Kurt Angle Discusses Why He Didn’t Wrestle John Cena At WrestleMania 35

Kurt Angle wrestled his final match this past April at WrestleMania 35. His opponent was Baron Corbin, much to the chagrin of the WWE Universe, several superstars and former backstage personel.

Many had expected John Cena to face Angle in his retirement match, given that the two competed during Cena’s debut.

Speaking with Collider Live, Angle discussed his WrestleMania retirement match, and why Vince McMahon elected for Corbin over Cena.

“I decided to retire at ‘Mania,” Angle said. “Vince didn’t tell me ‘Listen you’re done after ‘Mania.’ I went to him and said ‘Listen, I want to retire. I’m not able to do what I used to, and if I can’t be the old Kurt Angle, I want to be done now,'” he explained.

“I was hearing a lot of feedback from people that Kurt looks like he’s in pain in the ring and he’s slower then he used to be, and it’s like ‘Guys, I’m 50 years old, of course I’m slower.”

Kurt thought that WWE was hoping he would be able to face Cena next year at WrestleMania 36. When he asked to retire at WrestleMania 35, Vince infortmed him he was already involved in a feud.

He recalled being told by Vince McMahon that “You have a program that you’ve been doing for a year; I’m not throwing it away. It’s with Baron Corbin, so whether you want to retire now or whenever, you’re going to wrestle Baron at WrestleMania.”

Angle agreed, saying “You know what, that’s fair. You’re right.’ I can’t just change the whole thing and what they had planned and say ‘Hey, add Cena in.’ So I think that if it was next WrestleMania [36], it would have been John and I.”

Kurt Angle recently appeared in a backstage segment during this past Monday’s RAW Reunion special. He helped set up a matchup between Rey Mysterio and Sami Zayn.