Stone Cold's doctor advised his former WWE rival to retire

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin's doctor told a former WWE Champion to retire after he suffered a major injury. The star in question is Kurt Angle.

Kurt Angle suffered his fair share of serious injuries over the course of his iconic in-ring career. He broke his neck multiple times during the peak of his career.

On the latest edition of The Joe Rogan Experience, Angle revealed that after he broke his neck again, Stone Cold Steve Austin's doctor told him to retire.

Check out Angle's comments below:

"You know, it's crazy. I had a doctor when I broke my neck the second time. He wanted me to do fusion. And he told me it's gonna have to be three levels. That I have to retire. I was like, 'Oh, that might not be an option.' Same doctor that Stone Cold Steve Austin had. And Steve still has problems to this day." [6:11-6:30]

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Stone Cold Steve Austin retired in 2003 because of multiple injuries

At WrestleMania XIX, Austin lost a singles match to The Rock in what was his last WWE match. Several injuries, including a serious neck injury, were responsible for his decision to step away from the ring permanently. Austin made his surprise return to the ring 19 years later to face Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38.

Austin later revealed to Ryan Satin that he wasn't fully in in-ring shape for the big match:

"When I tell you I was in good shape, I was doing cardio at the house as hard as I was working out but not the in-ring activity. It's very specific cardio and when [Kevin Owens] comes in or Drew, they're road warriors. It was short notice, but as hard as I worked out, I still wasn't in shape because they were doing a specific task." [H/T WrestlingInc]

As for Angle, he retired from wrestling at WWE WrestleMania 35. It's highly unlikely that Angle will ever make a return to the ring.

What would have been your reaction if Angle had retired back in 2003?

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