Vince Russo Says WWE Sabotaged Kurt Angle's Retirement Match Because of TNA Past

In 2006, despite being at the top WWE, Kurt Angle opted to leave the company for TNA and a lighter work schedule. But in 2019, Vince Russo says WWE is exacting their revenge on Angle for his departure by giving him a ho-hum retirement match at WrestleMania 35.

It's worth noting that Russo is historically prone to wacky theories but given the amount of unrest surrounding WWE's choice to use Baron Corbin to retire one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, his suggestion isn't impossible. In an interview with 411 Mania Russo depicted WWE as a highly unforgiving company, one that wouldn't forget Angle's untimely exit in 2006.

"I don't think it has anything to do with giving the fans what they want," Russo said. "I don't think it has anything to do with them doing it their way. Here's what it has to do with, bro. I worked for the WWE, okay, so I'm not talking out of school here. They are a very, very vindictive company. They will personally embarrass, belittle, degrade, punish a WWE talent in total disregard to what the fans think, what's the right thing to do. That's exactly what they do. Bro, I know Kurt Angle. And look at the history of Kurt Angle. Kurt Angle left the WWE and went to TNA. That was Kurt Angle's decision. Now bro, I've learned better than anybody, when you leave the WWE, and you leave them and it's your choice to walk away, when you make that decision, you are blackballed. You are the enemy. Nobody walks away from us. We fire you. Nobody walks away from us.

Russo went on to connect the dots of his theory, using WWE's treatment of Angle as evidence that WrestleMania 35 is a final middle finger to the Olympic Gold Medalist.

"So, trust me. The way I've been treated, I understand clearly, when you walk away on your own terms, you are the enemy. They will go out of their way to bury you and make you look bad. That's exactly what they've done with Kurt Angle from day one. They brought him in as the authority figure. Stephanie McMahon cut off his nut sack every single week. Kurt Angle never got a payback. He had to sit there with his hand on his crotch. Finally, he's going to have his last match, his last big match, and who is it against? Baron Corbin. That's their way of getting back at Kurt Angle. They're childish. They're juvenile. That's the way they've always been. That's why I have zero interest in ever going back to that company again on a full-time basis because of things like this," he said.

When Angle announced that WM35 would be his final match, most fans instantly booked John Cena as the right man for the job. While there is no shortage of precedent between the two, WWE instead elected Corbin — a decision that has been rejected by many fans, Jim Ross, and even Angle's wife.

"Thank god Kurt Angle is a pro. Kurt Angle knows what's going on. Kurt Angle expected it. Kurt Angle had to beg them to even take him back. And thank god. I'm sure he's making a lot of money and laughing all the way to the bank, but that's just the vindictive nature of the WWE. That's the way they've done business. That's the way they've always done business."

So does Russo have a point? It's impossible to know, but his quotes are relatively salient due to the context of the situation. WWE has long been known for its cold treatment towards wrestlers who strayed, but would they stoop as low as sabotaging Angle's final match? Well, it depends on how you feel about Baron Corbin. If you think that his inclusion at 'Mania is WWE trying to maximize a young heel's potential, then there's no foul here.

However, if you feel Corbin's presence is so out of alignment with reasonable t, then Russo's quotes are going to seem undeniably valid.