What is the one thing that angers the average wrestling fan the most?
Common answers that spring to mind include baffling booking decisions, stars being under utilised, or a disappointing 30th entrant into the Royal Rumble.
One of the most frustrating things about being a professional wrestling fan is being told that it is fake by those that are not fans of the industry. Despite the rise in popularity, wrestling has still been met with scepticism, with people still arguing that it is not a sport and should not be taken seriously.
WWE Hall Of Famer’s Agent Was Against Professional Wrestling
This was also the case back in 1998, when accomplished freestyle wrestler Kurt Angle was looking to transition from the Olympics to the squared circle.
Despite being offered a deal worth millions of dollars, Angle’s agent was not impressed. Speaking on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, the WWE Hall of Famer revealed that his agent Ralph Cindrich was against the idea as he felt that Angle was a real wrestler and that WWE was not.
“WWE offered me a multi-million dollar deal. I’m not gonna lie to you, it was a great deal, and I brought it back to my agent, who was a former amateur wrestler that played pro football. His name was Ralph Cindrich – he was the top NFL agent at the time. He was from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I brought it back to him and he looked at it, he says, ‘You’re not doing this c**p. It’s fake. You’re the real deal.’ He goes, ‘I’ll get you a job, don’t worry.'”
Thankfully Kurt Angle would go on to sign with the company and compete in multiple classic matches. One of Angle’s greatest matches was at WrestleMania 21, where the former Raw General Manager would face off against Mr. WrestleMania himself Shawn Michaels in what is regarded as the greatest match on the card.
H/t to SportsKeeda for the use of transcription.