7 Times Vince McMahon Wrongly Thought His Top WWE Stars Were Finished

7. Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle was described as a 'ticking time bomb' back in 2006. The years of serious neck injuries were taking their toll on his physical and psychological well-being. He had developed a serious drug problem and his behaviour was starting to concern his colleagues and WWE management. The belief was that Angle could very well become the next wrestling tragedy. WWE, and Vince McMahon personally, felt that Angle had to be let go, lest they have another wrestler-dead-in-a-hotel-room situation on their hands. So they released him. It was shocking to those not in-the-know, since Angle was still somehow performing to a world class standard in the ring. Was Angle done at 37? Hardly. He proved that he still had a lot left in the tank by having a tremendous run in TNA. Angle has been the company's MVP since joining in late 2006, having classic after classic after classic. It's interesting to think what kinds of matches Angle could have been putting on with the Daniel Bryans and CM Punks of the world, had he stayed. Has Angle avoided trouble since leaving WWE? No, he's had his fair share of issues, including but not limited to being arrested for DUI, drunkenly starting Twitter wars with WWE stars and being accused of harassing his then-girlfriend Rhaka Khan. As far as being a star and producing when the pressure is on, however, Angle has proven that he is more than capable of drawing ratings, generating fan interest and bringing it in the squared circle.