Browsing: Recalls

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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WWE’s latest united duo has recalled receiving advice from multiple legends, including The Rock.

Last week, on the October 9th episode of SmackDown in Perth, fans witnessed Aleister Black unite with real-life wife Zelina Vega for the first time on WWE television. In the main event of the show, Black defeated Damian Priest before coming together with Vega.

Recently, appearing in an interview with Robbie and Carly, Vega and Black opened up about their personal and professional life, before recalling some of the great advice and mentorship they received from some of the industry’s legends.

Sharing how The Rock helped Vega come out of a dark phase in her life, the former women’s United States Champion said,

“Every year I had a tryout, and it was always like, youâ€re too small or youâ€re too this, or not enough of this. By the time I had that conversation with him [The Rock], I was like, I think this is it, I think Iâ€m done, Iâ€ve reached my end with this, and heâ€s like, just give me three days, Iâ€m working on something, and thatâ€s when he called me and told me and said, ‘I want you to be my Divas Champion, I donâ€t just see you as a girl who is part of WWE or just a girlfriend, or just a brown girl, youâ€re the girl. So Iâ€d like you to be my Divas Champion.’â€

“So Iâ€m like, what the heck is that. That was the craziest call I ever had. I think when it comes to that, itâ€s cool to look back and feel there was a reason I was on this path.â€

Aleister Black further opened up about receiving advice from The Undertaker, Paul Heyman, and a few other legends.

“Terry Taylor, William Regal, Robbie Brookside, Hunter himself. Undertaker is someone who, he graciously took time to sit me down and talk to me about a bunch of stuff, kind of give me his perspective on certain things. To be honest, there are so many great minds, even like Paul Heyman, obviously Paul was always a big proponent of me and still is and will give me great feedback and Iâ€m very thankful to these gentlemen to be in my corner the way they are.â€

H/t 411mania

WWE Couple Aleister Black And Zelina Vega Open Up About Their Married Life

In the same interview, the couple also shared insights into their married life,

Aleister Black: “I think in order to be successful in any discipline, you have to be completely absorbed in it. And also, our school is attached to our house, our training center is attached to our house, so weâ€re always busy with wrestling. Sure there are other things we do, but for the most part, we are very good at having the wrestling but then also saying, alright, now weâ€re gonna do so and so, has nothing to do with wrestling. We have a normal life outside of being professional wrestlers or working with WWE.â€

Zelina Vega: “Our 10 cats help with that.â€

In other news: Jon Moxley has been hailed as AEW’s locker room leader.

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While appearing on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, former WWE Champion Big E recalled the outpouring of love he received after breaking his neck.

The injury happened during a WWE SmackDown match in 2022 and — at least to this point — has proven to be a career-ending one. Though it’s been more than three years since he was last able to wrestle, Big E has not dwelled on the negativity of the situation, instead choosing to focus on how happy he is in life and how grateful he is that his injury was not worse than it was. He feels great physically despite not being cleared to compete.

Mindfulness and meditation are two things that have changed Big E’s life for the better — and they were crucial tools in his injury recovery. Instead of feeling like life was falling apart, he was able to focus on gratitude. Just being able to walk seemed like a gift after he had come so close to being paralyzed.

A strong support system also helped Big E get through the injury. It took him days to get back to everyone who reached out, and so many fans sent him their support as well. Friends sent him ‘Seinfeld’ memorabilia and mindfulness books to help boost his morale during the recovery.

“In that moment, I didn’t think about all the things I didn’t have. I was just so grateful for all the things I did have,” Big E said. “The fact that I wasn’t paralyzed. I had friends. And the amount of love, man, I can go on and on about — it took me three days to get back to all the texts, all the phone calls. And I’m just on my phone the whole time trying to get back to everyone. But in that moment, it wasn’t about what I lost. It was, ‘My God, what an incredible support system I have.’

“Thank God for the friends I’ve cultivated. So many of the incredible fans that I wasn’t able to get back to who reached out with so much love. And people can talk about how toxic the internet can be, how toxic wrestling fans can be — and I’m not dismissing elements of that, that certainly exists — but I saw so much love, and it made me feel so good.

“I had so many incredible people. ‘Seinfeld’ is my favorite show, and I had just so many people send me — Mustafa Ali sent me a ‘Seinfeld’ Lego set of Jerry’s apartment. So I played with Lego since I was a kid, but it was great. I was just like in my house, excited to wake up every day and start putting together Jerry’s apartment with this Lego set. I had people send me like ‘Seinfeld’ comforters and scripts.â€

Still with WWE after the injury, Big E has transitioned to a role that includes hosting PLE pre-shows and post-shows. He’s also pursued other interests like voicing a character in the Disney+ series “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.”

Big E announced his engagement to Kris Yim — the sister of WWE wrestler Michin — earlier this year.

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Vince McMahon recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and The Godfather recalled what actually went down on that special night.

The former WWE Chairman turned 80 on August 24 and arranged a private celebration party with close friends and multiple WWE stars. Photos from the event circulated on the internet, where Jerry Lawler, Sheamus, Titus Oâ€Neil, The Miz, Maryse, and Drew McIntyre were spotted.

Other names who were in attendance include John Cena, JBL, and The Undertaker. In an interview with Esportsbets, the Godfather described Vince McMahonâ€s party as an ‘All first class†and shared details about the private birthday celebration.

“Great time. All first class,†The Godfather said. “Vince rented out a whole hotel, so it was just us. I had a good time. A lot of friends there, a lot of people I havenâ€t seen in a long time. There was a cocktail party the night before. Me, Taker, Bruce Pritchard, Booker T and somebody else had a shot of Jack, and thatâ€s the only shot I had. Then the next night they had the party, it was really fun. I had a great time. Vince, heâ€s still going, man, he looks good.â€

Vince McMahon has remained off television following Janel Grantâ€s lawsuit. However, the celebration implies that he still holds strong connections with current stars and veterans.

What did Vince McMahon gift everyone at his birthday party?

According to the Book Pro Wrestlers Twitter (X) page, Vince McMahon had gifted a bust to his hand at his birthday party. There were only 100 in existence, and the ex-Boss only gave it to his handpicked guests.

The source also confirmed that phones were not allowed in this private event. It certainly appears that Vince McMahonâ€s birthday party turned out to be a massive celebration, and he clearly pulled out all the stops to make that happen.

READ MORE Former WWE Star Says Trying To Get Laid Resulted In Getting His Job Back

Only 100 exist.
Vince McMahon gave these busts to his hand-picked guests at his locked-down, NDA-protected 80th birthday party at NYCâ€s Baccarat Hotel.
Phones not allowed or checked in.
Youâ€re looking at this for the first time anywhere. Never posted before. pic.twitter.com/GampEk2NnL

— Book Pro Wrestlers (@BookProWrestler) September 26, 2025

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Imagine having to kiss your boss on your first day on the job. Ok, now add that you have to kiss your boss in front of their spouse. That is precisely the situation that Torrie Wilson was in during her first night in WWE, when she had to plant one on Vince McMahon in front of his wife Linda on live television.Â

The WWE Hall of Famer is no stranger to being asked about kissing McMahon on her first day. Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Wilson talks about what it was like to film that scene with McMahon.Â

“It was obviously extremely intimidating working with Vince the first day, and kissing Vince the first day. Kissing Vince was interesting, because Linda was standing right there, kinda, helping navigate it all. So, I don’t know if that made me feel better or more weird. But, you know, I was just really happy to have a big role on TV then.”

Helwani followed up by asking if there were a lot of nerves going into that scene.Â

“One thing about the nerves is that once you kinda get going, they subside a little bit. So, the lead up is worse than the walkthrough. From there, everything seemed a little less intimidating.”

For those wondering whatever happened to Torrie Wilson, the hour-plus interview touched on many topics, including what the women’s locker room was like in the early and mid-2000s, what women didn’t like her, and whether she would fit in with today’s female roster.Â

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the “Ariel Helwani Show” podcast and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.

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West Ham and Millwall hadn’t faced each other for four-and-a-half years when the two teams were drawn together in the League Cup back in 2009.

The Hammers had been promoted to the top flight some years prior while Millwall were languishing two divisions below in League One.

In their past six meetings, West Ham were winless against their great rivals and had not tasted victory over the South Londoners for the past 18 years, adding further fuel to the fixture.

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Former Manchester United defender and United States international Jon Spector, speaking to FourFourTwo via a top live odds site, recalls the build-up to the match, in which Millwall’s visiting allocation was limited to 1,500 instead of the usual 3,000.

“It was surreal,” Spector says. “I remember we didn’t normally meet up as a team at a hotel for a home game. And so we did that, and we ended up then taking a bus to the stadium, because they knew that there could be some issues getting [there], they didn’t want the players driving their cars there and running into any problems.”

Jonathan Spector signed for West Ham from Manchester United in 2006 (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Hammers had begun the season with a win over Wolverhampton Wanderers but were beaten in their next match versus London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Upton Park.

“We took the bus, and everything around the stadium was boarded up, the windows, it was as if they knew, we’re expecting trouble. Honestly, it was very strange, and it was as if, like in my time in Florida, you’re preparing for a hurricane to come through, and you board up the windows and all that.”

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Those anticipating potential trouble must have been cursing Millwall striker Neil Harris when he struck during the first half to give the third tier side a surprise lead.

Hammers man Jack Collison struck the upright, while Millwall fans clashed with police in what was a fraught encounter from start to finish. Mark Laird almost doubled the visitors’ advantage with a long-range effort during the second half, hitting the stanchion behind the goal instead of the back of the net.

Upton Park is no longer home to the Hammers (Image credit: Getty Images)

Trouble continued in the stands as swathes of Upton Park stewards and police did their best to keep West Ham supporters at bay, as they made repeated attempts to reach the Millwall section.

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Spector recalls an ‘electric’ atmosphere on account of what happened next.

Just as the Hammers appeared to be heading out of the competition, teenager Junior Stanislas connected with Frank Nouble’s cross to level the game with three minutes left of normal time.

“There were multiple pitch invasions and so it was a very interesting time.

James Tomkins is apprehended by a West Ham supporter (Image credit: Getty Images)

“So the pitch invasions were all from, if I remember correctly, West Ham fans, so I wasn’t really kind of concerned, and it was one or two people here or there, that was it. So it wasn’t like a whole mob of people.” Spector added.

After a brief delay in clearing the pitch of spectators, the match went to extra-time. Following the restart, West Ham were awarded a penalty for handball inside the area, which Stanislas tucked away for his second of the night. Once again, fans invaded the pitch.

“Interestingly enough, that was the first game my wife – we were not married at the time – but first game she had ever attended in England”, Spector adds. “I remember after the game, her saying, ‘Are all the games like this?’ And I said, no, not at all, not at all! So she certainly remembers that game as well.”

Zavon Hines added a third late on to secure West Ham’s passage to the next round but with emotions already heightened, disorder spilled out onto the adjoining streets around Upton Park at full-time.

Carlton Cole of West Ham United is mobbed by fans during the Carling Cup second round match between West Ham United and Millwall (Image credit: Getty Images)

One Millwall supporter was stabbed, and the Football Association subsequently condemned the scenes, issuing West Ham with a £115,000 fine. Ex-Hammers boss Harry Redknapp urged football’s authorities to prevent the two clubs from ever playing each other in a cup match again.

Eighty arrests were made, while West Ham banned 54 supporters for life. The two teams have played each other since, although the last time they met was in 2012.

Spector went on to play for Birmingham City, Orlando City and Hibernian before retiring in 2019. He won 39 caps for the United States.

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Jerry “The King†Lawler is dealing with the serious effects of a recent stroke, the latest health setback for the WWE Hall of Famer. On Friday, September 12, Lawler suffered a stroke at his home in Florida. Speaking to Action News 5, Lawler recalled the moment he realized something was wrong.

“I knew something was bad wrong at that time, but I didnâ€t feel it happening when it was happening. It just happened while I was asleep and when I woke up, I knew I had to call somebody so they could get there and help me out with the situation.”

As a result, Lawler has withdrawn from planned events for the next month. While fans may be disappointed by his absence, itâ€s clear that The King must put his health first.

This marks Lawlerâ€s third stroke in the past seven years and comes just two years after he suffered one at his home in February 2023. He previously suffered his first stroke in 2018, and many fans remember the heart attack he experienced live during WWE Raw in September 2012.

Lawlerâ€s situation highlights the importance of prioritizing health, as both past and recent health issues continue to affect him. We at SEScoops send our best wishes to Jerry Lawler during his recovery.

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Wwe/Getty Images Across her career in WWE, Indi Hartwell didn’t win…