"It was brutal" - WWE Hall of Famer recalls 'literally quitting' on first day

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently recalled 'literally quitting" on his first day in developmental.

Prior to his retirement, Angle was widely regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. He was fluid in the ring, and his charisma was infectious. His amateur wrestling background certainly played a role in helping in-ring skills.

However, even an Olympic Gold Medalist like Kurt Angle had to undergo training in WWE Developmental before he could debut on television.

During a recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic Gold Medalist recalled his first day in WWE Development, where he 'literally quit.'

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"Starting out, you only trained five days [and] you trained all day long," Angle recalled. "You're taking 300 bumps a day. It was brutal. I literally quit after the first day because I was like, 'I can't do this.' I told my manager I can't bump around like this [because] it's like beating the sh*t out of yourself."

Angle continued:

"He said to stay until the end of the day to see if I could make it and I did, but I was ready to walk out because it was like self-abuse. [And] the thing is, I was only doing this five days a month, then I would go home and wait for 25 days." [H/T Wrestling Inc.]

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What's next for WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle?

All those years of Angle putting his body on the line have finally caught up with him. He recently underwent back surgery and plans to go under the knife again soon.

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic Gold Medalist revealed that he plans to get neck fusion surgery in 2024.

"The crazy thing is I haven't been able to really play with them the way I want to because I had my knees replaced and my back surgery. Before that, it was all bothering me. I was really messed up. My neck is messed up. Next is my neck surgery. I'm probably going to have fusion next year." [H/T Fightful]

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While it's sad to see the toll professional wrestling has taken on Angle's body, we hope he can live a pain-free life after surgery.

What do you make about Kurt Angle's comments on his days in WWE Developmental? Sound off in the comments section.

About the author

Sunil is a pro wrestling journalist, covering AEW and WWE news stories at Sportskeeda. He holds an MBA degree in Marketing, and has nearly 7 years of experience. A wrestling aficionado since childhood, Sunil used to imitate his favorite wrestlers as a young kid, and started writing professionally about the sport via Sportskeeda’s revenue-sharing opportunity.

Sunil admires former world champions AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, and Kenny Omega for their ability to consistently deliver great matches as well as entertain crowds with their mic skills.

If ever given a chance to change a storyline, Sunil would have booked Roman Reigns to end The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak instead of Brock Lesnar. According to him, The Tribal Chief needed the victory more than Brock Lesnar, as the latter was already an established performer when he defeated ‘Taker. He would’ve also made that as Taker’s final match.

Always focused on making his work accurate and reliable, Sunil thoroughly checks his facts before writing his articles. When not writing for pro wrestling, he spends his time watching cricket.

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Edited by Angana Roy