Add as a preferred source on Google Kendal Grey paid tribute to Kurt Angle at Sunday’s NXT Great American Bash, wearing ring gear inspired by the WWE Hall of Famer’s classic look.
Grey appeared in red, white, and blue, along with the stars that were featured on some of Angle’s most famous gear.
The tribute came on the biggest night of Grey’s career so far. In the main event of the show, held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, she defeated Lola Vice to win the NXT Women’s Championship for the first time.
During the match, Kelani Jordan tried to interfere, but Wren Sinclair came out to stop her. In the closing stretch, Grey hit Vice with Shades of Grey to capture the title.
The connection to Angle did not come out of nowhere. Grey has a background in amateur wrestling and had already been compared to the Olympic gold medalist by fans and people in the business. In a recent interview, she spoke about those comparisons and made it clear that she is a major fan of Angle.
“I’ve not spoken to Kurt Angle before. I would love to. I would love to pick his brain. He’s super awesome. I’m a huge fan of Kurt Angle. I watch his documentary all the time whenever I need motivation. I watch a lot of his stuff. I do look up to him in a lot of ways. He was really good in the ring, in promos, he was funny, he was entertaining. In all aspects of this job, he was so good at. I think it’s super cool, but I don’t have a gold medal. I’m not an Olympian.
I’m not as big and strong as him, but it’s super cool to be compared him. I do feel like I’ll never be Kurt Angle because Kurt Angle was himself, and no one can be him. I’m hoping to have similarities, but also be the first Kendal Grey”.
With the win, Grey also confirmed the major rise she had been building in NXT.