Kurt Angle Says Goldberg Vs. Lesnar Was ‘Letdown,’ Roman Reigns Pushed Too Fast


Since his nomination to the WWE Hall of Fame was announced last month, Kurt Angle has been making the rounds of the interview circuit. He’s been openly sharing his thoughts on the current WWE product and looking back on his days as one of the company’s top stars of the 2000s, and in his latest interview, Angle had some interesting thoughts on two of the hotter topics wrestling fans have debated on in recent months – Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016, and top babyface Roman Reigns getting booed despite his alignment.

Last month, Kurt Angle was announced as the first member of WWE’s Hall of Fame class of 2017, more than one decade after he had last wrestled for the company. In the days before and after this announcement, rumors had swirled regarding a possible appearance at Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 33, but by the looks of things, the former U.S. Olympic gold medalist is simply happy to be headlining this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class, and see how things go with regards to a possible return to the ring or merchandising opportunities with WWE.

“They didn’t want to talk about anything about the Hall of Fame, and I understood,” Angle said in a January interview with Sports Illustrated. “(Being inducted) is the priority, and I’m going to enjoy this and see where it goes from here.”

While Kurt Angle has been playing it coy with regards to the further specifics of his current relationship with WWE, he’s been very open regarding other subjects, such as the Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar match at last year’s Survivor Series. The outcome, which saw Goldberg pinning Lesnar in just 86 seconds, had lots of fans divided, and in Angle’s view, that made for a “letdown” of a rematch between the two men who first fought at WrestleMania XX in 2004 to largely negative reviews.

Kurt Angle saw Goldberg vs. Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016 as a “letdown” due to its extremely short length. [Image by WWE]

Speaking on The Statement Show (h/t Wrestling Inc.), Angle opined that Goldberg vs. Lesnar should have lasted much longer. Yet he also acknowledged that it may have also been hard for WWE to gauge whether the 50-year-old Goldberg could last 15 minutes in a match, especially how, even in his younger days, he was often booked to win in two minutes or less.

“I get why they did it, but I think that maybe Brock wasn’t the right person, but it was a shocker and that’s a good thing. I just don’t think anybody could do that to Brock, especially a healthy Brock Lesnar. But I can see both sides. I think it was a big letdown that that match was a minute-and-a-half, but it’s Goldberg and that’s what he did and that’s how he became a big name.”

Talking about Roman Reigns and his polarizing nature among WWE fans, Kurt Angle said that the wrestler alternately known as “The Guy” and “The Big Dog” may have been given a main event title run too soon. He added that he sees Reigns as a talented wrestler who will one day be respected by the WWE Universe, but it may take “a little bit more time.”

“They didn’t have him win the European title, or I should say, the Intercontinental title, U.S. title, King Of The Ring (tournament). They just threw him up there right away and the fans don’t like that. They want you to earn your keep. If any wrestler has ever done that, I don’t know of one. It seemed like they were really trying to push Roman faster than he should have been pushed.”

Overall, Kurt Angle sees today’s WWE roster as being nearly as talented as what the company had in the late 1990s to early 2000s. But in another interesting note from his interview on The Statement Show, the 48-year-old WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017 headliner said that WWE’s rated-PG programming is preventing today’s performers from having the same freedom to get themselves over and showcase their personalities to audiences.

[Featured Image by WWE]

Share this article: Kurt Angle Says Goldberg Vs. Lesnar Was ‘Letdown,’ Roman Reigns Pushed Too Fast
More from Inquisitr