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Kurt Angle Wishes He’d Finished His Career 10 Years Earlier

January 23, 2025 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Kurt Angle WWE 2006, Biography Image Credit: WWE

Kurt Angle says he wishes that he had ended his wrestling career 10 years earlier than he did. Angle retired from the ring at WrestleMania 35 in 2019, capping a 21-year in-ring career. During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, he was asked if he had any career regrets and noted that he pushed his career too long.

“I wish I would finished my career in WWE ten years shorter,” Angle said (per Fightful).” WWE and TNA, so in other words, instead of 20 years, I think ten would have been enough. I think I would have been okay. But I pushed myself further and got into my 40s and kept working at a high pace. The reason why I retired is because I was losing a step, and I could see when I’d watch me on film. I didn’t like what I saw, and 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.”

He continued, “That occurred when I went back to the WWE for the second time, and that was in 2017. When I came back, they wanted to induct me into the Hall of Fame. I was like, ‘Vince, I’m not done wrestling.’ He’s like, ‘Well, we’ll get to the wrestling.’ Then that night after the Hall of Fame, he said, ‘I want you to be a General Manager of Raw.’ I was like, ‘Vince, I want to wrestle.’ He said, ‘It’s coming.’ So he made me General Manager of Raw for nine months, and during those nine months, I was inactive. I never got in the ring. I was so busy doing General Manager stuff, I couldn’t get in the ring. By the time they had me wrestle, I looked like an old man. Taking those nine months off, especially at my age, close to 50, I shut down. My body shut down. My knees were bent full-time, I couldn’t straighten my knees out. I had to have knee replacements. Now, my knees straighten out.”

Angle has long said that he is not interested in coming back for another match, though he noted that he may have a bump or two left in him.

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Kurt Angle, Jeremy Thomas