Kurt Angle Says WWE Saw Him As A “Liability” During 2017 Comeback

Kurt Angle didn’t mince words when breaking down his underwhelming 2017 return to WWE.

During a conversation with Inside the Ropes, the WWE Hall of Famer admitted that the company didn’t roll out the red carpet when he came back—and he thinks he knows exactly why.

According to Angle, his decision to leave WWE on his own terms back in 2006 lingered in Vince McMahon’s memory. When it came time for his return, the vibe was more cautious than celebratory.

“When you leave the WWE and you leave on your terms, when you come back, Vince forgives, but he doesn’t forget. So you’re not exactly going to have the red carpets pulled out for you and, ‘Hey, welcome back! Let’s treat you like gold. We’re going to have you win every single match of your career from here on in.’ That’s not going to happen.”

Advertising

Advertising

Angle explained that WWE didn’t follow the typical timeline for legends. Instead of wrestling first and ending with a Hall of Fame induction, they flipped the script—and not in a good way.

“What they did with me—especially—they felt like I was a liability. So they started with the Hall of Fame first, they wanted to start slow and easy. They started with the Hall of Fame, then they went with the GM role second, and then I wrestled third. But in reality, it’s supposed to be the opposite. You wrestle first, you play the GM role second, then you get inducted into the Hall of Fame third.”

“They did the complete opposite with me. And I have no idea why, and I can only think it’s because I was a liability.”

Despite making sporadic in-ring appearances and staying active overseas before his return, Angle says WWE never truly invested in him as an in-ring performer again.

“I didn’t win a lot of my matches. And I also wasn’t the same. When I left TNA, I took a year off, came over here a few times, wrestled Zack Sabre Jr., Del Rio, Cody Rhodes… had a lot of fun coming here in the UK performing. But when I got to WWE, they didn’t really do much with me.”

It’s clear Kurt Angle still feels the sting of a return that should have been triumphant but ended up muted.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.