WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle isn’t doing so well physically at the moment. During an interview with Chris Van Vilet, Angle noted that his quality of life is “isn’t so good.”
Kurt Angle Describes His Quality of Life as “Isn’t So Good” Heading into Fourth Neck Surgery
He went into his previous injuries from wrestling, something that he has done for most of his life. After over a decade in the amateur ranks culminating in a gold medal victory at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Angle entered wrestling through WWE’s training system in 1998.
A supernova talent, he was in the ring a week after training and made his way through the sizeable WWE developmental system. He would make his main roster in-ring debut at Survivor Series 1999 with a win over Shawn Stasiak.
His career in WWE and TNA saw Angle not only improve rapidly and collect World Championships, but it also saw him become riskier in the ring. That risk-taking approach mixed with his highly intense, physical style resulted in stacking injuries—many of which he wrestled through, worsening his condition.
As he explained to Van Vilet, he had his knees replaced last year and was coming off a back surgery from spring 2023. He still requires shoulder surgery and his fourth neck surgery. He’s part of a large and growing club of wrestlers who have had to get multiple surgeries to fix decades of wear and tear after years of just taping it up or using medications.
While Kurt Angle is proud of his accomplishments and of the entertainment he’s provided through his matches and feuds, he laments the damage of roughly 40 years on the mat and in the ring.
That damage has also resulted in years of painkiller use which has no doubt had its effects as well. Kurt Angle notes that regrets come from being unable to play and pick up his kids as he would want. He can’t be the father he’d want to be to them.
“I can’t really do anything with them. I can’t pick them up. I can’t play with them. I can’t run with them. So it’s a little disgruntling that I’m not able to be the father that I want to be.”
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