June 23, 2005 - It's one thing for fans to cheer, it's another to get a standing ovation. But when a wrestler walks behind the curtain after a match and the boys in the back applaud, when legends call you and tell you that they just witnessed the greatest match in the history of the sport, that's when you know you're at the top of your game.

And for Kurt Angle, that's exactly what happened after his match at Wrestlemania against Shawn Michaels.

He forced HBK to tap out in front of millions, while at the same time forcing a rematch by overwhelming demand.

The wrestling world hasn't seen anything like this since the days of Flair/Steamboat, and we're about to witness part two of this saga this Sunday on Vengeance.

But what does the former Olympic champ think about the rematch? Can the two superstars even think about topping what many consider the best pure wrestling match WWE fans have ever witnessed? IGN Sports caught up with Kurt Angle as he prepared for another classic. Here's what he had to say…

IGN Sports: Your match against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania is already being talked about as one of the best ever. Do you feel any pressure heading into the rematch to try and top the first match?

Kurt Angle: I think so. I think the fans also understand that a match like that is very difficult to do again. As a matter of fact, I think Vince was thinking of having a Street Fight match to make it something different, just because the original match was so darn good. I'm more of a pure wrestler, though. I don't like to have gimmicks. I don't like to have gadgets and stuff. I just like to go out there and entertain the fans by wrestling. So we talked Vince into having the same match again. To let us go in there and entertain the fans on wrestling alone. Plus, we didn't want to take away from the Hell in the Cell match. Why have a Street Fight when there's going to be a Hell in the Cell match headlining the pay-per-view? So Shawn and I are very happy with having another match. This is only the second time Shawn and I have been in the ring together one-on-one. We have never gotten in the ring in a dark match or to practice. Nothing. We just had our match and it was a blessing, it was magic. We have a chemistry in the ring that you just can't match, and we're depending on that chemistry to take us through and outdo the Wrestlemania match. It's going to be hard, but Shawn and I are both up to it and very capable of it.

IGN Sports: Where do you rank that Wrestlemania match in your career?

Kurt Angle: It's right up there. To me, it equaled my match with Benoit at the Royal Rumble a couple of years ago. The submission match we had where Chris actually got a standing ovation after I left. Those things don't happen very often, where the loser gets a standing ovation, and Shawn Michaels got the same treatment at Wrestlemania. I got one where I wrestled Brock Lesnar in an Iron Man match a couple of years ago, where Brock left and I got a standing ovation. Those three are my three favorite matches. I've had some really, really good ones that people haven't seen against The Undertaker, but you can't count those when they're not on TV and millions of people haven't seen them. I'd have to say the Shawn Michaels match was the best, though, because I've had a lot of wrestlers come up to me, legends, former wrestlers like Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Paul Orndorff, Jesse Ventura call me personally and tell me that it was the best match they've ever seen in their life. There were also current wrestlers like Chris Benoit and JBL who came up to me and said "Kurt, I've never seen a match like that. That's the greatest match I've ever seen. That's what wrestling is all about." It surprised me, because when I was out there, I was feeling it, but I just did what I did then walked to the back like any other match. Before I knew it, everyone was on their feet clapping and I was like, "Wow, I didn't know it was that good." It made me very, very excited because at that point, it was something I needed. With all of the injuries I've had with my neck, what I needed was something to revive me, and that did. I think it showed Vince that I'm still at the top of my game and that my neck is no longer an issue. So he traded me to Raw and has given me a fresh beginning so now I can have an opportunity to make a run for the title. I think Vince was very concerned about my neck, and I think that's why you didn't see me in the title picture for a while, but now you're going to see me there.

IGN Sports: I loved the battle of the Wooo's the other night with Flair.

Kurt Angle: Ric Flair might not be the same Ric Flair of 10 or 15 years ago, but he still has that energy about him, and the fans love him so much. He's so damn funny. That's a guy who I've not wrestled yet that I do want to wrestle.

IGN Sports: So you've never felt the chest chop?

Kurt Angle: No, I haven't. But from what I've heard, it's coming pretty soon.

IGN Sports: You've been a part of so many hilarious promos like the one with Flair the other night. Do you have a personal favorite funny moment in the ring?