Why Kurt Angle Wasn't Worried About WWE Putting Him On ECW

When one thinks about Kurt Angle and ECW, the first thing that comes to mind is Angle nearly joining the promotion in 1996, only to walk out after witnessing the controversial crucifixion angle between Raven and The Sandman. 

Oddly enough, Angle eventually worked for ECW, albeit after it was rebooted under the WWE umbrella, in 2006, feuding with Randy Orton in a program that crossed over between ECW and WWE programming.

Angle discussed his time with the ECW brand on the most recent episode of "The Kurt Angle Show." He was asked if he was worried about being put on ECW during that time, as the revived show was seen as a distant third brand behind both "WWE Raw" and "WWE SmackDown" during its entire run. But at least at the start, the Hall of Famer had no concerns, due to how much he expected "Raw" and "SmackDown" to plug ECW, resulting in stronger viewership.

"I knew the first shows were going to be really highly rated," Angle said. "So I wasn't that concerned about it. But down the road, I would've been concerned, like five, six months down the road, because then you won't have that support of WWE, and you're on your own with ECW. But at the beginning, I knew that ECW ratings would be high."

In the end, Angle's stay in ECW didn't last long enough for the Olympic Gold Medalist to ever reach those concerns. Instead, he left WWE in August of that year, citing health reasons. He didn't return to WWE for over a decade, working for TNA/Impact Wrestling during that period.

If you use quotes in this article, please credit "The Kurt Angle Show" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription