WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has shed new light on his infamous 2004 SmackDown segment with Tough Enough finalist Daniel Puder. The unscripted grappling challenge saw Puder nearly lock Angle in a Kimura lock, forcing the referee to count a quick pinfall to save Angle from potential injury.
On the “Dos and D” podcast, Angle explained that he was suffering from severe neck issues and atrophy at the time, making him physically weak. He claimed Puder didn’t understand the rules of the segment.
“This kid didn’t understand that it wasn’t submission. It was pinfall. So, he gets me in a key lock… Now, he was this close to breaking it, but I was like, ‘You’re a dumbass, dude. This isn’t submission. This is pinfall.’”
Angle denied rumors that he got Puder fired or punished at the Royal Rumble, where Puder was chopped repeatedly by veterans.
“Everybody thinks it was me. And also they claimed that I got him fired. No, I didn’t. I wanted to wrestle him at a Wrestlemania eventually because of the storyline.”
He stated Puder was let go because he refused a contract reduction from the $250,000 Tough Enough prize to a standard $75,000 developmental deal.
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