Kurt Angle Says He ‘Got Very Bitter’ After Being Moved to WWE’s ECW

Kurt Angle was not initially pleased when he was put on WWE’s version of ECW, recalling how he believed it was a demotion at the time. The WWE Hall of Famer was moved to the ill-fated ECW brand during the 2006 WWE Draft and challenged Rob Van Dam for the ECW Heavyweight Championship in June of that year.

Angle’s tenure in ECW was not to last, as he was granted his release in August. During a re-released episode of WWE Photo Shoot on the WWE Vault YouTube channel, Angle recalled his reaction to being put on the brand. You can see highlights below:

On Being Moved to ECW:

“I remember when Vince wanted to start ECW back up again, and I didn’t really know what his plans were for it. I was his best wrestler; I knew that. I mean, when you’re talking about thoroughbred in-ring wrestling. ECW, basically, was all about hardcore wrestling. Vince wanted me to be the face of it and I felt like this was a demotion. I got very bitter.”

On His Reaction to Being Told He Was Going to ECW:

“And I remember him saying, ‘Listen, I’m going to tell you the truth upfront. You’re going to make less money and you’re going to work in smaller arenas.’ And I said, ‘Why the hell do I want to do that?'”

On How He Views It In Retrospect:

“I look back now, maybe what Vince was trying to do was make me the new age Tazz, because Tazz was a thoroughbred wrestler as well. He carried that company pretty well. But I didn’t understand it at the time, and this was very hard for me to accept.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.