Kurt Angle has spoken out on the multi-million dollar offer that he rejected from WWE following a meeting with Vince McMahon.
Kurt Angle Turned Down Huge Offer From WWE Before Joining
When speaking on his The Kurt Angle Show Podcast, he revealed how the offer was too much to handle at a young age: “I didn’t know what I was getting into. Going up there and then giving me the whole Limo treatment, first-class airfare and treating me like an important person, it was pretty cool. Going to Vince’s office and talking to him was a bit overwhelming.
“I knew of him, I knew who he was. He straight up just gave me a deal, a ten-year deal, take it or leave it. I asked him if I could talk to my agent first, Vince said that was fine. The meeting wasn’t long, I told him I was interested, but I didn’t know if I was going to sign it or not.”
So why did Kurt turn it down? Well, it was partly due to his team. He added: “I was brainwashed; I was told it’s not something you’d be interested in. The people that were telling me not to do it didn’t even understand it. They thought it was a bunch of stunts these guys were doing, fake fighting. They felt like they were taking a backseat to pro wrestling, amateur wrestling was the small league, and pro-wrestling was the big league.
“It was a very hard situation for me to be in, I was an ambassador for amateur wrestling being an Olympic gold medalist, and here I am selling out to the WWE if I go. My agent is the one that decided for me. He was an amateur wrestler and also played pro football; he decided you’re not going to do this garage. This isn’t the real deal.”
So does he regret that decision? Well, yes, as could be expected: “Winning the Olympic gold medal was the highlight of my life. If I would’ve died the next day, it wouldn’t have mattered. I would’ve been the happiest man in the world. But I didn’t plan for anything after that.
“I didn’t start my brand after that; I didn’t do anything to promote myself. I thought people were going to come to me, and after a year after the Olympics, people stopped coming. WWE is the one that knocked on my door, and I turned them down. Was it a mistake? Yes.”
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