Kurt Angle Does Reddit “Ask Me Anything”

Kurt Angle did an “AMA” on Reddit, answering questions from wrestling fans.

“I am Olympic gold medalist, thirteen-time world champion and soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer, Kurt Angle. Ask Me Anything!”

Here are a few interesting questions/answers, though there are a lot of other interesting ones also.

Hey Kurt, I know you’ve touched on it before but what exactly were your thoughts and how scared were you when Shane didn’t go through the glass on that suplex?

I knew something was wrong immediately. I mean, we were told earlier in the day, “Listen, don’t go near the glass! No pyro tonight. No fireworks because this is sugar glass. It will break. It will crack. It will ruin the whole gimmick of the match!”

When we were wrestling and I went to throw Shane in and he didn’t go through it, I thought, “Man, that is some hard sugar glass!” (laughs)

Unfortunately, they called the magic, the stunt guy, I guess that’s the term they used for the stuff he put together for matches and he gets the equipment. He ultimately ordered the wrong glass or they sent the wrong glass. They said it was sugar glass but it was actually plexiglass. If I had known that, we never would have went through it.

Shane had multiple, you know, fifty, sixty stitches. He got cut up pretty well. We both ended up in the hospital that night. It was the most brutal match I ever had been in. Unfortunately for Shane, I didn’t know what to do. The second time I threw him through the glass, he wouldn’t go through and I literally threw him face first. Had I known that was plexiglass, I never would have done that to him! Even myself, when I threw him through and my arm followed through, the glass went into my arm and I was cut up pretty badly.

That was probably one of the most dangerous things I had ever done. I don’t know anybody who has ever gone through plexiglass on purpose! That was, well, it wasn’t a dumb move, it was just the wrong stuff.

What prevented you from returning to WWE before 2017? Why now?

They didn’t want me. And I understood why. You know, when you screw up so many times, your reputation is destroyed. It doesn’t matter how good you are or how much the fans want you back. If you’re a publicly traded company, you’re looking at Kurt Angle and saying, “Okay, he’s been in a lot trouble with drugs. He’s had four DUI’s, he’s out of control. We haven’t had him in for eleven years. Is he really worth it? Will it have a negative effect on the business? Will he be a liability?” So I understood.

I’ve been trying to get back into the WWE for the last two or three years. But they wanted to see how I played out. You know, they wanted to know if Kurt Angle really is who he says he is right now. Is he a recovering addict? Is he really drug-free? Is his neck healthy?

There were a lot of questions going on I’m sure in Vince’s mind. You don’t think he wanted to bring Kurt Angle back? Of course, he did! But, it just wasn’t the right timing for it until now. I would pass any drug test right now and I’m sure the WWE knows that.

Ultimately, they thought that I was good and that I am in a good place in my life right now, happily married, I look great, I’ve been wrestling really well at the indy circuit, so I really believe all those attributed together and my AngleStrong initiative, made WWE realize, “this is the time. This is when we bring Kurt Angle back.”

Your Royal Rumble 2003 match vs. Chris Benoit is still my favourite match of all time.

My match with Chris Benoit… the only reason why that’s not my favorite match of all time is because it always has an asterisk next to it. Most of my best matches were with Chris Benoit! So, you’re taking away all that history I had with him. I get it, but gosh dang! How are you ever going to place Kurt Angle in the history books as one of the best of all times but you can’t really count Chris Benoit’s matches?