertaker retirement match. Angle was one of the best athletes in his day , barely had any bad matches , so he deserved to have been given a fitting exit match, and given how he gave Cena his early matches , how he put him over when Cena was a rising main eventer, it should have been Cena to have to give Angle his last match. Biggest problem is when Angle retired , WWE weren't really working on pushing new stars and when they did they didn't do it properly. On top of everything else , Corbin defeating Angle did nothing to really elevate Corbins career , he just pinned him and that was it ( which isn't how a retirement match against one of the greatest athletes should end).

[@doublea4012]

I mean logically it did make sense if you've been in a program with the guy for 7 months

[@mirzarizwanbaig9449]

7 months of program isn't bigger than legendary retirement match

[@doublea4012]

@@mirzarizwanbaig9449 legendary retirement match with no build up whatsoever, he just informed them that the next wrestlemania was his last, so you'll just suddenly cut off that program and then put some random match with cena as the main event

[@mirzarizwanbaig9449]

@@doublea4012 Some matches don't need buildup to sell.. it's a 15 years in making if u count Cena debut and Kurt retirement timeframe.

[@doublea4012]

@@mirzarizwanbaig9449 just because it doesn't need build up to sell doesn't make it sensible, coz say roman vs cm punk with no buildup or program will sell but it won't make sense whatsoever, at this point there's no use arguing this coz we got what we got and I'm happy about it

[@mirzarizwanbaig9449]

@@doublea4012 True.

[@omarkennedy7056]

Ok to be deculs advocate here, Baron is apparently the safest guy to work with and so having Kurt go out agaist him is pretty cool. Like imagine Cena hitting a middle rope AA and just wrecking Kurt's everything. Would be very sad way to go

[@herculesmwp7983]

Vince should’ve made Cena happen. It would’ve made the match better

[@ShawnGlenn.]

The complete disrespect towards Angle by Vince angers me greatly. Arguably one of the best WWE has ever had and to have Baron fucking Corbin end his career in the most lackluster way possible, is unforgivable.

[@michaelmercury1297]

Vince should have gave Kurt Cena .

[@SimonCowie86]

The wrestler can ask but it’s the permoters final decison. In this case Kurt Angle had a choice wrestle Barron Corbin & retire or stay a extra year & get John Cena. Like everyone that goes to work you can make a request to your boss but he has the final say.

[@azusagawasakuta5510]

I'm Happy for Corbin this Victory was massive moment for Corbin.... but,.... He's been sent to NXT

[@Norg1]

made sense for it to be cena imo but whatever i wonder who will be ziggler mizz rey mysterio last match ???

[@timjackson9983]

One more match.

[@kjax0630]

Bro wrestled in the indies after that match

[@debbstraw579]

Wouldve been better if we just waited till summer slam got the cena match then and the baron loss wouldn’t have been that bad. Would’ve been better on the bigger stage but still would’ve meant more for the moment

[@byronlee3762]

What is Corbin doing now????

[@Rjzkickz]

Man Kurt is literally top 10 or 15 all time & Vince couldn't give him one last request? 🤯 crazy

[@michaeltorres7696]

He should do a big special last match like Flair did

[@theteddy1487]

Would've been great if he had simply announced that he was preparing to retire and requested one last match against Cena at the next PPV. Could have spun it as him being Cenas first opponent and now Cena would be his last. No build up needed and people would have loved it.

[@ToxicTony15]

My problem with Baron beating Kurt is that nothing ever came from it so what was the point. If he was gonna get a massive push after it then I get it but he just went back to losing every major feud after this.

[@justinkelly9526]

Basically...... He didn't want to pass the torch. He wanted to just let someone they didn't need the win, the win...

[@mvjr7758]

The issue, missing was Cenas availability too. Could he be ready on short notice ? Also WWE relies so much on scripts too, they would have to write rationale too. Angle was Ultimate competitor & I do think Vince should've checked with Cena too. But Corbin was up and coming.

[@theoutsiderjess4869]

He was doing movies around this time so no he wasnt available if you get injured it delays filming

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

Angle needs to come back for 1 more match. Angle v Cena next year. Reigns v Rock Bray v Cody Seth v Kevin Owens or Sami Zane AJ vs Finn Balor Edge vs Damien Priest They don't really have much in the way of stars.

[@mika-eelkhan15]

Cena would of perfect literally coming full circle

[@dannymarshburn2807]

Oh well