Nearly 11 years after leaving the WWE on less than good terms, Kurt Angle was admittedly nervous about meeting Vince McMahon. Come to find out, he had nothing to worry about.

“We met and the first thing he did was embrace me,” said Angle, who will headline the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame . “He hugged me like I was his son. It got really emotional. We didn't leave on the best terms. It wasn't bad terms, but there were some angry remarks, especially from my side and Vince was frustrated with me, with everything going on at that point in time.

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“To be able to come back and Vince say just let it go, let everything in the past go. We're here now, there's nothing you need to worry about that occurred in the past. Just worry about right now and the future. We have some wonderful plans for you in the future.”

Angle worked for the WWE from 1998 to 2006, but left the company citing burnout and personal issues that included addiction problems. A month later he debuted with TNA Wrestling, where he continued his career for the next decade, leading many to believe that a WWE return wouldn’t come anytime soon.

“I thought it would occur at some point in my life, I just didn't know this early,” Angle said. “I haven't thought about retiring yet. You typically get the call when you step down, but I was really honored. Whether I wrestle or not in WWE, which we haven't talked about, it puts the exclamation point on my career. I had a shorter career in WWE, about six-and-a-half years, which shows what kind of impact I made there. It made me feel pretty good about what I was able to accomplish in that short period of time.”

Angle joined the WWE shortly after winning the Olympic gold medal in 1996. The timing couldn’t have been better with the company in the midst of the wildly popular Attitude Era and an incredible amount of talent for him to work with.

“The one thing I was tentative about was starting at that time when it was so hot,” Angle said. “When you have that many individuals — (Steve) Austin, Rock, Undertaker, Kane was really hot at the time, Shawn Michaels, Brock Lesnar. It was like, 'Am I going to get lost in this when I start?' There's just so much talent. I didn't get lost. I actually rose to the top. Sometimes you want to be part of the most popular era, which definitely was the Attitude Era. At the same time, you don't want to get lost in that era. It was really hot at the time and I was really appreciative that WWE gave me that good push during that period.”

While Angle quickly adapted to pro wrestling in the ring, he had no idea about the entertainment side of the business, especially because he had never watched it until he signed with the company.

“I was clueless,” Angle said. “But they have a plan for me and they utilized it properly. I don't know how they did it. Vince McMahon thought, 'You're going to be our biggest heel.' I didn't agree with him. I was telling him I'm an Olympic gold medalist, what's so heel about that? He said, 'Trust me, they're going to turn on you.' He had a whole plan for me, the whole three I's thing.”

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It didn’t take long for Angle to catch on, preaching his three I’s — intensity, integrity, and intelligence — and quickly becoming a top bad guy.

“Vince McMahon was right," he said. "I had no idea of what he wanted me to do. I just did exactly what he told me to do. Everything worked out perfectly.”

In 2006, Angle was frustrated. He was working a tough WWE schedule that goes with being a top star. His body was breaking down, having broken his neck multiple times and rushing to return each time. Plus, his addiction problems were spiraling out of control. He wanted out.

After a tough meeting with McMahon, he got his wish. But as the years went by, McMahon never stopped caring about him.

“Vince was my father figure,” Angle said. “He really took care of me. Even when I was having the painkiller problem, he was trying to get me to rehab. He just treated me like a son. He treated me very well. My body just couldn't hold up to that vigorous schedule; as much as I wanted to stay, I just couldn't. With my painkiller issue, that was another issue where I felt like a liability to the company. They didn't know the amount I was taking.”

Angle has been trying to get back to the WWE for three years after he says he “ruined his reputation” going through drug and alcohol issues that included four DUIs in five years. He understood that there were concerns that something bad happened on their watch.

But the 47-year-old has turned a corner in his life, having been clean and sober for nearly four years. He used his experiences to develop the “Angle Strong” app to help others suffering from addiction.

“There's all kinds of information from AA meetings or rehab meetings closest to you, daily positive messages,” Angle said. “We're going to have a monthly video call with me with all the members of ‘Angle Strong.' What makes the app so special is it has so many features to it. A chat where recovering addicts can talk to each other about their issues. There's a check-in policy — you have to check in every day. If you don't check in, your lifelines are notified. That's your loved ones, your family members, your sponsor. If you do relapse, it's GPS-enabled so we're going to find you. This app is really incredible. It's going to save a lot of lives and, hopefully, it will keep so many people in recovery.”

BREAKING: @JohnCena will induct the man he debuted against, @RealKurtAngle , into the @WWE Hall of Fame on March 31! https://t.co/KFXMwoKIDk — WWE (@WWE) March 16, 2017

While Angle is thrilled to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, he’s not ready to end his in-ring career just yet. But right now, there are no plans for him to wrestle.

“I'll sit down and talk to Triple H and Vince McMahon and see what direction they want to go,” Angle said. “I know, for sure, they want me to work in the company, most likely in a non-wrestling capacity. They know I've been active and they know that I can still go just as well as I've ever gone.

“We haven't talked about it but, I'm sure, in the back of their minds they're thinking we're going to release Kurt Angle on some of these talents in the future. It's not guaranteed and I have not talked to them about it at all. Seeing people like Sting and Goldberg come back to do some programs, it's promising that Kurt Angle will get a shot.”

Time will tell whether that will happen. But for now, the focus is on March 31 — just two nights before WrestleMania 33 — at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., when he takes his place in the Hall of Fame.

“I'm just glad that I can be a part of WrestleMania one more time,” Angle said. “I'm hoping that won't be the end of my stint there. If it is, I'd be 1,000 percent satisfied. I couldn't ask for anything more than the company to take me back.

“It feels good to be back home in WWE where I started. I always wanted to finish my career there and I didn't know if it was ever going to occur.”

Brian Fritz can be reached at btrfritz@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on Blog Talk Radio.