Why Kurt Angle Left WWE In 2006, Explained

Kurt Angle is the most decorated athlete in WWE history, and the man stands on another plane of existence when it comes to accolades. For a long time, Kurt Angle was the only Olympic gold medalist in the history of the company and only recently has been joined by Gable Stevenson.

Brock Lesnar is hailed as a freak athlete due to his accomplishments in amateur wrestling and prize fighting and while Angle lacks the accolades in the UFC, his amateur wrestling career has led to people regarding him as one of the greatest collegiate wrestlers of all time. He continued his wrestling success in the Olympics and won a gold medal with a broken freakin' neck!

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What Led To Angle's Release in 2006

In the realm of professional wrestling, Angle was in a league of his own. Pound for pound, he might have been the strongest athlete in the company. In regards to technical skills, he might have been the only athlete capable of outwrestling Bret Hart. And despite being a master at the in-ring aspect, Angle was just as proficient in working a character as he had quite a bit of charisma.

Angle started off as somewhat of a comedic character, but he was quickly catapulted into the main event scene and won his first world title during his rookie year. He then held on to the championship for a considerable amount of time and even after losing the title, Angle was a featured star in the main event scene for years to come.

However, Angle had an abrupt exit from the company in 2006, and that left people wondering what had happened. During 2006, Angle was known as “The Wrestling Machine” and as someone who participated in some of the most hilarious segments in the company before, Angle took on a more dark and sinister persona.

The comedic facet was stripped away and Angle was presented as a freak athlete, ruthless and remorseless down to his core. During this time, Angle pulled out a slew of legendary matches with the likes of John Cena and Shawn Michaels. Some consider his clash with HBK at WrestleMania 21 as the greatest match in the history of the show.

Behind the scenes, however, Angle was struggling in more than one way. His body was worn down by years of amateur wrestling and the constant abuse from the grind in the WWE ring did not help. Angle was also suffering from addiction issues, particularly with painkillers. Horrifyingly, Angle would gulp down 20 to 25 painkillers at a time and that speaks volumes of the physical agony he was going through.

Angle details the events that led up to his release on his own podcast, “The Kurt Angle Show”. Around 2006, Angle was at his wit's end and unable to cope with the grueling schedule. His addiction woes led to Angle blackening out after his matches as he would guzzle down dozens per day and then black out again.

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During this time, Vince started distancing himself from Angle until the former Olympian confronted the boss at a production meeting. McMahon scheduled a meeting at WWE headquarters the next day after witnessing the extent of his injuries. According to Angle, everything down from his abdominal area was black and blue.

Angle was visibly emotional when recounting the events of the meeting the next day. The Olympian athlete wanted a release from his contract but the company wanted to keep him on the roster, after a stint in a rehabilitation center. Inside McMahon’s office, Shane McMahon and John Laurinaitis were present and there was a stack of printed text messages on the table of McMahon.

An Emotional Angle Requested His Release Following A Meeting With Vince McMahon

Upon reading through the contents, Angle was horrified to learn that the text messages were sent by him to Vince McMahon during the times he was not in his senses. Each message expressed anger and resentment as Vince McMahon was not returning his calls and Angle even threatened to beat him up.

Tempers flared and Vince McMahon removed his jacket and stood up while yelling at Angle to kick his ass as he had threatened. Sensing a confrontation on the horizon, Angle left the office and then cried outside as he had incensed the man he looked up to. After gathering his wits, he returned to the office and pleaded with McMahon to release him from the contract.

Angle said that if he were to continue in that state, he would end up dying due to an overdose or an accident in the ring. Upon that, McMahon granted him a release from his contract and told Angle that the company will always be waiting for him to come back.

Due to his background in amateur wrestling, Angle might be one of the toughest guys in the history of the industry but this business is more grueling than an onlooker can imagine. Thankfully, Kurt Angle got the help that he needed and now is part of the company, and back on great terms with the boss.