"I think Kurt was in denial" - Bruce Prichard addresses Kurt Angle leaving WWE for TNA
Bruce Prichard recently said he wasn't surprised to see Kurt Angle join TNA several years ago following his WWE release.
Angle has previously detailed how he suffered multiple injuries and was in bad shape towards the end of his first WWE stint. The multi-time world champion decided to leave the company for health reasons and was granted his release on August 25, 2006. The Olympic gold medalist, however, signed a TNA contract and wrestled later that year in November.
During the latest episode of his Something to Wrestle podcast, Bruce Prichard stated that Kurt Angle's move to TNA was not surprising as he knew the latter could not remain idle for long.
"No [on whether or not he was surprised to see Kurt Angle in TNA]. I think Kurt was in denial and I think Kurt needed something. Kurt always needs something to do." Prichard continued, "So while Kurt may say with his mouth, 'I need to rest. I need to do that. I need to rejuvenate. I need to do this to recover or what have you.' He will say the right things, but Kurt's drive will not allow him to sit and do the things necessary a lot of times."
“I never wanted to leave. I knew I had to for my own health, for my own frame of mind, for my own peace.
I didn’t have a choice, if I would’ve stayed. I honestly believe that I wouldn’t be around right now.”
- Kurt Angle on leaving the WWE in 2006 https://t.co/521AYbeXhd
Angle developed serious addiction issues in 2006, and his professional relationship with Vince McMahon had deteriorated by then as well.
Thankfully, after spending a couple of years wrestling elsewhere, he returned to WWE in 2017 for another stint. He even received a Hall of Fame induction from McMahon's company that year.
Kurt Angle was drafted to WWE's ECW brand shortly before his 2006 exit
In May 2006, the multi-time world champion became a part of the ECW brand. He gained 'The Wrestling Machine' moniker around that period and fought stars like Randy Orton, Rob Van Dam, and Sabu.
Kurt Angle even recently said that 'The Wrestling Machine' was his favorite character to portray in WWE.
His last televised match for Vince McMahon's company that year occurred against Sabu, which ended in a no-contest. He would not wrestle on WWE television until the TLC pay-per-view in October 2017.
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