Tag: Kurt Angle

WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle Reflects on His TNA Run: “I Think I Had a Better Career There” – Angle Gives Health Update

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently opened up about his time in TNA Wrestling and offered a surprisingly honest comparison to his legendary WWE career. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Angle revealed that despite his iconic run in WWE, he believes his best in-ring work came after he made the jump to TNA in 2006.

“I had a better career, too. I had better matches,” Angle admitted. “That’s really hard to say because I had some great ones in WWE, but I came into my own [in TNA]. You don’t really hit your stride until six or seven years in, and that’s right when I left WWE.”

Angle said that joining TNA reignited his passion for wrestling, especially given the wealth of fresh talent on the roster at the time. He went on to list several of his top opponents, including AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Sting, Jeff Jarrett, Bobby Roode, and James Storm, among others.

“When I left WWE, I was salivating because there was so much untapped talent in TNA,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to get down there. I take pride in that period — I think I had a better career there.”

Angle also noted that his move to TNA seemed to spark an influx of big names from WWE joining the company, such as Kevin Nash, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan, which helped TNA build one of its strongest rosters ever.

“Once I went to TNA, I felt a whole slew followed me… we had a lot of good years and great talent,” Angle said. “I’m proud of what we accomplished.”

Health Update: Angle Shares How He’s Managing Injuries

Angle didn’t shy away from discussing his ongoing health struggles, a result of decades of intense physical competition. The Olympic gold medalist shared that while some surgeries have helped, others haven’t gone as planned.

“I had my knees replaced, and that was a blessing — no pain there,” Angle said. “But I had surgery on my lower back, and that didn’t work at all. What did help was core training. Not the surgery — the training.”

However, Angle revealed he’s now facing another tough decision regarding his shoulders.

“My doctor told me shoulder replacement surgeries are a 50/50 deal,” he explained. “He suggested waiting a few years because technology’s improving. So for now, I’m holding off.”

Despite the setbacks, Angle continues to train and stay active, though he’s careful not to overdo it.

“I just go through the motions and keep my body in shape. I have to keep my weight down because my knees are only supposed to last 20 years — if I gain too much, that drops to 10.”

Kurt Angle’s legacy spans both WWE and TNA, but hearing him reflect so fondly on his time in the six-sided ring underscores just how important that chapter was to his career — and to the evolution of modern wrestling itself.

Kurt Angle Confirms He Will Never Wrestle Again Following Recent Surgery

WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle has revealed he will never be lacing up the boots again due to his recent surgery.

WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle has recently undergone a double knee surgery, which he has confirmed will bring an end to his professional wrestling career.

Of course, the Olympic Gold medalist did officially have his final match at WrestleMania 35 against Baron Corbin, with WWE building up that fact ahead of time, with Angle having a final run against a variety of wrestlers on the run towards that match against the likes of Chad Gable and Samoa Joe.

However, in wrestling, the popular phrase is “never say never,” particularly when it comes to retirements, with plenty of wrestlers having made a return over the years after claiming they were done, and that always led to questions regarding Angle, even if he had competed on the independent scene again rather than WWE, especially after he showed himself in great shape recently.

His final run in the ring didn’t quite live up to the hopes that most fans had, with Angle himself admitting he had hoped to wrestle first and then go into a role like the Raw General Manager, but the company ended up going in the opposite direction.

The WWE Hall Of Famer recently spoke with the Two-Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast about his recent surgery, and why he doesn’t plan on stepping into the ring again to potentially risk his two new knees.

“My knees were shot. I had to have them done. I didn’t have a choice,” Angle said. “Now with the knee replacements, no. I’m not going to mess these knees up.” (h/t to Fightful)

The double knee surgery was a major operation for Angle to undertake, but for him, it was important to get it done as soon as possible so he could begin moving on from that situation.

“Well, you know, usually you have one at a time because it’s — you’re gonna be destabilized. So with me, the thing is, I wanted to get them out of the way. I just wanted to get them done and move forward with my life and not have to worry about the other down the road,” he said. “I can walk around. I’m still in a lot of pain, though.”

Angle is now focused on his road to recovery to get back to being able to walk comfortably again, while he will no doubt continue to make appearances in the wrestling world down the line in a non-wrestling capacity.

Source: TheSportster

Kurt Angle Reveals Scrapped Plans For His WWE Return

On his podcast, Hall of Famer Kurt Angle revealed that WWE canceled plans for his return to the company.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle revealed on his podcast that there were indeed plans for him to return to television.

Before last week’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, it was reported that Angle would be traveling to St. Louis, Missouri — the host city of the event. Royal Rumble was held inside The Dome at America’s Center. This naturally led to speculation that Angle would be a surprise entry in the 30-man Royal Rumble match. That never wound up taking place, however.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show (h/t WrestlingNews.co), the Olympic gold medalist explained that he went to the Royal Rumble as the company wanted him “to do a short program that they ended up canceling it at the last second.” Angle added they “had a great time”, as they got to visit Kim Orton, who’s close friends with his wife, Giovanna.

Angle added that he did some interviews for documentaries and took photos with fans. The former WWE Champion stated that his canceled program was scheduled to last three weeks, emphasizing that he isn’t signed to WWE right now.

The men’s Royal Rumble match greatly lacked in surprise entries. Shane McMahon was an unannounced “surprise” return, though many reports stated ahead of time that he would be back. Drew McIntyre had been out of action for almost a month with a neck injury before showing up unexpectedly as the No. 21 entry.

Source: TheSportster

Kurt Angle Reveals WWE Called Him To Appear On TV For “The Next Month Or So”

On the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the former Olympic Gold Medalist revealed that he will be coming back to the WWE in time for the build up to WrestleMania 38. Angle was seen at this past weekend’s Royal Rumble with Shelton Benjamin and teased that he will be with the WWE for the “next month or so.”

“I did [receive a call] from WWE and they want me to be involved in the show for the next month or so,” Angle mentioned. “I’m really excited about it, so we’ll see what’s in store for me.”

After retiring at WrestleMania 35 in a loss to Baron Corbin, Angle was released by WWE back in April of 2020 and hasn’t been seen with the company since. After stating numerous times that he was offered several roles with AEW, Kurt Angle never appeared with the company and will seemingly make his return on-screen for WWE shortly.

During a previous episode of the podcast, Kurt Angle teased possibly coming out of retirement and wrestling again. It’s unclear what Angle will be doing during the lead up to WrestleMania 38,.

During the podcast, Kurt Angle also spoke about William Regal being released by WWE recently and why he was surprised by the move. Regal has been steady with the company for the last 20+ years, most recently recognized for his role as the NXT General Manager for the past eight.

“I was surprised, he was a huge asset to the company,” Angle said. “He was a great trainer and coach, one of the best technicians I have ever known. He was a big plus for the company. I was really shocked they let him go.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to The Kurt Angle Show

Kurt Angle On Memphis Wrestling HOF Induction, News From Jerry Lawler’s Wrestling Reunion

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle was inducted into the Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame this past weekend at Fitzgerald’s Casino Event Center in Tunica, Mississippi.

The ceremony was held along with the “Jerry Lawler’s Wrestling Reunion” meet & greet and wrestling event put on by WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler.

Other names inducted into the Hall of Fame were Scott Steiner, Downtown Bruno Lauer (aka Harvey Wippleman), Tommy Rich, Reggie B. Fine, and Tony Falk. For those who missed it, you can click here for video of Steiner’s match with Lawler at the event. Some of the other legends and Hall of Famers appearing for fans throughout the day were Ricky Steamboat, Bill Dundee, Randy Hales, Doug Gilbert, Koko B. Ware, Sgt. Slaughter, Jerry Calhoun, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, and others.

Angle took to Twitter today and commented on being inducted.

“I was inducted in into the Memphis Wrestling HOF this past weekend. My 16th Hall of Fame that I’ve been inducted into. #MemphisWrestling has an amazing tradition with so many great names that went through their promotion.Thank you for this great honor. #memphiswrestlinghof,” Angle wrote.

The events drew a sellout of 800 fans plus some standing room crowd, according to PWInsider. Kevin Lawler, Jerry’s son who was previously known as Freddy Gilbert in ECW, ran the backstage portion of the show. Casino officials were said to be thrilled with the event, and with how many hotel rooms they booked, and are already talking about a return event in 2022.

You can see Angle’s full tweet below, along with some photos from the events:

https://twitter.com/RealKurtAngle/status/1439992827228925960
https://twitter.com/KiLynnKing/status/1439760212207063047

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Pulls Kurt Angle From Another Convention Due To AEW

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has been pulled from his scheduled appearance at the WrestleCade 2019 convention in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, according to promoter Tracy Myers and Yes! Weekly.

WWE pulled Angle from the event, which takes place in late November, and offered no replacement. WrestleCade Weekend co-owner Brian Hawks was told that Angle could not appear because they are associated with All Elite Wrestling. WrestleCade says it is not officially connected to any other wrestling promotion, including AEW.

The deposit for Angle’s appearance was returned immediately but WWE did not offer a replacement for Angle, according to John Pollock on Twitter.

As we’ve noted, WWE also pulled Angle and The Undertaker from the upcoming Starrcast II convention after they had already signed deals to appear, due to the relationship with AEW. Both Angle and Taker recently signed new WWE contracts and the company has the power to withhold them from any events that are deemed not in the best interests of WWE.

As noted, Angle revealed that he has signed a new five-year deal with WWE during his recent Wrestling Inc. interview with Andy Malnoske, which aired on the WINCLY Podcast. You can can hear the interview below or on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and TuneIn. Angle said he plans on doing some part-time work for the company under the new deal, and he will work as a Producer.

“I signed a five-year deal with WWE,” Angle said. “I’m going to do some part-time – if they need me in front of the TV, maybe managerial, where I would be managing some wrestlers. But the most important thing is I’m going to be a producer. I’m going to help the wrestlers with their technique. I’m going to help them structure their matches. It’s something I’m very good at. I thought I’d be able to contributor the company [in that role].”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Kurt Angle Reveals Length Of His New WWE Contract And New Role

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle spoke with Wrestling Inc.‘s Andy Malnoske last weekend about why it was more difficult being RAW General Manager than a WWE Superstar. Angle also discussed his new WWE contract, along with future roles he expects to be in.

In 2017 on the Raw after WrestleMania, Vince McMahon announced Angle would be the new RAW General Manager. Angle held down that role until August of 2018 when he was replaced by Baron Corbin.

“Being a General Manager is harder than wrestling, it really is,” Angle said. “You’re involved in every storyline and there’s so much to remember, it just gets confusing. I carried that role as good as I could, I thought I did okay at it.”

After moving on from the GM role, Angle began working more matches as WWE eventually built it towards his farewell match at WrestleMania 35. Angle would lose to Corbin in his final bout with the company, but according to Angle we should see him again down the road, thanks to his new five-year deal with WWE.

“I signed a five-year deal with WWE,” Angle revealed. “I’m going to do some part-time – if they need me in front of the TV, maybe managerial, where I would be managing some wrestlers.

“But the most important thing is I’m going to be a producer. I’m going to help the wrestlers with their technique. I’m going to help them structure their matches. It’s something I’m very good at. I thought I’d be able to contributor the company [in that role].”

Angle’s full interview with Wrestling Inc. was included in yesterday’s episode of their WINCLY podcast. The full audio can be found HERE. In the full interview Angle discusses if Baron Corbin was the right final opponent for him at WrestleMania, if he plans to ever wrestle again, his King of the Ring match with Shane McMahon, how the milk truck idea happened with, walking away from wrestling and more.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Undertaker And Kurt Angle Pulled From Starrcast II

WWE is reportedly “exercising its right to withhold talent from any events deemed not in the company’s best interests” by pulling The Undertaker and Kurt Angle from Starrcast II.

Event organizer Conrad Thompson told Sports Illustrated a deposit was made to Undertaker before announcing his inclusion in the event back in February. Shortly after, however, he was contacted by The Dead Man’s management team who told him WWE said he couldn’t appear at the event.

Taker’s deposit was returned after the two sides spoke.

“I had a friend discuss the situation with Vince McMahon, and I was assured the ‘heat’ wasn’t on me or my event but rather that The Undertaker shouldn’t be doing personal appearances outside of WWE,” Thompson told Sports Illustrated. “I was assured that damages would be covered, a suitable replacement offered, or some sort of compromise to make everyone happy.”

Adding, “I suggested Vince McMahon, Hunter, or Stephanie McMahon … and I said I would donate 100 percent of the proceeds to Conor’s Cure and match the donation personally, which would turn a negative into a positive for everyone involved.”

Unfortunately, Thompson was told he couldn’t book main roster Superstars. He then tried to book Shawn Michaels, but HBK reportedly backed out due to “the close proximity of Starrcast and AEW.”

“I asked to keep Kurt Angle and announce Shawn Michaels as the replacement for The Undertaker,” Conrad explained. “I offered to book everyone ‘through the office.’ I wanted to play by the rules but I felt like I already had, since each of these guys were actively marketing themselves for outside appearances via booking agents or their own social media. I have checked in daily for a week now and nothing is changing.”

According to SI, Kurt Angle and Undertaker both signed new WWE deals after taking the booking which allowed their employers to keep them from appearing at Starrcast II.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Cody Rhodes Announces Kurt Angle For Starrcast II

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has been announced for the loaded Starrcast II convention.

Angle joins The Undertaker as current top WWE Superstars scheduled for the big event, which takes place during All Elite Wrestling’s Double Or Nothing weekend from Las Vegas in late May. This would be almost two months after Angle’s Farewell Match against Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35.

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes took to Twitter on Monday night to announce Angle for Starrcast II. He wrote, “It’s true, It’s damn true, Kurt Angle is coming to Starrcast II!”

Starrcast II takes place May 23-26 from the Tuscany Suites & Casinos at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Full details on the convention can be found at Starrcast.com.

You can see Cody’s tweet below along with a list of guests currently advertised for Starrcast II:

The Undertaker aka Mark Calaway
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair
WWE Hall of Famer Sting
Eric Bischoff
Bruce Prichard
Tony Schiavone
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash
WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall
WWE Hall of Famer Lita aka Amy Dumas
WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat
WWE Hall of Famer Sean “X-Pac” Waltman
WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson
WWE Hall of Famer JJ Dillon
WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham
WWE Hall of Famer Tully Blanchard
Tommy Dreamer
Colt Cabana
Magnum TA
Joey Ryan
David Arquette
WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather aka Charles Wright
Jerry Lynn
Konnan
WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk
Dylan Postle aka Swoggle aka Hornswoggle
Rob Van Dam
Leva Bates
WWE producer “Hurricane” Shane Helms
Brian Pillman Jr
The Blue Meanie
Bill Apter
Madison Rayne
Ashley Massaro
Dan Soder
Mike Lawrence
Ron Funches
LA Park
El Hijo de LA Park
Sean Mooney
Nyla Rose
Kylie Rae
Sonny Kiss
Chuck Taylor
Trent Beretta
Dan St. Germain
WWE Hall of Famers The Rock n’ Roll Express
WWE Hall of Famer Mil Mascaras
WWE Hall of Famer Greg Valentine
Mark Madden
Scott Norton
Angelina Love
Velvet Sky
Vampiro
Brandon Cutler
Sammy Guevara
Ace Romero
Kip Sabian
Jimmy Havoc
Scarlett Bordeaux
Killer Kross
Dave Meltzer
Bryan Alvarez
Matt Mitchell aka Casio
Alex Marvez
Dr. Britt Baker
Cody Rhodes
Brandi Rhodes
The Young Bucks
Kenny Omega
Chris Jericho
Christopher Daniels
Frankie Kazarian
Scorpio Sky
Adam Page
Joey Janela
Penelope Ford
WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn
WWE Hall of Famer Stan Hansen
WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart

Source: Wrestling Inc.

News On Kurt Angle’s Future With WWE

EWrestling.com reports that their affiliate website Rajah.com posted some news about WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle’s future with WWE. The following item come from Rajah Kumar, who often breaks the stories first on his official Twitter page (@RajahNews).

* WWE either will be or already has signed Kurt Angle to a new contract extension that will be seeing him work a part-time schedule as a road agent after WrestleMania 35. As is the case with all contracts WWE is offering talent, it will be a multi-year deal between three and five years. Either way, he will be staying with WWE for the long-term.