Kurt Angle Regrets Not Retiring from Wrestling 10 Years Earlier

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle had an incredible career that made a huge impact on the wrestling world. However, his in-ring career didn’t end the way he had hoped. In fact, Angle has now admitted that he wishes he had retired from wrestling ten years earlier.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast, the Olympic gold medalist admitted that continuing to wrestle into his 40s took a toll on his body and changed the way he wanted fans to remember him.

Kurt Angle explained that instead of wrestling for 20 years in WWE and TNA, he feels 10 years would have been enough. He pushed himself too far, working at a high pace even as he got older. Angle eventually retired because he noticed he was slowing down, and he didn’t like what he saw when watching his matches. He wanted fans to remember him at his best, not as a worn-down version of himself.

“I wish I would have finished my career in WWE 10 years shorter in WWE or TNA. So in other words, instead of 20 years, I think 10 would have been enough and I think I would have been okay. I pushed myself further and got into my 40s and kept working at a high pace, and the reason why I retired is because I was losing a step and I could see it when I watched it on film. I didn’t like what I saw. I didn’t want the fans remembering me as a broken down Kurt Angle. I wanted them to remember me when I was in my prime.”

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Angle hasn’t competed in the ring for over five years as his last match was against Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35 in 2019, which turned out to be his final bout, and he has never competed since then. Angle also confirmed that he is finished with any sort of role in WWE, so fans shouldn’t expect to see him back in WWE in the future. Regardless, despite Angle’s regrets, he did manage to create many memories over the course of his career and that’s never changing.

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