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Former WWE champ Kurt Angle reveals dark details about his past drug addiction

Angle is currently wrestling on the independent wrestling circuit.

Former WWE champion and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle hit a low point in his life a few years ago, but most people probably weren't aware of how bad it was until today.

Angle made an appearance via phone interview on the Dan Le Batard Show on Friday, and he seemed pretty honest about a prescription drug addition that nearly derailed his life.

"I was taking about 65 extra strength Vicodin a day," Angle said on the show. "I was on a lot, and there was no way... I couldn't get out of it. The only thing I could do was eventually go to rehab and fix my life again."

The start of the addiction goes all the way back to Angle injuring his neck during the Olympic trails for the 1996 Games. Angle suffered a neck injury in those trials, but he still competed in the Games with the injury thanks to painkillers. Angle would win the gold medal in the 100 kg freestyle wrestling class in Atlanta.

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Angle's issues with addiction came to a head in 2013, when he picked up his fourth arrest for a DUI-related charge in five years. Angle later entered rehab, which — despite Angle being with rival promotion TNA at the time — WWE paid for as part of their Wellness Policy extension to all former performers.

The good news is that Angle says he has been sober for three years, which is fantastic for a guy who admittedly abused painkillers and alcohol in combination. Hopefully Angle is able to keep up with his sobriety, as it is a good story for those that may have faced demons in the past.