WWE legend Kurt Angle hasn't been shy about talking about his struggles with painkiller addiction, which happened when he was battling injuries. This combination created a volatile situation that ultimately led to his WWE departure, which was preceded by a confrontation with Vince McMahon that revealed how dire his condition had become.
Speaking on the "Story Time with Dutch Mantell" podcast, Angle opened up about the tense moment with McMahon that almost escalated into a physical fight, which occurred shortly before his release from WWE in 2006.
"I went up to have a meeting with him [Vince]. He drops three pages of typed text messages that I texted him while I was high. It says, 'Vince, why aren't you answering the phone? I'm gonna beat the s*** out of you when I see you, Vince I'm gonna kick your a**.' I don't even remember doing it," Angle admitted. "So Vince gets up and is like, 'You wanna fight me?' He takes his jacket off. He's right next to me, he's like, 'Let's go.' I started crying, I walked in [to Vince's office], I said 'Vince, I'm sorry, but if you don't let me go, I'm gonna k*** myself.' And I didn't mean that I was gonna commit suicide, I meant that I was gonna OD."
Later in the conversation, Angle detailed the injuries he was dealing with at the time, which catalyzed this incident.
"I got injured at a house show really badly. I tore my hamstring, my groin, and my abdominal muscle. And my leg was black and blue all the way down to my foot. I got really messed up," he said.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending as Angle is now clean and sober, thanks in large part to his wife.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the "Story Time with Dutch Mantell" podcast and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.
