Kurt Angle appeared on the latest episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, where he discussed several compelling topics, including the way his wrestling career concluded and his belief that it should have ended a decade earlier than it did.

After departing WWE in 2006, Angle joined TNA Wrestling and has often praised his time there. In 2017, he returned to WWE, where he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and appointed as Raw General Manager.

Angle later wrestled a handful of matches before retiring, recognizing that his body was no longer capable of performing at the high level he once maintained. His final match took place at WrestleMania 35 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, where he faced Baron Corbin.

Reflecting on his career, Angle said:
“You know what I wish I would have? I think I wish I would have finished my career in WWE, 10 years shorter. WWE and TNA. So, in other words, instead of 20 years, I think 10 would have been enough, and I think I would have been okay, but I pushed myself further and, you know, got into my 40s and kept working at a high pace. The reason why I retired is because I was losing a step, and I could see it when I watched me on film. I didn’t like what I saw, and I didn’t want the fans to remember me as a broken-down Kurt Angle. I wanted them to remember me when I was in my prime.”

He also discussed the challenges of his 2017 WWE return:
“When I came back, they wanted to induct me into the Hall of Fame. And I was like, ‘Vince, I’m not done wrestling.’ He’s like, ‘Well, we’ll get to the wrestling.’ And then he said that night after the Hall of Fame, he said, ‘I want you to be a general manager of Raw.’ I was like, ‘Vince, I want to wrestle.’ He said, ‘It’s coming.’ So he made me the general manager of Raw for nine months, and during those nine months, I was inactive. I never got in the ring. I was so busy doing general manager stuff I couldn’t get in the ring. And by the time they had me wrestle, I looked like an old man. Taking those nine months off, especially at my age, close to 50. I shut down. My body shut down, and my knees were bent full time like I couldn’t [straighten] my knees out. I had to have knee replacements. Now, my knee is straight. I had a rough time in that ring.”

When asked about a potential return to WWE in 2009, Angle explained why it didn’t happen:
“No, I was happy in TNA. I was literally moving along nicely. And I love being there. The great thing about it is, you know, you got to be creative yourself. They would give you an idea, a promo, and you would write the promo and do it. And you know, when you wrestled, usually you have agents that will structure the matches for you. We did it ourselves for the most part.”