“He Scolded Me When I Needed to Be Scolded”- Kurt Angle Details His Backstage Relationship With Vince McMahon

Kurt Angle went out with a bang 2 years ago as he helped put over Baron Corbin in what would be his last ever WWE match. The Olympic Gold medallist waved goodbye to fans at WrestleMania 35, losing the fight but winning the hearts of everyone present.

However, the real moment came backstage when all characters were dropped, and Angle wished the locker room well. Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, the legend recalled an emotional moment backstage after the fight. 

“Well, it was cool, because Vince brought all the talent into the Gorilla (room), a lot of them and some of the producers, and they all gave me a standing ovation, which was really cool. I didn’t deserve the standing ovation. But, you know, I guess my career deserved it,” said Angle. 

Kurt Angle highlighted his close relationship with Vince McMahon

‘The American Hero’ also touched on his close relationship with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who he claimed was like a father to him.

“Vince came up to me and hugged me. I’ve always been close to Vince. We’ve always had, like a father-son relationship. So, you know, he’s treated me like a father too. He scolded me when I needed to be scolded. And he rewarded me when I needed to be rewarded. So he’s been a great father figure to me,” admitted Angle.

“And, you know, he also has the ability to have you learn lessons, you know, he can be very hard on you. But it’s usually because you deserve it. So him saying that he was proud of me and ‘congratulations on your retirement,’ It meant a lot to me.”

Kurt Angle was released from his WWE contract as part of the company-wide budget cuts due to the lockdown last year in April. This cut off any chance for his involvement backstage either. 

He has often expressed the fact that he wanted to go out in a bigger fashion rather than being a ‘filler’ for the stacked WrestleMania card. However, he understood WWE’s position and decided it was time to step down.

“I had no choice but to retire,” said the former WWE Champion, admitting that his time in WWE had come full circle. We may not see Angle in the WWE ring again, but he may at any time decide that he has one last round left in him.