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WWE’s current backstage climate feels like a much friendlier and calmer place than it did in the past, and despite WWE playing host to many of the all-time greats, not all of them got along 100% of the time. Kurt Angle is an Olympic Gold Medallist with a reputation for being able to handle himself (apart from when faced with a certain Daniel Puder), so many would be wise to not pick a fight with someone like that. However, former WWE Champion and legend of the business, Eddie Guerrero, decided to get into fisticuffs with Angle, which wasn’t the best decision he’s ever made.

Kurt Angle And Eddie Guerrero Had A Great Onscreen Rivalry

Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero were brilliant rivals between the ropes, producing some phenomenal matches together. Ahead of WrestleMania 20, Kurt Angle earned a shot at Eddie Guerrero’s newly won WWE Championship. The pair had previously been allies, but due to Guerrero previously eliminating Angle from a battle royal, he decided to enact his revenge by turning on him. This led to a heated rivalry in which there were personal jibes, arrests, violent brawls, and a lot more, before a great title match at the Showcase of the Immortals.

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Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle smackdown

Their feud continued after WrestleMania too, with several different chapters to their bad blood, as Angle played a part in costing Guerrero during matches with the WWE Title on the line, amidst another feud with JBL. They had several further matches over the next few months, all of which were of a high quality. However, their rivalry wasn’t exclusively kept on-screen, with their problems seeping into the backstage area despite the two not having any real-life heat prior to that point.

A Misunderstanding Led To Eddie Guerrero Starting A Fight With Kurt Angle

During a segment in which Kurt Angle was beating down Eddie Guerrero with the help of Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak, things didn’t quite go down smoothly in Guerrero’s eyes. Angle told the story of his confrontation with Guerrero on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, explaining his side of events, “What happened was we had a fight in the ring. We are getting heat on Eddie. It was Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak, and myself. I didn't touch Eddie, so I couldn't have been the one that stiffed him. Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns were getting heat on Eddie and when I got backstage, Eddie came back. After the show, we all wait in Gorilla and shake each other's hands. I went to shake his hand and say, 'Thank you, Eddie.' He goes, 'No, no. What you did out there was wrong. You were stiffing me.' I said, 'Eddie, I didn't touch you.' He said, 'Bullsh*t. You were stiffing me, you were beating me up.' I pushed him. I didn't know what to do, he made me so mad, so I pushed him.”

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Eddie Guerrero Kurt Angle

With the adrenaline created by competing in the ring, there have been many examples of things getting a little too heated between opponents on several occasions throughout the years, and this was one of them. From there, Guerrero took Angle down with an amateur wrestling double leg take down. Trying to fight Angle in this manner was a complete mistake given Angle’s gold medal background in wrestling.

Kurt Angle Instigated A Round Two Between The Pair

Given the style Guerrero tried to fight Angle, the gold medallist quickly turned things around and began choking Guerrero out. That was until Big Show arrived and split both men up with ease. Afterwards, Angle decided to go to visit Guerrero in the locker room in order to apologize for his side in the fight, though not for the initial “stiff shots” which Guerrero had an issue about.

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Kurt Angle ECW

Angle went on to further explain this subsequent interaction as well. “We get backstage and I felt bad. So, I go to Eddie's locker room to apologize. I get back there and I knock on the door. He opens the door and doesn't say anything," he revealed. "I said, 'Eddie, listen. I just want to say I'm sorry.' You know what Eddie said to me? 'I'm not ready yet.'” In classic hot-headed fashion, Angle decided that this response wasn’t good enough, so he went in and began fighting with Guerrero once again, with it being JBL this time to split the pair up.

Overall, it seemed as though the fight was caused by a misunderstanding, but that being said, even if Guerrero believed he was in the right, picking a fight with Kurt Angle is something either a very brave, arrogant, or foolish man would do. Knowing Guerrero, it was likely a mixture of the first two traits.