While it was a bummer to not have Shane McMahon around WWE for nearly a decade, the prodigal son is more than making up for it now, having been a major part of multiple stories since his surprise return in February. The other great thing about having Shane O’Mac back is it means he’s finally available for interviews again, so we keep finding out more and more about just what makes him tick.
First, we learned he wanted to be André The Giant’s tag-team partner when he was a kid, then we found out his sneaker obsession knows virtually no bounds. Now, thanks to his recent interview on ESPN’s Cheap Heat podcast, we know he still holds his earlier in-ring experiences in high regard, especially his barn-burner of a match against Kurt Angle at King Of The Ring 2001.
“I was very proud of the match, first and foremost,” McMahon told Cheap Heat host Peter Rosenberg. “[I] got in there with an amazing talent, which was Kurt and we went after it. One of the things that I always try to do is, I always try to go out and give my absolute best and I approach everything that this is my last match and I always did it that way.
“So, again, growing up in the [professional wrestling] business and seeing so many of the greats and truly witnessing amazing matches, I always hoped in my mind that I’d have an opportunity to even scratch the surface and even attempt to have one of those matches. So that’s how I approached every single thing, every match that I’ve ever done. Some click more than others, but Stan Hansen said at the [WWE] Hall Of Fame you need great opponents. And right story, Kurt and I clicked, and we went after it. And, again, I am very proud of the match.”
Of course, there’s a natural follow-up question to all of that: Would Shane want to see Kurt Angle back in the WWE?
“I don’t know enough about Kurt over the last several years. I don’t know where his health is or any of those issues. But again, if you rewind the clock and go back to the time we had with Kurt Angle and I at The King Of The Ring. Personally, I’d love to do that again. I’d give that a shot. But again, sometimes the business, as we get older, unfortunately, in the business, the brain will say ‘go’ and the body will say ‘no’. And at some point, there’s a time you just have to pick a different path.”
Given Shane’s endorsement, it would be awesome to see Angle get onboard the Smackdown Live train and fulfill the internet’s collective fantasy booking of him mentoring American Alpha. Heck, Angle says he’s “most likely” coming back to WWE next year, so this might not even be that far off.
(Transcription h/t Wrestling Inc.)
