Kurt Angle opens up about his failed drug test and suspension from WWE in 2006

During a recent edition of The Kurt Angle Show podcast, Kurt Angle talked about his failed drug test and suspension from WWE in 2006 shortly before he left the company…

“Dr Black, that’s who called me. He was a WWE Doctor. He called me and he said, ‘Listen, you failed a drug test’. I was taking painkillers but I had a prescription for those at the time. Dr Black told me I got hit for this drug. I told him I had a prescription, and he said it was overdue so you’re suspended, and I told him to go f**k himself and hung up on him. Then Vince McMahon calls me and says, ‘Listen, you can’t tell Dr Black to f**k himself. Call him back and apologize, and you’re suspended for 30 days’. I called Dr Black and I apologized to him and I ended up being suspended for 30 days. It was something that I had a prescription for but I just allowed it to go past due.

“Vince (McMahon) told me I was suspended. ‘Take the month off, go home, and rest. You need it anyway. Just bide your time and sit at home and take it easy’, and that’s what I did. When you do get suspended, they do have you wrestle a couple times before (you get sent home). The reason is, they want to make people. I wrestled Randy (Orton) at Vengeance and then Rob Van Dam at the ECW taping, and I did jobs for both of them before I exited. That’s one of the things you have to do when you’re suspended. You have to lose graciously and bow out.”

“I knew I would return. I had something to prove. I wanted to get back there cause I felt very bitter about the suspension and knew I wanted to come back. The problem with me was I was never happy. When I was home resting, I wanted to be on the road. When I was on the road working, I wanted to be home. Like I said before, my behavior became so erratic. It was out of line with everybody. It was the toughest time of my life. It’s hard for me to say this, but I was really close to death. I really was. I knew I was unravelling and I knew something needed to happen soon.” (quote courtesy of WrestlingInc.com)