Kurt Angle Recreates Iconic John Cena Promo from WWE SmackDown

Kurt Angle may be retired, but he's far from absent from the wrestling world. Following John Cena's return to WWE this past Monday on Monday Night RAW, Angle paid tribute to the 16-time world champion by recreating his iconic debut promo. Just as he proclaimed on June 27, 2002, Angle laid out an open challenge to "anyone in the house who wants to come out and face [him] like a man." This time, answering him was not a red-and-black trunked Cena, but rather a striped singlet-wearing Sophia Angle, the Olympic Gold Medalist's daughter.

"Sophia Angle, huh?" Angle asked. "And what quality do you possess that makes you think you can come out to this driveway and face the very best in this house?"

"Ruthless aggression!" Sophia exclaimed, before slapping her father.

"First! let me explain about my kids, While other daughters want their daddys to play barbie dolls with them, mine asks to recreate their favorite daddy promo with me," Angle wrote in the post's caption. "Second! My daughter has a mean slap. So you can see why this one is her favorite. Third! They have been waiting for this one for awhile, and of course I had to recreate the Ruthless Agression Promo in daddy-Sophia style. Forth! My neighbors probably think we are crazy."

Angle's father-daughter tribute to Cena comes after he made a virtual appearance on RAW, where he congratulated Cena on his WWE birthday.

"20 years ago, I wrestled a kid named 'Prototype' who was making his debut," Angle said in his pre-recorded message. "Little did I know that 20 years later he would go on to become the most successful WWE superstar of all time."

The WWE Hall of Famer is fresh off of a double knee replacement surgery, which he underwent at the end of May. Angle has been away from the ring since WrestleMania 36, where he was defeated by Baron Corbin in his farewell match. While promotions like AEW and Impact Wrestling have sent out feelers to Angle about an in-ring return, the retired star has asserted that his in-ring days are over.

Yes, they offered me a couple of different contracts," Angle explained last August. "I turned it down for personal reasons, but Tony Khan's been really nice to me, very generous, and I really appreciate his interest in having me there. But at this particular time, I can't do it."