Kurt Angle Reveals The Key Role Vince McMahon Played In His Early WWE Success

Kurt Angle won an Olympic gold medal with a broken neck in 1996, and before the end of the decade was a star in WWE.

Angle is an American gold medalist, so on the surface, a clear babyface character. However, with WWE fully ingrained in its Attitude Era, a slight pivot in tone led Angle to become a hated heel and made him a successful star who ended up wrestling in main events with top talent like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, and The Undertaker.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Angle gave Vince McMahon credit for his early success as a character. Angle said it was McMahon who made the slight tone shifts, which set him up for the run he had in the company.

"He's (Vince McMahon) the one that come up with intensity, integrity, and intelligence. He's the one that came up with my character. He wanted me to talk about my accomplishments and not brag, but try to be modest, while still bragging. Vince is the one who came up with it and I played it perfectly, because he kept on with it and worked extremely well."
Kurt Angle

Olympic Gold Medalist to WWE Champion

Kurt Angle first won the WWE Championship soon after his 1999 debut. In 2000, Angle defeated The Rock at No Mercy to win the belt — his first world championship in the company. Before that, Angle had been the WWE European and Intercontinental Champion.

Angle is a six-time world champion in WWE and a six-time world champion in TNA. Angle left WWE in 2006 and joined the rival promotion, and would go on to be a face of TNA opposite Sting, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, and others.

Angle returned to WWE and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017. He became the Raw General Manager and eventually had his last match against Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35.

Kurt Angle on Vince McMahon: He's the one that came up with my character. #HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/q3DbNQvmUC
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) October 22, 2025

Since his final match, Angle has made a few appearances for WWE, including a guest spot on Raw Reunion, a role as special referee for a match on Raw between Cedric Alexander and Drew McIntyre, and an NXT appearance as special guest referee for the Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher Fight Pit match.

Vince McMahon is no longer involved with WWE's business. He resigned from his post as Executive Chairman of TKO Group in 2024 after a lawsuit by a former employee.

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