11-Time WWE Champion Heartbreakingly Reveals He’ll Never Wrestle Again
Sad news for the Kurt Angle stans. The 11-time WWE champion confirms he’ll never wrestle again.
Angle’s final wrestling match occurred at WrestleMania 35 on April 7, 2019, where he lost to Baron Corbin in a singles bout. Throughout his storied career, he endured a relentless string of injuries and surgeries, starting with a broken neck at the 1996 Olympics.
The Olympic Hero later underwent five major neck surgeries, two back surgeries, and double knee replacements, plus multiple procedures for shoulders, torn muscles, and other injury-related conditions. His resilience enabled him to wrestle at the highest level for over two decades, but the cumulative toll left his body unable to return to the ring.
Kurt Angle’s health challenges, especially in recent years, have made it impossible for him to perform, drawing a final curtain on his legendary career. Therefore, when he was recently asked if he’d like to face John Cena during Cena’s retirement tour, he was frank about his physical limitations.
Speaking on Mic Check with Mr. Anderson, he explained that, as much as he wishes he could be a part of The Never Seen 17’s retirement tour, it simply isn’t possible due to his extensive medical history. He noted that his body is “banged up” after years of surgery and pain, making any chance of returning or working an actual match out of the question.
“I wish I could, man. I can’t. That would be very tempting, but there’s just no way possible. I have had my knees replaced; I now need to have my shoulders replaced. I had five neck surgeries, two back surgeries. My body just is really banged up. There’s really nothing I can do.”
Kurt Angle on WWE-TNA Partnership
During his appearance on the Mic Check podcast with Mr. Anderson, Kurt Angle also discussed WWE and TNA’s partnership. He shared that he was excited and surprised by the collaboration, as it was something he never imagined would happen after the two companies had fought for years as competitors. He expressed hope that the Stamford-based company will eventually purchase TNA’s video library, allowing the fans to access his prolific work from his years in TNA.
“I was actually really excited, to be honest with you. I think I never thought in a million years, especially when we were competing against WWE, when Ken and I was at TNA, I never thought in a million years WWE would ever partner up with TNA, and the thing is, the reason why I love it, because I know eventually the WWE is going to buy the TNA library, and the WWE will now own all the Kurt Angle footage at TNA.”
He also shared that he feels proud that many of his greatest matches and moments were in TNA, where he spent a larger part of his career compared to the Stamford-based company. Click here to read King Kurt’s full quotes.