Kurt Angle’s retirement at WrestleMania 35 last year didn’t go exactly as a lot of people were hoping for. After a storyline about Jason Jordan being his long lost son fizzled out due to a bad injury on Jordan’s part, Angle faced Baron Corbin in his final match, which wasn’t a popular decision since a lot of fans dislike Corbin.
As Angle explained in an interview with Chris Van Vliet (transcript by Wrestling Inc), his entire last run at WWE went in a different order than he would have liked:
The plan for me was to wrestle first, do the general manager role second and Hall of Fame third. For me, they went the opposite; Hall of Fame first, GM second and wrestle third. For me, that was a lot harder.
Kurt also says that he decided when he wanted to retire, even though Vince wanted him to stay longer:
I knew I was done when I went to Vince McMahon and told him I wanted to retire after this past match at WrestleMania. I believe he wanted me to go another year, but I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I know what I’m capable of now, and it’s not enough for me to be comfortable going out there and performing if I can’t do it like the old Kurt Angle. I don’t want to do it anymore.
As for the original plan for his Mania opponent, it’s no surprise for anyone who followed the storyline at the time:
It would have been Jason Jordan. Jason, unfortunately, got injured, but that would have been my opponent at Mania. I adore that kid. He’s so talented. He got a lot of heat for being my son. He played the part great – he was a spoiled brat. He was using me to get what he wanted. A lot of fans hated him just like Baron Corbin, but I think that’s good. He was really good in the ring.
Angle also provided a current health update for Jordan, who is currently working backstage at WWE, having still not been cleared from his injury:
He’s good. I expect him to come back. He’s still waiting. He has some problems with his circulation and using his left hand. So, he’s going to have to wait a little bit longer. He might need another surgery, that might be why he still is not able to function properly, but he’s a lot better than he was.
But if you think Kurt Angle’s going to throw shade at the opponent he did face at WrestleMania 35, think again.
Baron’s a great wrestler.He’s a great talent. A lot of people don’t like him, but he’s good at his job. He’s the top heel in the business right now. I know people might naturally hate him, but that’s a good thing. I got to wrestle the top heel in the business, that’s how I look at it.
