Kurt Angle says WWE ECW move felt like demotion

In June 2006 WWE relaunched ECW as a third brand alongside Raw and SmackDown. Olympic gold‑medalist Kurt Angle, then a top star on Raw, was transferred to ECW. He later described the move as a "demotion," saying he was told he would wrestle in smaller arenas and take a pay cut.

Angle recalled a conversation with WWE chairman Vince McMahon in which McMahon explained the change. At the time Angle felt bitter, questioning why he should accept the shift. He later speculated that McMahon may have intended to cast him as a modern‑day Taz, blending technical wrestling with ECW’s hardcore style, but he did not appreciate the plan then.