WrestleMania 19 is remembered for many things: Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho, Stone Cold Steve Austinโs final match ever, and of course, Brock Lesnar botching a move that almost plunged the night into tragedy.
Brock Lesnar and His Spectacular Botch at WrestleMania 19
KURT ANGLE:
"I would say Brock Lesnar was my greatest rival.
Because we both came from the same background to wrestling, we were always competitive. Weโd even do shoot wrestling thing behind the back to see who was the better wrestler…"
BROCK LESNAR:
"I have great respect for Kurt Angle.
In 1996 when he won the [Olympic] gold medal, I was graduating high school. I followed wrestling internationally, collegiately. I mean, he was the best of the best. He was a guy I wanted to be like. He was a guy I wanted to train like. Kurt and I had a relationship that I donโt have with a lot of other guys in the locker room because of our roots and what weโve done [in amateur wrestling]…"
ANGLE:
"It was supposed to be the greatest moment in WrestleMania history.
He was supposed to finish me with that move, but he nearly finished himself…"
JIM CORNETTE:
"I worked with Brock when he started [at Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental], and Iโll be honest with you, he was getting paid about four or five times more than everyone else in the developmental program because of who he was. You donโt come across an athletic specimen like that who won the NCAA Heavyweight Championship every day.
The shooting star press he did at WrestleMania 19, he would do that for us all the time – and I would tell him he was crazy and save it for the big show at the Louisville Gardens when the WWE agents are there and not in the high school halls.
He did it in front of the WWE agents, and they signed him directly because of that.
The time he did it at WrestleMania is the only time Iโve seen him miss it…"
ANGLE:
"That match was so important to me because I had to have neck surgery immediately after. I was supposed to have it a month before – because my neck was broken. I couldnโt really use my left arm because of nerve blocks. I knew there was a chance I could hurt it badly…"
LESNAR:
"To tell you the truth, I was worrying just touching the guy. His neck could have snapped at any second, so I was really worried about everything I did with him.
Now when I look back, I was very nervous. And I donโt get nervous hardly ever…"
ANGLE:
"So when Brock landed on his head, I thought he broke his neck too…"
LESNAR:
"There I stood, on the top rope, both arms raised in triumph, my head back, letting the crowd take it all in…and then I launched the Shooting Star Press.
Every wrestling fan knows what happened next.
My boot slipped off the wet rope. I saw the people, I saw the top of the arena, I saw the mat coming, and then I saw Kurtโs singlet, so I thought I was ok…"
Watch the Brock Lesnar Shooting Star Press Attempt Against Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 19:
ANGLE:
"It was my idea for him to do it, so I have to take part of the blame. (laughs)
When he missed me, I thought he was dead, I mean, I thought he was paralyzed…"
LESNAR:
"I under-rotated, crashed in spectacular fashion, and gave myself a massive concussion. I damn near broke my neck…"
ANGLE:
"The only thing I could do was react [to the situation] and try to pin him…and the only thing I could think of – and this is kind of greedy – I was thinking, โIf this guy doesnโt kick out, Iโm gonna have to hold this title for another month!โ (Laughs) Because I canโt…I was thinking if both the companyโs top guys are out with broken necks, whoโs gonna replace them?"
LESNAR:
"I was pretty much knocked silly. I could feel my head and neck getting really warm…"
ANGLE:
"He was out of it. He just had this blank stare and didnโt know where he was.
I said, โBrock, talk to me…โ
He said, โYeah…yeah, yeah…โ thatโs all I heard him say. I just tried talking him through it and told him what to do next; he wasnโt hearing me at all. He was out. And I thought, โWeโre in trouble…โ"
LESNAR:
"I still had enough sense left to know that I had to win, but I donโt remember finishing the match…"
ANGLE:
"…but before you knew it, he gave me the F-5, and the match was over. I remember, after he pinned me, [clicks fingers] he was out of it again. I remember hugging him at that particular moment and saying, โAre you ok?โ And nobody was there…just this stare that was going behind me. And I thought, โOh my god, he might just have a concussion, or he might have knocked himself loopy for good…โ"
LESNAR:
"I can remember sitting there [in the ring] and just gazing…a funny feeling. [The arena] felt like I was in a little locker room, or a gymnasium…and as I started coming to, the building got bigger.
[One minute] I didnโt know what was going on; then I would… itโs all pretty blurry to me.
[Backstage] I was getting warm, I was getting sick…and all these people surrounded me…people grabbing me, wanting me down on the stretcher, wanting me in the ambulance…and I wasnโt having any of that. I just went nuts.
Everyone said I was hard to handle, and I can imagine I was…"
"Thank god he had all those years doing neck bridges in amateur wrestling. It would have killed a regular guy…"
LESNAR:
"The next morning, I was supposed to do a sponsor appearance, but I couldnโt get out of my hotel bed. After I received a few phone calls to rouse me, I finally crawled out and made it down to the appearance. When the sponsorโs people saw me throwing up from the after-effects of the concussion, they sent me back to the hotel.
After you play in the Super Bowl or the World Series, you get some time to yourself or take your family on vacation.
Not in pro wrestling.
Youโre right back to work the very next day, doing live TV for Raw the first night, or taping SmackDown! two nights after WrestleMania.
Now, looking back at that match, if I could do it again, I probably wouldnโt do the Shooting Star…but everything else, I think I would keep the same.
Because Kurt made it through the match without getting hurt worse than he was, and I was lucky to โonlyโ have suffered a concussion…"
ANGLE:
"It wasnโt the finish we wanted, but the match almost became more famous because of that…"
LESNAR:
"So Kurt went in for the alternative surgery, and I was right back on the road as WWE Champion for the second time…"
These stories may also interest you:
- WrestleMania 24 โ The Malfunction That Injured Dozens of WWE Fans
- WrestleMania 14, STEVE AUSTIN and SHAWN MICHAELS โ The Inside Story
- WWE Riot: The Time Fans Got Rowdy at a 1997 House Show
Sources used in this article: Brock Lesnarโs autobiography, Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival, Wrestling101 / Cult of Whatever interview with Jim Cornette, โThe Mania of Maniaโ documentary, Off The Record interview with Kurt Angle
These quotes about WrestleMania 19 were originally compiled by Matt Pender and shared here with thanks to our friends over at โWrestlingโs Glory Daysโ Facebook page.
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