10 Wrestlers Who Hated Working For ECW

2. Kurt Angle (2006)

Kurt Angle reappears on this list for the second time. First for his condemnation of the Crucifixion angle in the original ECW, now for the time when he was drafted to the resurrected ECW in May 2006. It was short-lived as Kurt was dealing with an excess of personal troubles at the time like a crippling dependence on prescription medication, his marriage breaking down and his neck being in terrible condition. Other than a win over Randy Orton at One Night Stand, a match against then ECW World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam and developing his ‘Wrestling Machine’ gimmick further Angle didn’t have many other highlights in his time spent on the third brand.

Angle saw himself being downgraded when he was drafted, coming from the highs Raw and SmackDown! had given him with multiple world title reigns. His last match for ECW was against Sabu in August. By that time Angle had had enough. It frustrated Angle to the point of asking and being granted his release in August, showing up on TNA (WWE’s rival at the time) the very next month.

Angle has spoken of his time spent on ECW in 2006: “I was probably on the road over 300 days a year. I was getting injured quite a bit. I did have a problem with painkillers. When they brought me into ECW, I felt like it was a demotion. Even though it wasn’t. I don’t think they planned it to be. They didn’t mean to, but they set that company up to fail. And I felt like I was part of it.”