Kurt Angle remains the only person to make Hulk Hogan tap out in a WWE ring, and now heâ€s recalling the moments leading up to the finish.
Hulk Hogan made his illustrious return to the company in 2002. After feuding with The Rock in the lead-up to their WrestleMania X8 classic, the Hulkster found himself facing a slew of new opponents — one of whom turned out to be Kurt Angle.
The two faced off at the King of the Ring pay-per-view event on June 23, 2002. The finish of the match saw Angle submit Hogan with his infamous ankle lock submission, making him the first person in WWE history to make The Immortal One.
Kurt Angle recalls tapping out Hulk Hogan
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Kurt Angle explained the outcome of the match, revealing they included the rope-break spot to set up a potential rematch.
“What he did is, just in case we were gonna wrestle again, continue the storyline, Hogan grabbed the ropes and tapped out, so he could always bring up that excuse, ‘listen Kurt, you didnâ€t make me tap out, I was holding the ropes. Lets go againâ€. So they were leaving it open in case we wanted to do another program,†Kurt said.
“Unfortunately it never happened, so I go down in history as making Hulk Hogan tap out… I was a fanboy like holy crap Iâ€m wrestling Hulk Hogan, I was so excited, I think he thought maybe I was gonna hurt him, but I was just so ramped up to be wrestling Hulk Hogan, I grew up watching the guy. I wasnâ€t even a big wrestling fan, I grew up watching Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan.†[H/T: WrestleTalk]
Kurtâ€s recollection of the closing stretch seems a bit sketchy. While Hogan did reach the ropes, he never broke the hold, as Angle dragged him back to the center of the ring to apply full pressure with the Ankle Lock, ultimately forcing the Hulkster to tap out. Check out the closing moments of the match below:
READ MORE: Kurt Angle Gives His Take On How Triple H Is Doing With WWEâ€s Creative
Do you have a favorite Kurt Angle versus Hulk Hogan match? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below!
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