10 Things We Learned From Kurt Angle On Stone Cold's Broken Skull Sessions Podcast
8. WWE Told Him He Couldn’t Make Serious Merch Money
When he looked around at his upper-card peers in 2000-2001, Kurt could see that merchandise was the key to megabucks in pro wrestling. Austin had his 'Austin 3:16' shirt, The Rock had his own tees and everyone was making great money. Angle wanted in on that action, so he scheduled a meeting with Vince.
To his dismay, Angle listened as McMahon told him why he "couldn't" have the range of merchandise items he wanted. The WWF couldn't use the word 'olympics' on any company-produced items, and even his cherished gold medal was troublesome for the legal department.
Kurt didn't have any other ideas himself, which he regrets.
He told Austin that he wishes he'd been more "business savvy" back in those days. Aside from a few "It's True! It's True!" shirts, he never really had the sort of products that other top stars did. McMahon didn't want any lawsuits on his hands.