Kurt Angle is considered by many to be one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time. However, he officially retired from wrestling after he was defeated by Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35. The WWE Hall of Famer has remained adamant about his retirement, but it’s clear that he’s still in great shape.
During the MCW Autumn Armageddon event on Saturday night, Kurt Angle got into a tense confrontation with former WWE star James Ellsworth. Things escalated quickly as Ellsworth attempted to hit Angle with a superkick. Unfortunately for Ellsworth, Angle blocked the super kick and applied the ankle lock. After Kurt Angle released the hold Ellsworth escaped as he was pulled out of the ring.
#WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle attacked me unprovoked at .@MCWWrestling https://t.co/t7kih8o1uV
— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) November 8, 2026
Even though Kurt still has the moves a return to the ring for a full match is unlikely as the former WWE Champion has stated that he had to retire because his body shut down. According to Angle the shut down happened during the nine months that he wasn’t actively wrestling due to the fact that he was working as the Raw General Manager.
“I never got in the ring. I was so busy doing General Manager stuff, I couldn’t get in the ring. And by the time they had me wrestle, I looked like an old man. Taking those nine months off, especially at my age, close to 50, it just shut down. My body shut down and literally, my knees were bent full time, I couldn’t straighten my knees out. I had to have knee replacements. Now my knee is straight, but I had a rough time in that ring.”