In 2017, Kurt Angle made his long-awaited return to WWE, close to eleven years after leaving, to be inducted into that year’s Hall of Fame. Angle would wrestle a handful of times after his return, but never felt truly appreciated by the company during this run.
Speaking on Notsam Wrestling, Kurt reflected on his comeback and believes that leaving WWE in 2006 and subsequently joining TNA Wrestling was why he wasn’t appreciated.
“I just felt that my second time in WWE, I wasn’t so much appreciated. I think it has a lot to do with me leaving the company high and dry in 2006 and going straight to TNA. I was supposed to go back to WWE in six months. Vince [McMahon] wanted me to take six months off and come back. So literally, when I left his office and I quit, I called TNA and got a contract that day.“
Angle added that upon returning to WWE, management wanted to “teach him a little lesson” for opting to join TNA rather than return to WWE six months after his exit. In his TNA documentary DVD Kurt Angle: Champion, the Olympian said he asked for his release from WWE because he could not take time off and was working severely hurt.
Kurt’s WWE return saw him wrestle 19 times for WWE, amassing a 10-9 win/loss record before his WrestleMania 35 loss to Baron Corbin in 2019. While Kurt continues to make appearances, his return to the ring in WWE left a lot to be desired, and according to Angle, that’s all thanks to him making the choice to leave in the first place.