50 Absolute Worst Things WWE Has Done In The 21st Century

What a disgrace.

Kurt Angle took to pro wrestling like a duck to water when he traded Olympic success for sports entertainment in the late-90s. By the end of 2000, Angle had already claimed the WWF Title and secured his seat at the head of the table as a reliable headliner. It was a meteoric rise, one peppered with countless excellent matches, comedy flourishes and more. Kurt was the man, and the fun kept going once he joined TNA in 2006.

There was a lot of fanfare for Angle's WWE comeback in 2017. The company honoured him with a Hall Of Fame induction, then kept him busy as an onscreen character whilst everyone figured out if the man was physically fit enough to work some marquee matches. That side of things was spotty at best, because Kurt's body was failing, but the way he bowed out was humiliating for somebody so world class and important.

WWE put Angle in a nothing match vs. Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35. Their bout went approx 6 minutes, and was sandwiched in between a Triple H vs. Batista 'No Holds Barred' clash and an Intercontinental Title scrap pitting Finn Bálor vs. Bobby Lashley. Creative spared Kurt the "death spot" right before the main event, but it went out 14th on a 16 match card and felt totally rudderless.

Corbin won without Angle putting up much of a fight, then the celebrated 'Olympic Hero' waved to the crowd before disappearing. That was it. That was all Kurt got for years of classic matches, working through broken necks and more. Few icons as mighty as him have been treated so poorly.