"He was going to get booed anyway" - Jim Ross reflects on multi-time WWE World Champion's heel work

Jim Ross's WWE tenure was marked by his iconic commentary, memorable catchphrases, and significant contributions to the Attitude Era. The legendary commentator recently praised a multi-time World Champion's heel work, stating he was a natural at playing a villainous role.

As an Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle was initially positioned as a babyface when he debuted in the company in 1998. However, two years later, the 55-year-old turned heel after aligning with The Alliance faction during the storyline involving WWE's purchase of WCW.

On a recent episode of the Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross discussed the former one-time World Heavyweight Champion and four-time WWE Champion's ability to act like a bad guy. The current AEW commentator claimed that Kurt Angle's heel turn in the Attitude Era was inevitable and praised his natural ability to excel in that villainous role.

​

"Usually you had a clean-looking face in that era, in the Attitude Era, he was going to get booed anyway. So I thought it was inevitable that he would be a heel. I didn't know how good a heel he would become. He wasn't just good at being a heel; he was great at being a heel because it allowed him to be in his more natural self," Ross said. [From 03:00 to 03:28]

You can watch the full video below:

Top WWE official teased the return of Kurt Angle ahead of Survivor Series

For the past few weeks, Adam Pearce has been struggling to control backstage brawls and in-ring chaos caused by superstars. The RAW General Manager appears to need assistance to maintain order.

The Survivor Series: WarGames will be held on November 30, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada. Ahead of the premium live event, Adam Pearce took to X (fka Twitter) and shared a backstage photo alongside Kurt Angle, seemingly teasing the latter's return to WWE.

Check out The Scrap Iron's tweet below:

It remains to be seen if the 55-year-old Hall of Famer will return to the sports entertainment giant to help maintain law and order on Monday Night RAW.

Please credit Grilling JR and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use any quotes from the first half of this article.

​