Wrestlers Who Can't Stand Kurt Angle

WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle is one of the most iconic and decorated stars in the history of professional wrestling, who influenced many talents coming up through the WWE system today. Throughout his time in WWE, starting in 1998, Angle captured multiple titles, including the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championship. Angle was the fifth wrestler to achieve a Grand Slam in WWE, having won the previously noted titles as well as the Intercontinental and European Championships.

Angle also spent 10 years in TNA Wrestling, where he captured the TNA World Heavyweight Championship numerous times, as well as the X-Division title. Despite his gold-studded career both in the ring and in the Olympics, Angle has been open about his issues with addiction and how he fought to get sober from prescription painkillers and alcohol, recently shedding a derogatory nickname fans had given him as a result of his well-documented struggles, which initially stemmed from a multiple of injuries, including multiple breaks in his neck. Angle has been sober since entering rehab in 2013, and the former Olympian was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after the big, personal victory a few years later in 2017.

Throughout his time in the ring, the former Olympic wrestler would lock up with the likes of Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and many, many more. Though Angle is revered as one of the all-time greats, he didn't always get along with those he was working with in the ring, whether it be in WWE or TNA. From real-life relationship drama, to storyline love triangles, to shoot fights, there are some wrestlers, like Shawn Michaels, Jeff Jarrett, and even ECW's Sandman, who just can't stand Kurt Angle.

In 2004, WWE aired the fourth edition of its "Tough Enough" reality television series, where its competitors, who were after a $1 million contract, sometimes appeared on its regular programming. Competitors on the season included Mike Mizanin, who would be known as The Miz in the coming years, Chris Nawrocki, Ryan Reeves (who would eventually be known as Skip Sheffield, then Ryback), and the eventual winner, Daniel Puder. Out of all the men, Puder was the first to become best-known, if only for a fleeting period of time, due to his involvement with Angle.

Angle got involved with the contestants from "Tough Enough" on a November 2004 episode of "WWE SmackDown." The story was meant to make Angle look good, with the Olympian destroying the up-and-coming talent. Angle challenged any of the contestants to get in the squared circle with him for a match, and Puder, a trained mixed martial artist, accepted, only after Angle defeated Nawrocki, breaking the younger talent's ribs in the process. Puder and Angle tussled in the ring for a few moments before Puder grabbed Angle's right arm and forced it into an awkward position in a submission hold, and seemingly attempted to break it.

The referee saw Angle's arm go the wrong way and made a quick three-count despite Puder's shoulders not being all the way down on the mat. Following his quick victory, Angle shot up off the canvas and began to scream at his opponent, berating him face-to-face in front of the crowd.

Puder attempted to make a name for himself and did end up winning that season of "Tough Enough," but would continue to take abuse from WWE's veterans following his incident with Angle. He was beaten down in the 2005 Royal Rumble, with Angle getting some shots in himself, before being sent back down to OVW prior to his eventual release.

CM Punk is notorious for having issues with other stars and heat backstage, but fans wouldn't initially think that Angle would be someone he'd have issues with. However, due in part to Punk's straight edge lifestyle compared to Angle's previous addiction issues, the pair butted heads online. Back in 2011, Angle went on a rant on what was then known as Twitter and accused multiple stars, like Randy Orton and Jack Swagger, of stealing his moves at WrestleMania. 

Angle opened his stream of consciousness by telling WWE wrestlers to "not use his finish." Orton fired back, though Angle had then posted an apology and said his Twitter account had been hacked. Punk's Twitter fingers, however, were waiting in the wings, and he offered his own response. Punk chimed in and said, according to a post quoted by SEScoops, "'my Twitter account was hacked,' is the new: 'I'm a sloppy drunk douche.'"

In 2018, the pair had virtual words once again when Punk called TNA an "indie promotion" when he talked about wanting to work with Samoa Joe, who was then with TNA. Angle took to Twitter and bashed Punk for calling the promotion "an indie league." Angle said he was on top of WWE when Punk was trying to get a job, and it was his choice to go to TNA.

"If I ever see you, Punk, hide b****!" Angle ended the rant.

In more recent memory, Angle called out Punk for his actions during the press conference after AEW's All Out in 2022, often referred to as "Brawl Out." Following Punk's rant during the press conference that led to the backstage brawl, Angle called what Punk did "inexcusable." Angle said he understood why Punk was upset, but didn't find it very professional. Punk has seemingly never publicly responded to those comments.

While Angle has been involved in love-related storylines throughout his wrestling career, one real-life instance left him with some awkward heat with fellow wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett. Angle and his wife, Karen, separated in 2006, and officially divorced in 2008. Angle joined TNA before the pair's relationship broke down and Karen also became an on-screen character in the promotion. After the Angles' marriage ended, rumors began swirling around the locker room that Jarrett had started dating Karen toward the end of 2007, which was something TNA President Dixie Carter reportedly wasn't happy about, and Jarrett denied the relationship.

It was a TNA employee who anonymously called in to Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show and spilled the beans on Jarrett and Karen's relationship to the world, and at that point, the employee confirmed Jarrett had even moved in with Karen and her children. Carter was furious Jarrett had lied to her and suspended him. Jarrett took a hiatus from the company after Slammiversary in 2009 and wouldn't return until six months later. When he came back, Jarrett no longer had the backstage power he once did.

Jarrett and Karen got married in 2010 and real-life began to bleed into storyline. They would film segments at home alongside Angle's young children. Angle helped blur the lines by posting statements denouncing the segments on Twitter, calling them "appalling," and said it was Karen who walked away from their family in the divorce. Jarrett and Angle would go on to clash in numerous big matches in TNA.

Jarrett would set the record straight on an episode of "My World" in January 2023. He explained he had been quiet for the sake of his step-kids, but the rumor about him "stealing" Angle's wife was "the furthest thing from the truth" and he was tired of people bringing it up.

Another major WWE legend who had issues with Angle was none other than "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. While there was no long-term heat between the pair, there was certainly professional tension between them at points, and their issues seemingly stemmed from Michaels thinking that Angle was a stiff worker in the ring. 

It's surprising, however, as things between them started when Michaels was still in the middle of his first retirement, they had never had the chance to meet one another. Angle said that Michaels possibly could have thought he was a stiff worker due to the "Kurt Angle Invitational" storyline, where the Olympian was meant to squash jobbers and lower-card talent. Angle explained to Brass Ring Media that Vince McMahon was actually the one who told him to work that way during the invitational. Angle and Michaels wouldn't officially meet in the ring until the 2005 Royal Rumble, when Michaels eliminated Angle with Sweet Chin Music.

The pair got through the issues they had before even working together one-on-one, and put on a critically acclaimed match at WrestleMania 21, where Angle picked up the victory when he submitted Michaels with the Ankle Lock. The match went extremely well despite the men having nothing planned for the bout until four days before the "Showcase of the Immortals."

Despite the match going off without a hitch, in February 2021, Angle recounted on "The Kurt Angle Show" (via Fightful) that Michaels straight up let him know before their 'Mania bout that "he wasn't afraid of him." Angle said he didn't know why Michaels felt the need to say that, and it initially shocked him since he had been nothing but professional in the company, but he respected it.

Triple H is another WWE legend, like Shawn Michaels, who didn't have outright, lingering heat with Angle, but the pair did still have their minor issues throughout the heights of their respective careers. Their first storyline together came in 2000, late in WWE's Attitude Era, in a love triangle angle with Triple H's then-girlfriend, later wife, Stephanie McMahon.

In the summer of 2000, Angle began to show his affection for McMahon, who was also married on-screen to Triple H at the time. She was flattered by the attention, and in storyline, Triple H grew increasingly jealous and possessive, though Angle portrayed an innocent, awkward flirt. The angle led to a match at SummerSlam, also involving The Rock, who was champion at the time. During the match, Angle was actually injured when Triple H dropped him during a botched table spot, but he continued the bout.

Angle talked about the story and how it abruptly ended, with McMahon choosing her real-life partner and Angle moving on to other stories, on an episode of "The Kurt Angle Show." He explained he didn't know if someone got upset, or just didn't want to do the angle anymore, but WWE seemingly didn't want to continue the romance angle while Triple H and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin were in a rivalry.

In addition to the love triangle story, there were also backstage rumors at the time that Triple H felt threatened by the Olympian's fast rise in WWE. "The Game" allegedly had his concerns about Angle's inexperience in a professional wrestling ring, compared to amateur bouts, and was said to have struggled to believe Angle would be believable due to his size.

Eddie Guerrero and Angle were members of what later in history became known as the "SmackDown Six," or the six wrestlers who helped grow the blue brand and elevate it to the same level as "WWE Raw" after the first brand split in the company. The crew, which also included Chris Benoit, Edge, Chavo Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio, were heavily featured while Paul Heyman was the head writer of "SmackDown" and were all known for their work rate and match quality, whether they were facing each other, or teaming up to face other talent on the roster. The late Guerrero and Angle had a complicated, sibling-like relationship as they both rose through the blue brand's ranks.

They had great in-ring chemistry and were close friends outside of the squared circle, but Guerrero would accuse Angle of being rough with him in matches. The tension between them rose enough that at one point, the pair had an altercation backstage, which Angle has recounted on an episode of "Storytime with Dutch Mantell" and other podcasts. The former Olympian called it more of a "scuffle" than a straight-up fist fight.

Angle said it happened when he was part of The Honor Society alongside Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak, and they were facing Eddie and Chavo. Angle explained he was roughing up Chavo, but it was Eddie who confronted him backstage and said he was working stiff and hitting him too hard for real. Angle told Guerrero he didn't touch him, and they got into a shoving match, and Angle got the upper hand at the end, in his words, with a front face lock and choked his buddy out. When Angle went to apologize the next day, Guerrero said he wasn't ready to talk and they started fighting again, before finally making up like all brothers eventually do.

In between the time he was winning a gold medal in the Olympics and winning world championships and taking "WWE SmackDown" to great heights alongside the others in the "SmackDown Six," Angle was introduced to professional wrestling through one of the more extreme promotions in business history: Extreme Championship Wrestling. If that fact wasn't surprising enough, his introduction to ECW led to him having heat with one of its legends, The Sandman.

At the behest of fellow Pittsburgh native Shane Douglas, Angle was present at the 1996 ECW event High Incident. Angle was interviewed in the ring and was even on guest commentary during a match between Little Guido and Taz, but he left the building in Philadelphia when a segment involving Raven and Sandman got a bit too extreme for his taste. During the segment, Raven attached Sandman to a cross using barbed wire. Angle was shocked by how controversial the angle was, and worried his career prospects would be damaged if he was seen around and associated with the incident in Heyman's company. Angle went as far as to threaten to sue Heyman if he was shown on the same episode as the stunt. The threat didn't sit well with Sandman.

Sandman expressed his frustration with Angle's reaction in a 2016 interview with The Whig. He said the entire thing was blown out of proportion by Angle, who he said didn't know wrestling at the time, and everything was a shoot to him. Sandman explained he told Raven not to apologize for the segment, and if he did, he was "f****** crazy."

Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle had many historic matches throughout the time their careers intersected in WWE and while the pair seem to have the utmost respect for each other now, they were yet another pair in wrestling's history who had professional tension, though no outright heat. Many fans remember Lesnar's botched shooting star press at WrestleMania 19 against Angle, where he almost severely injured himself, but there was another point where a match of theirs injured Angle. 

The Olympian spoke to Chris Van Vliet about it and said one of the most painful things he's been through in the ring was when he "broke his neck" for the third time in a bout involving Lesnar when he hit him over the head with a chair. Angle explained that Lesnar "brought it" and went straight down on Angle's head instead of swinging the chair sideways. He said he heard his neck crack, and his right arm went completely numb.

The pair also tussled backstage, but for a shoot wrestling match rather than a real fistfight. Angle spoke with Sports Illustrated in September 2023 and explained that he and Lesnar faced each other in a legitimate amateur-style wrestling bout backstage in 2002. Angle said he got the better of Lesnar, despite being the smaller man, due to his experience. While Lesnar has amateur experience as an NCAA Division One champion, Angle said there was a lot of difference between collegiate wrestling and winning a gold medal in the Olympics. The pair never got into a shoot fight following the match, and respected each other even more.