Kurt Angle, widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers in history, has had a storied career marked by both triumph and personal struggles. Despite his immense talent in the ring, his addiction issues hindered his abilities for years. However, Angle has since overcome those challenges and now reflects on that tumultuous period in his life.
One significant chapter in Angle’s career was his departure from WWE in 2006. This departure was marred by a messy situation that even involved threats towards Vince McMahon, the chairman of WWE.
During an interview with Inside The Ropes, Angle recalled that time in his career. After a World Title run in WWE, he was moved to the ECW brand and was supposed to be the face of the promotion, something Angle saw as a promotion in itself.
Unfortunately, Angle suffered four neck injuries within a span of two and a half years and began struggling with painkillers. It was during this time that Vince McMahon approached him and discussed his plans for Angle in ECW. McMahon informed Angle that he would be working in smaller arenas and earning less money in ECW, but he assured Angle that he would take care of him on the backend, which he did. However, Angle felt “scolded” by the conversation, and it became the final straw for him.
Angle revealed that he couldn’t secure a part-time contract with WWE, which left him feeling frustrated and unappreciated. Despite his injuries, he continued to work through the pain. In the midst of a production meeting attended by writers, producers, and agents, Angle “knew” he was going to quit. He had torn his hamstring, groin, and abdominal muscle the previous night, and the pain was so severe that he described his genitals as being black and his penis as being affected as well.
In a bold move, Angle entered the meeting and exposed himself to Vince McMahon, saying, “How about this, Vince?” The producers behind him were taken aback, and Angle demanded a private conversation with McMahon in his office.
Angle then flew to McMahon’s office, where McMahon presented him with three pages of typed text messages that Angle had sent him. The messages contained threats of physical violence, but Angle couldn’t recall sending them as he was under the influence of painkillers and high at the time.
McMahon, visibly agitated, yelled, “You wanna beat my ass?! Let’s go right now!” However, Angle didn’t engage in a physical altercation with McMahon. Instead, he left the office in tears. Shortly after, Angle returned, still emotionally overwhelmed, and expressed his desperation to McMahon, stating that if he wasn’t allowed to leave, he feared he would accidentally overdose on painkillers.
Moved by Angle’s plea, McMahon made the decision to release him and advised him to take a break. McMahon assured Angle that if he returned after six months, he would offer him the same contract. Angle left WWE headquarters and headed straight to TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) as it seemed like the only viable option for him.
