Kurt Angle remains one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time. His athleticism and skill could not be denied, but he also just seemed to get the entertainment aspect of the business, too. Simply put, Kurt Angle was willing to do what it took to entertain the crowd.
But Angle also played the role of an on-screen authority figure on more than a few occasions, for the most part in WWE. In his first run with the company, it was because of injury. When he returned to the company years later, being the General Manager of Raw was most of his gig, and Angle played the part perfectly.
10 Angle Has A Secret Son
In many ways, this was one of the most misguided gimmicks the WWE has attempted in the past decade. But it started out with a lot of potential, and the build-up to the announcement actually had fans intrigued by what was going on.
The reveal of Jason Jordan being Kurt Angle's secret son was an interesting moment, to say the least. Fans in attendance didn't know what to make of it. And a significant percentage of them wondered for a split second if it was true. It wasn't and everything that came after that wasn't great, but that first moment was at least gasp-inducing.
9 Disguising Himself As "The Conquistador"
When Kurt Angle was the General Manager of Raw, he ended up in a power struggle with Baron Corbin. It was an odd situation that frequently ended up with Corbin wrestling while dressed like the Best Man at a wedding who's giving a toast.
At one point, Angle was put on leave by Stephanie McMahon and Corbin used the time to abuse his unfettered power. He put himself in a 10-man Battle Royal he created to give himself a spot in the WWE World Cup. Disguised as "The Conquistador," Angle entered the match, eliminated Corbin, and won.
8 Punking Triple H And Steph Out In Front Of Rousey
"The Game" Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were working really hard on TV to get former UFC champion Ronda Rousey to sign with WWE. On one episode of Raw, they stood in the ring and gave her a huge pitch with a lot of flowery language. Unfortunately for them, Kurt Angle was also in the ring with them.
He cut through the line of bull they were selling Ronda and laid down some truth for her. It was an unexpected, and actually pretty funny, moment. The look on their respective faces was priceless.
7 Teaming Up With Ronda Rousey
The problems Angle caused Triple H and Steph ended with a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania 34. Ronda Rousey putting Triple H through a table on Raw certainly helped speed that process along, too.
Fans weren't sure what to expect from the match. But in the end, Rousey turned in a good performance, with her and Angle ultimately winning. While this wasn't his first match back in the ring since his return, fans were still incredibly happy to see Angle back in a WWE ring for WrestleMania.
6 Feuding With Stephanie McMahon
Not everyone who watches WWE is a huge Stephanie McMahon fan. But she's been around the business her entire life as well as being on WWE programming for decades. During that time, Steph has played a lot of different roles, including being the Women's Champion at one point.
Steph is at her best when she's playing a heel, which she was in opposition to Kurt Angle in his role as General Manager. The two of them played off each other quite well which served to enhance his position as a face authority figure.
5 Joining The Shield For One Night Only
At Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2017, The Shield was set to reunite and take on the formidable force of Braun Strowman, Sheamus, Kane, The Miz, and Cesaro. The problem was that Roman Reigns was suddenly sidelined with a medical issue.
The answer turned out to be Kurt Angle subbing in as a member of The Shield for one night only. This was Angle's first match in a WWE ring in 11 years, and it did not disappoint. Despite it being a 5-on-3 handicap match, the modified Shield team came out on top and Angle looked pretty darn good.
4 Feuding With Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin's reign as the Constable of Raw rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. To be fair, he rubs fans the wrong way no matter what he's doing. But his time as the "Constable" really irked people. He found new levels of being insufferable, which was actually quite impressive for a guy who had built a career out of being insufferable.
It's hard to deny that Corbin and Angle had good chemistry as adversaries. This was a big part of the reason why Corbin was the one to end the Hall of Famer's in-ring career at WrestleMania 35.
3 Ending Corbin's Reign Of Terror
As Corbin's time as the Constable dragged on, he started to accumulate more power. Things got particularly bad when Angle was sent on vacation by Stephanie McMahon. But Angle being Angle, he was there when the WWE Universe needed him.
At TLC 2018, Angle reappeared to help a group of superstars strip Corbin of his authoritative powers. He followed that up the next night on Raw by helping to make sure Corbin didn't then become the permanent General Manager. Seeing Corbin utterly defeated was a gift given to fans by Angle.
2 "Fired" By Vince McMahon In 2004
After losing to Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania XX, Angle's old neck injury resurfaced. While he recovered, WWE gave him the role of General Manager of SmackDown. He would use his power to continue his feud with Eddie Guerrero, costing him the WWE Championship against JBL.
During this time, Angle was a heel and the fans utterly hated him. Once Vince McMahon realized Angle's game, he showed up and hit Angle with a classic, "You're fired!" Angle was then cleared to return to action and did just that.
1 The Moment He Returned To WWE
When Kurt Angle left WWE in 2006, he was not in great shape. Nagging injuries were catching up with him and he was having substance abuse issues. He would spend the bulk of the next decade wrestling for TNA, though his personal issues did not improve.
After Angle eventually got his personal demons under control, he made his comeback to WWE as part of the Hall of Fame class of 2017. On the Raw after WrestleMania 33, he returned to regular WWE programming as the General Manager. Fans were overjoyed to see this influential superstar back where he started his pro wrestling career.