Nick Schwartz of FoxSports.com is featuring an interview with Kurt Angle where he talked about being a mentor for John Cena early in his WWE career and his thoughts on being backstage at the Smackdown Live taping last week in Pittsburgh.
On being a mentor for John Cena early in his WWE career:
“John, you know, I was his first match when he started in WWE, and I knew right then that he was very special. I also knew that this kid was going to give me a rough time being the top guy in the company. Because at the time I was one of the top guys, I would say myself and Triple H, and to have this young kid come up and the company asked me to help teach him a little bit. It was like… ‘wait a minute, I’m teaching this kid to take my spot?!’ But John was really good. He was a great student, great learner. I mean, look what he’s done. I can’t even take any credit for it. I would put John Cena in the history books as being the greatest WWE Superstar of all time.”
On visiting Smackdown Live last week in Pittsburgh:
“It was nice. A lot of things have changed. They are much more organized now. They have better facilities they bring in for the wrestlers. In other words, the food’s better, the place where you warm up is better, the equipment. Vince McMahon has done a stellar job with the WWE in so many different ways, and it’s made everything more accessible for the athletes. And also the drug policy, the Wellness Policy, is incredible now.”