Kurt Angle was in rough shape at the end of his first WWE run back in 2006.

Angle had been drafted to the ECW brand. He was to be positioned as the brand’s top star but things didn’t last. That’s because, at this point, Angle dealt with nagging injuries, a painkiller addiction, and personal problems at home.

Throw in WWE’s rough schedule and it didn’t make things easy on Angle’s mind and body.

During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist revealed the breaking point that signaled the end of his first WWE run.

“Oh, it wasn’t just a groin injury,” he began. “I tore my groin muscle, tore it. Tore my hamstring, my left hamstring, my left groin muscle, and my lower left abdominal muscle. All of them tore. They bruised up, my whole crotch and my hamstring and leg were completely black in three hours.”

Angle continued, “The blood rushed to it and the swelling was so disgusting, I literally didn’t know what to do. Here I was, I just got finished with a match with RVD and I probably needed to go to the hospital and I didn’t.”

Angle had to wrestle Danny Doring in a house show match the following night. He couldn’t go through with a full match so he just ended up head-butting Doring and made him tap via Ankle Lock in a matter of seconds.

It was at this point that Angle knew if he didn’t leave WWE, his life would be in danger.

“I had my head down, I grabbed my stuff and walked out because I knew right there I made the decision I wanted to leave the company. That was it, that was my last straw. I knew that my body couldn’t handle what I was going through. I knew that the painkiller problem was just getting worse. The marital problem, it wasn’t getting any better. I was just [in a] really dark time in my life and I knew that if I didn’t get out of this environment, something really bad was gonna happen.”

Kurt Angle ended up signing with TNA Wrestling that same year. He’d stick with the company until 2016. The following year, Angle made his return to WWE. Today, Angle is retired from the wrestling industry and has been putting his focus on other things.