WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has reflected on one of the most memorable and controversial segments of his career, revealing that the idea to tranquilise and shave Big Show‘s head came directly from Vince McMahon.
Speaking on WWE Photo Shoot, Kurt Angle looked back at the 2004 storyline after being shown a photo from the segment, which saw him use a tranquiliser dart gun on Big Show before cutting off his hair. According to Angle, Vince McMahon compared Big Show to a bear while explaining how he wanted the segment to play out.
“Big Show, wow. I remember when Vince McMahon wanted me to do this. Now, this wasn’t such a great moment, but it was kind of funny. Vince said, ‘Picture Big Show as a bear, okay? I want you to shoot him in the back and he’s going to pass out.’ That’s a tranquilizer gun. Then I want you to cut his hair off.”
Angle added that McMahon even wanted him to celebrate the moment like a successful hunter.
“[Vince said] Then I want you to pose like you’re a hunter and you’re proud that you just shot this bear dead and you’re holding the head up.”
Kurt Angle Said He Was Uncomfortable With The Big Show Tranquilizer Segment
Despite the segment becoming one of WWE’s more memorable moments from that era, Kurt Angle admitted he felt uncomfortable carrying it out because of his close friendship with Big Show.
“I’m thinking, ‘Oh God, this is my best friend I’m doing this to.’ I was almost embarrassed that I did this.”
Angle also praised Big Show for embracing the storyline, describing him as a “good sport” throughout the angle. The segment aired in 2004 after Big Show returned to WWE programming, with the rivalry culminating in one of the promotion’s most unusual storylines of the era.
