“He Had a Lot More Losses”: Belief That WWE Took Advantage of 56-Year-Old Legend, Who Tombstoned Linda McMahon, for Being a Little Too Nice

When it comes to decorated veterans of the WWE, there is no one like Kurt Angle. The 1996 Olympic gold medalist has been part of Pro Wrestling since 1998 after winning freestyle wrestling in the 1996 Summer Olympics. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the business and occasionally sheds some light on the company’s inner workings.

When you look at Angle’s career, it’s a roadmap to stardom and success. He has faced off against Stone Cold Steve Austin, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, and Shawn Michaels, among others. After dedicating 21 years to the industry, Kurt knows who the best workers have been.

Kurt Angle says Kane was a little too nice, and WWE took advantage of him

In the most recent #122 episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle and Paul Bromwell watched the July 4, 2005 episode of Raw is War. In the episode, Bromwell asked Angle about Kane during the Kane and The Big Show vs. Edge and Gene Snitsky match. Angle said, “I think he was a little too nice because the company kind of took advantage of him. He had a lot more losses than he did wins.” 

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This was regarding Kane’s win-and-loss ratio of 1561 to 1325. Considering Kane is ‘The Big Red Machine,’ his wins should be higher. But, according to Angle, Kane was the one who turned wrestlers into big names. Considering the stature of Kane, winning a match against him would be a massive push for any wrestler. “You can continue on knowing that you’re a bigger star after you defeat Kane,” Angle said.

The conversation continued about how Kane was a workhorse and didn’t mind putting other wrestlers above himself. He never had an issue with losing to any wrestler or any storyline the company had for him. This is one of the reasons why Glenn Jacobs agreed to unmask Kane.

The most memorable part of the storyline came as Kane tombstoned Linda McMahon on the July 21, 2003, episode of RAW. This was after she denied him the chance to compete for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H was the champion at the time and did not want to face off against an unhinged Kane after the unmasking.

The unmasking of Kane and the Linda McMahon incident

What many fans and critics to this day cite as a poorly handled creative decision by the WWE is the unmasking of Kane. He was set to compete against Triple H in a Championship vs. Mask match on the June 23, 2003, episode of RAW. During the match, Evolution arrived to help out Triple H win over Kane. This resulted in Kane removing his mask for the first time and tuning heel on his partner Rob Van Dam.

The storyline was something fans loved, as Kane was an unhinged monster without the mask. Leaving a path of destruction behind him, he demanded a title shot and revenge against ‘The Game,’ but Linda McMahon denied it. During the closing moments of the July 21, 2003, episode of RAW, Kane cornered Linda. Fighting off the officials and Jerry Lawler, he hit Vince McMahon’s wife with the Tombstone to a loud pop and cheap heel heat by the audience.

This led to the Shane McMahon vs. Kane feud that saw the ‘Big Red Monster’ win at Unforgiven 2003. Following this feud, much of the momentum was taken out of Kane. He went to feud with his once-good friend Rob Van Dam. By then, what could have been a career-defying moment for Kane turned into lackluster feud after feud, including a Kayfabe wedding to Lita.The situation ran the once thrilling and intimidating ‘Big Red Machine’ entirely out of steam.

What do you think about Kane’s career? Do you think he deserved to be taken advantage of? Tell us in the comments below.

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