Kurt Angle recently sat down with Inside Culture and talked about his final run in WWE . As quoted by WrestleTalk , the Hall of Famer had big plans to compete in the ring again, but Vince McMahon apparently didn’t trust him to be a main eventer anymore.
“It didn’t go the way I wanted it to. Vince McMahon had an idea for me, I think he was looking at me as a liability, someone that was addicted to painkillers, someone that broke his neck five times.”
Angle’s history of injuries and addiction issues has been well documented throughout the years. His comments suggest that McMahon didn’t trust him to be one of the company’s most showcased in-ring talents upon his return, which may have been why he was offered a GM role on Monday Night Raw .
Angle opened up about that storyline during the interview. He said that he told McMahon that he still harbored ambitions to wrestle, and the chairman informed him that it would happen eventually. However, by the time the Olympic gold medalist stepped into the squared circle again, he was past his best as his muscles tightened up.
“Before I knew it, I got in the ring and I looked like an old man wrestling. And I knew that. Even though the company wanted me to continue to wrestle, I didn’t feel right about it for a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to come back and have the title run, that wasn’t going to happen…”
Angle’s final match took place at WrestleMania 35 , in which he took on Baron Corbin in a losing effort. As The Inquisitr reported, he was originally slated to take on his storyline son, Jason Jordan, but those plans were scrapped after the young superstar got injured.
Some fans have been critical of Angle’s retirement booking as the match was over quickly and it wasn’t given a prominent spot on the card. However, his latest remarks indicate that he wasn’t healthy enough for a longer outing.
The report also noted how Angle opened up about McMahon wanting him to perform for one more year before he hung up his boots. He was finished by that point, however, and decided to become a backstage producer with the company instead.
Angle was released from his contract back in April, but he’s open to returning to WWE if the offer is right. He was offered the chance to work as Matt Riddle’s manager , but the Hall of Famer turned it down.
