Kurt Angle On How He Once Upset Chris Benoit Backstage

Kurt Angle is a 14-time professional wrestling world champion, with titles collected in WWE, TNA, and Japan. He is in both the WWE and TNA/Impact Hall of Fames, a two-time NCAA Division 1 National Champion, and has also won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Summer Games with, as he likes to say, ‘a broken freaking neck.’ At every stop in his career, Angle has reached the top of the mountain, and now he’s taking his Three I’s; Intensity, Intelligence, and Integrity, to the podcast world as he joins host Paul Bromwell to take a look back at some of the matches, feuds and moments that turned an Olympic gold medalist into one of the greatest sports entertainers of all time. It’s True. It’s damn true
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[@MrZombiejoe]

Benoit and Eddie winning the Titles at MANIA is still one of the GREATEST Moments Ever!!!

[@UndergroundSkat2000]

Especially the closing moment when Beniot's family got in the ring, and after he turned around and saw Eddie standing there smiling. It still makes me cry

[@sidious187]

Eddie retained, which is actually even more impressive

[@jonathancrosby2959]

It's sad to know that this upset Chris as much as it did, because this is what he had worked his whole life to achieve, and it only happened 18 years after he began wrestling. The worst part is, he never happened to get another one, he was really close, but he never did. I feel the same way with Eddie. And that world title reign that he had back in early 2000 doesn't mean anything. Not to me, at least. His first world title reign was for amateurs, and Benoit was anything but. He definitely knew he was being underused, but he wanted to be humble about it, he also probably didn't want to cause problems.

[@MrZombiejoe]

@@michaelunderhill8847 I might have to see that one again.

[@MrAnonimak]

Kurt seems to be taking the polar opposite route to Bret Hart, with his shoots, Bret seems to bury everyone, Kurt seems like he doesn't want to throw anyone under the bus. Which is kind spirited as far as I can see.

[@misterpinkandyellow74]

Bret praises lots of people

[@thenotoriousroc3508]

would've been something to've seen a team Angle vs. Hart Foundation program, with the factions feuding over the tag titles & world title(s)

[@jonjohnson1978.]

It is but it makes for a shitty podcast...not saying bury someone by lieing but don't sugar coat anything

[@GrayRedRoom]

Bret is a very bitter and angry person. No surprise there.

[@seheadhunter50]

​@@jonjohnson1978. He didn't sugar coat anything. He told what happened and Benoit was his friend, he's not going to be disrespectful when talking about him. If you think it has to be rude to be good, go listen to one of the bitter, negative, life hating guy versions of girl gossip podcasts, there are plenty of them.

[@jerelminter]

Regardless of what Benoit did, I'm glad some wrestlers who wrestled him like Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho still acknowledge him, because he's a big part of their careers and it wouldn't be fair to pretend those matches never existed because of the circumstances of his death. I agree with them there, even though I hate what Benoit did.

[@Hipas_Account]

That is a very level headed way of seeing it, i have a hard time hating the man, when he was no longer the same man we knew, the actions were something i still cant wrap my head around and hate it thoroughly

[@chucksenhowzen9740]

Benoit was innocent, never trust the lying media

[@soulofanerd9364]

Absolutely agree

[@NameThatSong1]

What did Benoit do?🤔

[@0newingedcrow]

Not to mention they still acknowledge Snuka! That murderer STILL gets acknowledged, praised, and even his daughter is welcome to "wrestle" in the WWE! Even though she's talentless, and he killed in cold blood, Jimmy Snuka is still considered a hall of famer and never had his career wiped from the history books! But I guess things go differently for people who are related to Dwayne! That whole family gets away with way more crap than anyone in the wrestling business, EVEN FLAIR!!! There's only one Samoan in professional wrestling that I can think of off the top of my head who I respect and gladly support, and that's Joe! Not Joe Anoai; Samoa Joe!

[@biohazard2236]

If only things had played out differently, I'd love to hear Angle sit down with Benoit himself and reminisce. It's bittersweet knowing we'll only ever get one side of these stories.

[@green49285]

Benoit was a intense dude. I'm not surprised he told Kurt that

[@seheadhunter50]

He had the right to. He didn't wanna hear about something that the people in charge were doing nothing about. He had the right to be mad but I'm sure he let him know somehow later on that they are still friends.

[@TrueNomadSkies]

Team Angle and Los Guerreros had some of the best tag matches of our generation, even at house shows.

[@green49285]

Amen. 2 great tag teams

[@0newingedcrow]

The Smackdown Six made Smackdown the A show.

[@agentorange1156]

It's crazy how stacked that roster was. Goats like Rey, Eddie, Benoit, Edge, jericho, booker t, Kane, and RVD were plug in main event guys but spent the majority of their careers on the mid card because of how stacked the main event scene was.

[@Jwjmcc]

1 of the Greatest moments in wrestling history now it’s never too be seen again

[@rahulsharma287]

Kurt told absolutely right about chris Benoit wwe didn't use him a right way wwe passed the 18 years to give him or make him a world champion Benoit like such a unique and extremely talented guy suffered or spent a very long time for world championship however every other wrestler have won this world championship so many of times but Benoit won this only one time(after waiting the long time 18 years) under the wwe umbrella if you include wcw than Benoit win one time wcw world championship After all this Benoit make himself a very respectable hardworking intense fearless wrestler of all time and all the wrestling fans know it very well this is the main gift for Benoit because people know that Benoit was a very unique and greatest wrestler in wrestling history

[@Nixkrude79]

Like the late great Bernie Mac said in Above the rim I'm sayin now can't erase what Chris Benoit was to the wrestling business

[@TheBrister]

I don't think Chris necessarily took what Kurt said personally. I think it was more so that a top guy shouldn't say something like that to a guy lower in the card. Even if it's a guy as talented as Benoit. Because if you say that to the wrong guy, it can cause animosity and bitterness in that person.

[@alexf9381]

Kurt had been in WWF/E for longer than Benoit at that point so not sure about that. I Benoit was just an odd dude with major pent up anger issues. Court record from 2001 show Nancy stating on the record that he was a completely different person in private than how he was in public and that she is scared he might kill her. That was 6 years before he did.

[@reefbreaker9350]

@@alexf9381 benoit in the 90s was a completely different person though stories from those who worked with him in japan and wcw are entirely different. And towards the end it seems as if he got colder and colder

[@fredsorre6605]

Chris Benoit was among the best that ever entered a wrestling ring regardless of what he has done outside of it and I am glad that there are still people that are willing to talk about him despite all of the stigma that comes along with it. WWE wants to bury and erase him from history since he is undeniable proof of the toll that wrestlers pay doing these death defying moves on the wrestling ring and the very rigorous work schedule that WWE imposes on their wrestlers the guy gave his all to this fake sport and it took his everything along with his sanity, his life and loved ones.

[@0newingedcrow]

Go figure, leave it to Vince. Even if it wasn't for the fact that he's always screwing great Canadian wrestlers, he can't keep his hands out of anything... Kurt went through much of the same thing; he won the WWF title his rookie year and still ended up needing to get rebuilt following the original brand split. Thank God for Heyman's booking on Smackdown!

[@tarikcatovic452]

Benoit was the hardest working man to ever wrestle. Everything he earned he should have earned tenfold.

[@juliandavidhoffer2022]

Cost him though. Much like Dynamite Kid

[@TypicalIndian1981]

@@juliandavidhoffer2022yeah dynamite lost his legs and his whole body but that was mostly due to steroids but Benoit didn’t damage himself instead he damaged his family along with him and dynamite repeatedly told him about the dangers of diving headbutts but Chris didn’t listen

[@juliandavidhoffer2022]

@@TypicalIndian1981 wrestlers today still don’t listen about not taking big bumps. They regularly jump off ladders and scaffolding onto other people that lay their for two minutes. It’s ridiculous.

[@TypicalIndian1981]

@@juliandavidhoffer2022 yeah they are putting their body on the line for nothing no money no fame is worth enough for you to ruin your life and your families life but Benoit incident has showed the horrific realities of wrestling

[@juliandavidhoffer2022]

@@TypicalIndian1981 don’t forget Jimmy Snooka and before that Grizzly Smith

[@neilm2794]

Another guy who wrestles HHH and next thing you know gets buried. For such a completely uninteresting persona and in-ring performer HHH threw his weight around all over the company.

[@tommyettinger1353]

in fairness it wasn't right after the HHH match he was still facing guys like Rock,Taker,Jericho etc they sort of just threw him into the mid card IC title picture he wasn't winning championships but he wasn't facing low tier jobbers and stuff like Kurt made it sound either lol

[@reefbreaker9350]

@@tommyettinger1353 he was towards the end and even got demoted to ECW

[@tommyettinger1353]

@@reefbreaker9350 true but that was much later than this time frame same happened to Bigshow except he willingly put people over, Batista was also kind of hogging the main event picture then so that didn't help

[@barryallen871]

He probably upset Benoit backstage many times that he never knew about.

[@cathaldowdall7467]

And it’s a deleted moment

[@seheadhunter50]

Team Angle was like Evolution, not the overpushed Boring Line.

[@catchwreck928]

If chris beniot ever did that to me hed be washing my draws for the next several weeks

[@tarikcatovic452]

what episode is this? No Way Out 2003?

[@InsightWisdom22]

After 2004 I always wondered why WWE stop pushing him. I mean in 2005 Eddie had a feud with Rey Mysterio for almost the entire year. But Benoit not so much.

[@jonathancrosby2959]

Even if Benoit were alive, I doubt he would be doing a lot of interviews. Seeing as how private and isolated he actually was.

[@BornJamerican]

Vince Mcmahon did have plans for Benoit. Kurt said Vince wanted to rebuild him, and Benoit ended up being a Top dogg. He never won The World Title in WCW. He was pretty much on the same card as Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Edge, and Booker T at the time.

[@towwffc]

Benoit won the WCW World Championship from Sid Vicious right before he left the company.

[@MG-wk2eh]

Chris Benoit was not a top dog in WWF/WWE. A top guy is someone who spends their career in the Main Event scene once they reach that point, being in programs with other top guys. Chris Benoit was a Midcarder. He only had one main event push in his entire WWE run and that was over 4 years after joining the company. After he lost the WHC, he was sent right back down the card. Hell, by the end of his career and life, he was on ECW (WWE's 'C' brand at the time) being used to put over up and coming new guys like CM Punk. His WWE contract when he died also was typical midcard for the time. I believe it was 480K/year, which doesn't include money made from merchandise royalties, PPV cuts, etc. Kurt Angle, for example, was making $1 million/year before he left WWE.

[@BornJamerican]

@@MG-wk2eh When I say "Top Dog", I mean him being one of the most important superstars on the roster, meaning Vince relied on him heavily, and Benoit was a Midcarder bcuz that is where he was needed, to help keep the roster stabilized. Mid carders were more important and treated more instrumentally back then. During The Ruthless Aggression Era, Midcarders were actually being booked more seriously and put in major storyline fueds and angles. Let me use Benoit, Eddie, Edge, Booker T, Jericho, Jeff Hardy as major examples.

[@MG-wk2eh]

@@BornJamerican I don't disagree that the midcard is important, it's just where Chris Benoit was. I have often wondered if Benoit was bitter about his WWE career, especially as the years went on. I really can't imagine he was pleased when he found out they were putting him on the C brand while the main event of WWE was becoming the John Cena show.

[@BornJamerican]

@@MG-wk2eh Thats just speculation. We don't really know for sure. Maybe Vince put him their to help build the brand while it was still in it's early stages and also to help out some of The ECW guys--- plus he was an ECW OG much like RVD, Sabu, Dreamer, and Sandman. We can speculate all we want but we don't really know. Maybe its best to leave that alone. Benoit still had a legendary run in WWE not bcuz of the bookings but bcuz of his work ethic and everything he did each time he performed in that ring regardless of what his position on the card was. His legacy wasn't tied to Title runs and main event bookings.

[@Harry-zk3zd]

I’m the 200th like.😊

[@eamonnmaccionnaith5761]

Jesus, Benoit was so uptight, it was only a matter of time before he snapped.

[@joemckim1183]

You know how upset this made Benoit? He wanted to kill someone.

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

Benoit & Eddie winning at Mania was the last gasp of that WCW vs WWF generation. By 2006 wrestling eas unwatchable due to Bautista & other losers.

[@NickTaylorRickPowers]

Chris Benoit was a full blown nut job I just wish I could have seen him dancing to disco music the way Konan described his love for disco music sounds magical

[@CertifiedHuSTLer]

Angle would of destroyed that weirdo

[@seheadhunter50]

He wasn't a weirdo, he had the right to be mad about the situation and didn't wanna hear about it because the people in charge weren't doing anything about it and if he shut it down, it wouldn't be talked about with more people. Shut up.

[@CertifiedHuSTLer]

@@seheadhunter50 no

[@CertifiedHuSTLer]

@@seheadhunter50 listen my friend keep typing

[@Rschr101]

Absolutely🤣 Kurt could have taken anybody in that locker room in his prime.

[@seheadhunter50]

​@@CertifiedHuSTLer Your one word no reply, shows that you got shut down and know your insult was clueless. Wimp. I'm not your friend. Weirdo.

[@Rschr101]

Angle seems like a legit good person. Benoit seemed like a monster and Kurt could have easily taken him out if he wanted to. Angle showed respect to the clearly psychotic Chris in that moment.

[@jonathancrosby2959]

Benoit wasn't psychotic, he was just upset that Kurt told him that.

[@reefbreaker9350]

Tf do you mean easily taken him out? Kurt is of course very talented but Benoit wasn't a joke dude

[@VCthaGOATdunker]

@@jonathancrosby2959 His actions tell another story. He was certainly a psycho.

[@jonathancrosby2959]

@@VCthaGOATdunker I'm sorry, were you in the same house as Chris? No, I don't think so.

[@jamesrevere2992]

@@reefbreaker9350 the olympic gold medalist kurt angle would easily have taken out benoit, not even a discussion. The man pinned brock lesnar lol

[@larrystilltheeman39]

That steroid rage.

[@larrystilltheeman39]

@@seheadhunter50 steroid roid rage was that little bastard. F Chris Benoit! I have nothing nice to say about his ass! IDGAF what he did in a wrestling ring! He ruined that,him alone. No respect for him. I can't stand to look at him or to hear his peers,praise him after what he did.

[@seheadhunter50]

Letting someone know they made them mad and shutting it down from being further talked about has to do with steroids?

[@jonsnipe5484]

Chris was so brain damaged it took him a while to go back to angle and confront him🤣🤣

[@reefbreaker9350]

No Benoit was a very quite guy. He probably went and thought about what angle said and debated on what to do before confronting angle.

[@jonsnipe5484]

@@reefbreaker9350 yes cuz u know him so well🤣🤣🤣

[@GrayRedRoom]

Very disturbing how these guys talk about Benoit like he's a normal guy or something. Woof.

[@seheadhunter50]

You don't know what happened. You're just like the lazy police, lazy and making up a verdict so you can move on to something else.

[@GrayRedRoom]

@@seheadhunter50 He killed his family, genius.

[@seheadhunter50]

@@GrayRedRoom I'm the only smart one in this comment thread, idiot. Learn how to read. My comment explains that the lazy investigation proved nothing.

[@GrayRedRoom]

@@seheadhunter50 Yeah, it proved he killed his family. Soooo glad he's forgotten about these days. No one even knows who he is. It's great.

[@messey12]

Everytime I see someone defending Benoit, I think of New Jack. Whenever I hear someone think there was a whole conspiracy, I think of the Last Podcast on the Left episode that shuts all of that shit down.