WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has discussed Vince McMahon nixing a possible return to WWE for Angle in 2015 with two simple words.
Kurt Angle proved to be a natural in pro wrestling when he joined WWE back in 1999 after a successful amateur career that culminated in a famous Olympic gold medal win in 1996. A natural winner, Kurt Angle soon picked up every prize on offer in WWE and became WWE Champion for the first time in 2000.
Six years later, however, Kurt Angle was on his way out of the company and soon joined TNA where he spent the next decade. However, during that time and at the time of his WWE exit, Kurt Angle was battling addictions and ended up with several very public DUIs.
Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic Hero revealed that he contacted WWE in 2015 about a return but Vince McMahon put a stop to that with two words:
“There was one point where I wanted to come back in 2015, and I reached out to Triple H, and actually, I’m sorry, I reached out to Terry Taylor. Terry Taylor reached out to Triple H and Vince and two words Vince said, ‘Bad reputation.’ Vince didn’t want any part of me in 2015. That’s when I had the DUIs, you know, my whole life was spiraling down. He had no interest in bringing me back.”
Thankfully, Kurt Angle did make a return to WWE in 2017 where he took his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame. Angle spent most of his return as Raw General Manager but did return to the ring. Famously Angle teamed with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 34 in Rousey’s first WWE bout and he returned to The Grandest Stage Of Them All one year later for his final match against Baron Corbin.