10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Kurt Angle
All these problems, but not a Jason Jordan in sight...
Kurt Angle finally made his triumphant return to a WWE ring on 22 October 2017.
Replacing the virus-stricken Roman Reigns in the TLC 2017 main event, the Olympic gold medallist teamed with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to overcome Braun Strowman, Kane, The Bar, and The Miz. It wasn't the Angle of old, and his escalating physical degeneration was evident, but Kurt's first WWE bout in 11 years gave the fans plenty to cheer about - including a match-ending Shield triple powerbomb.
Gone since 2006, Angle came in from the cold this April, when he was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame. He was announced as Raw General Manager the night after WrestleMania 33, and played an affable authority figure on Monday nights. He has long since been removed from that role, and now, finally, his retirement tour is underway, with Angle set to bid wrestling farewell after 'Mania 35.
The company have understandably presented Angle as a noble white knight since returning, but their narrative is skewed. Few wrestlers have as many skeletons in their closet as Kurt, and while WWE do well to keep them from seeping into storylines, try as they may, they'll never erase the Olympian's checkered past...
10. Bestiality
PG has washed away much of the tastelessness that plagued WWE throughout the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras, but the promotion was a den of vice during Kurt's original run. Like many of his peers, the 'Olympic Hero' has indulged in more than his fair share of questionable storylines throughout the years, including his particularly obnoxious 2005 rivalry with Booker T.
The story saw Angle cast as a disgustingly creepy stalker, tormenting Booker's wife, Sharmell, with grim intentions. He regularly referred to her as a 'gutterslut,' and WWE crept into genuinely dark territory by having Kurt state he wanted to have 'bestiality sex' with Sharmell, suggesting one of two things:-
1. WWE writers don't understand what 'bestiality' means.
2. They expect their characters to have some truly repulsive personal habits.
Whatever the case, it was as creepy as it was unnecessary, and it made the former Raw General Manager look like the most reprehensible man in the company. Unsurprisingly, this rivalry doesn't feature too heavily in Kurt's career highlights packages. It's the kind of unfiltered filth that WWE will do everything to keep buried in the past.