On this week’s “Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast,” Kurt Angle discussed his knee replacement surgery, his thoughts on Flair’s return to the ring, how he felt about his last run, and his relationship with Vince McMahon.
Kurt Angle was asked if he had knee replacement surgery to try to get back in to the ring again:
“No, my knees were shot. I had to have them done. I didn’t have a choice. I’m not going to mess these knees up,” Angle said.
“I’m not going to try. I’m just trying to have a better quality of life. I’m not trying to get back in the ring. I just want to feel better about my body.”
Thoughts on Ric Flair returning to the ring:
“I think it’s awesome. I think that if he’s going to do it, I’m not sure who’s going to wrestle. I was told possibly Ricky Morton, or maybe even Jay Lethal, but I think Ric needs to go with a younger wrestler, somebody that can carry him a little bit better. If he goes with an older wrestler, it’s going to look a little bit like two old men wrestling. I think that Ric needs a younger talent if he wants to have a great match.”
Angle was asked if he was happy with his last run to end his career:
“No, not at all. I went back to WWE. It wasn’t a big welcome home. It was more of a,’We’re going to show you what you did when you left us.’ I didn’t have any hard feelings about it, but Vince McMahon just didn’t have any plans for me.”
“I was doing more jobs than I was winning. I don’t blame him for that. I left the company high and dry in 2006, and coming back, I think he felt that I was a little bit of a liability because of my broken necks. I had four broken necks in WWE back in the 2000s. I also had a painkiller problem that I got myself out of, but I think that he thought I was a little bit of a liability so he didn’t want to utilize me the way he should have.”
On his relationship with Vince McMahon today:
“I have a great relationship with Vince. I did when I started. It got a little shady after I left. I was pretty bitter about what transpired with my injuries and the painkiller problem. It was just a lot going on at that particular time,” Angle said.
“I stopped contact with Vince when I went to TNA. But when WWE called me back from my retirement, we left off where we started. Basically, we became close again. He was always a father figure to me, and he still was when I returned to WWE.”
