Kurt Angle Discusses Diet, 2009 Weight Loss While In TNA

By 2009, Kurt Angle had firmly established himself as the man in TNA as the World Heavyweight Champion — a title he'd hold on six occasions. Among his many title defenses that year, Mick Foley came calling at Victory Road. Yet for a wrestler normally billed around the 225-pound mark throughout his career, the Olympic gold medalist was noticeably leaner around this time due to shooting the movie "End Game."

"That's from the movie, I had to get down to 195 pounds. I had to lose 35 pounds," he revealed on "The Kurt Angle Show" "It wasn't easy, man. I had to diet my ass off."

Fast forward to the present, Angle carries himself around 215 pounds. And while he admittedly wasn't eating a whole lot during this period of time, he couldn't stop drinking. "And don't forget, at this point in time, I'm still drinking a 12-pack of beer every night. So, that's 1,200 calories," he added. "I had to have a 2,000-calorie-a-day meal or plan, so I was only eating 800 calories because I had to have my liquor."

Angle has been very open about his addiction to both painkillers and alcohol over the years, but nowadays is nearing a decade of sobriety. During this particular stretch, though, from the weight loss to the personal problems, things weren't going well. "I lost a lot of muscle size because of that," he continued. "I'm a wreck. I was a wreck, I really was. You can't even recognize me here."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Kurt Angle Show" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.