Kurt Angle says "Perc Angle" reminds him of a dark time in his life.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has been open about his past struggles with his addiction to painkillers. For years, he has been called "Perc Angle", especially when fans talk about his run in TNA, as he jumped off of steel cages and did other extreme spots.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Kurt Angle was asked to comment on what he thought about the "Perc Angle” nickname.
“I know that fans, it’s almost like they want me to feel good about it. The fans are having fun with it. Because I was the best wrestler jn the business, so they want to say that Kurt Angle was Perc Angle. That’s why he was doing it, because he was all perked up. The thing is, I didn’t use painkillers while I was wrestling. I did them in the morning, and then at night, I would wrestle, and then I did painkillers after I got done wrestling. So I never wrestled high. Yeah, I was in a lot of pain. I got introduced to painkillers in 2003 after I broke my neck the second time. Not only did they mask the pain, but for me, they made me feel really good. I knew I liked it. I was drawn to it, like wow, this makes me feel energetic. So I know that’s kind of the euphoric feeling you get with that, but I loved it, and I knew right away that I’m gonna have a problem with these," Angle said.
Angle was then asked about the misconception that he wrestled so well in TNA because he was on painkillers, and he made it clear that you couldn't wrestle when you were under the influence, as it was practically impossible.
“No, listen, you can’t wrestle messed up. It’s gonna be sloppy. You’ve seen people in the past that have wrestled high. People are like, ‘What’s wrong with them?’ So you can’t do that. It’s almost impossible especially to have a good match. You have to be sober, or you’re not going to have a good match," Angle said.
Van Vliet later noted that no one thought about Angle as having a bad reputation anymore, as he had overcome his struggles with addiction. Angle noted that he had stayed clean, and people started to forget about it, aside from the "Perc Angle" jokes. When asked, he noted that the nickname hurt his feelings, but he knew the fans didn't mean it.
“I stayed clean for 14 years. Time always helps. When you’re not in trouble and you’re out of going against the law, you show that you’ve got your shit together, people start to forget it. The only time they remember is when they say, ‘Hey, remember Perc Angle.’ So that’s one of the things that I still have to deal with, but I understand it. For the fans, it’s more of a term of endearment. ‘How great was Perc Angle? He was awesome.’ So I know they’re not saying it to try to hurt my feelings. [Asked if it hurts his feelings]. Yeah, but I know they don’t mean it, and for that, I’m okay with if they say it. I don’t want them to say it to my face, but it is what it is. It’s a time when I was in a dark situation in my life, and that is the part I don’t want to remember, all the trouble I got into, the divorce I had, and a lot of things that were going on in my life that I don’t want to remember anymore," Angle said.
In 2020, Angle said that he was never "Perc Angle". Click here to see what he had to say.
Angle previously discussed moving to TNA after he left WWE. Check out his comments here.
Click here to see what Kurt Angle had to say about potentially inducting John Cena into the WWE Hall of Fame.
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