Have you ruled out a Kurt Angle return, or do you think it's still possible?

[Creepy Old Man]

Bringing the former WrestleMania headliner and six-time world champion back to WWE seems logical, but there's the baggage of injuries and alcohol abuse. Word was that WWE flat-out turned him down. Then we heard that WWE told Angle he could have a full-time deal, but nothing else (a polite way to kill talks before they begin)? Then we heard he was headed back to TNA to be revealed as Dixie's "big announcement". Then we heard a return to TNA was by no means a lock and that said announcement was a new TV deal.

WWE have worked the sheets before, but I suppose you can't get into the mindset of thinking everything's a work. If a sober Angle passes a physical, there's so much can be done with him (unseating Rusev seems like a no-brainer). He claims to be pain-free due to getting the required surgeries and enjoying a lighter schedule in TNA, and has been off the booze for well over a year (WWE actually footed the bill for his rehab, per policy). I'm not sure Jake and Hall were clean as long, yet were invited back.

What's your view?

 

[TheICChampion]

Yeah, but Jake and Hall weren't coming back so they could wrestle, just to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Angle will probably only come back for his imminent induction. That being said, despite WWE's predictability in certain situations, this one is too tough to call. If Angle doesn't want to (or can't) work full time anymore, but that's all WWE wants out of him, then I'd say it's not gonna happen. Kinda weird how they agreed to part-time status with Lesnar, who's younger and can clearly still go, but Angle's not gonna be given the same treatment? I'd bet he'd accept less than what they're paying Lesnar.

 

[Mudlup50]

If we're talking a return before November 2015: then no. At this point I've given up hope, and I'm sure I'll get a lot of flak for this but I don't really care. I'm all for some part timers but if he shows up now he's fighting with a lot of part timers for the little bit of season. So anyway, I don't see him coming back soon.

But absence makes the heart grow fonder and within the next 3 years I fully expect him to show up in some facet. Whether it's as a part timer or a legends deal, I can't imagine they're pushing Angle away forever

 

[kadroan]

I think he's going to GFW. They're a new company and his name can help build the credibility of their company unlike WWE where he'd be loss in the shuffle of the other part timers during WresteMania season.

I'd love to see Angle return to be inducted in the Hall of Fame and put on some great matches with Cesaro, Bryan, Rollins, etc but that would be him doing the same thing RVD and Jericho has been doing the past few years.

The WWE doesn't need him. Sure, a showdown with Rusev would be great to put Rusev over but they got plenty of established talent to do that with Rusev.

 

[Navi]

I heard the same thing, that Angle wanted to come back, but the WWE only offered him a full time position. Apparently he wanted a legends contract, which I would assume would allow him to work part time when pleases him.

The fact that they turned that down and offered him something else, which they probably knew he wouldn't take, shows they didn't want him in the first place. If I had been Anglw though, I would have called their bluff. It may have come back to bite him in the ass but he would have had his foot in the door.

I don't see him every being in a WWE ring again. He's not getting any younger and really the only feud that would interest me would be him and Rusev.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Kinda weird how they agreed to part-time status with Lesnar, who's younger and can clearly still go, but Angle's not gonna be given the same treatment? I'd bet he'd accept less than what they're paying Lesnar.

It's Sting that puzzles me. WWE is practically ******ing Mr "I might have one left", yet can only offer Kurt Angle – a guy who was headlining for WWE at the peak of the Attitude Era and was far more recently relevant – a full-time, 300+ days per year schedule? Doesn't make sense.

 

[stingray11214]

Look,
Trips will NEVER give Angle a decent contract. No way, no how. He left on very bad terms, and he was far from sober for a long time. What Kurt REALLY needs to do is to get an NCAA coaching gig. With his championships and Olympic Gold Medal, he would be very powerful catnip to some kid looking for a well-coached wrestling program. If Kurt wins a few titles, not even Trips will dent Angle a spot in its HoF.

 

[OYDK]

Man, WWE loves to feed false info to these dirt sheets. I usually take everything I read on here with a grain of salt, because in my experience the WZ cycle seems to be this: rumor, rumor contradicting first rumor, rumor guaranteeing something, rumor that things are not as certain as they seemed, repeat... Especially with situations such as the current one with Kurt Angle as we've seen many false reports on people like CM Punk, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, etc.

I think anything is possible; HHH has shown that he can be flexible when he wants to but imo I don't think WWE would take the risk with Kurt Angle unless they absolutely knew for certain that he could remain sober... which I don't think they do. Maybe I'm wrong; if TNA's announcement is not that they re-signed Kurt Angle, than I don't know where he would end up. Definitely not GFW as he would have to be at every show in order to build the brand and I doubt he would put his body through that for little pay, so maybe WWE is still an option.

 

[Dirk]

I don't really see an option on the poll I can choose.

He won't return, but not because he's a liability. Angle can still make WWE some money. The issue is his health. His body has been through so much and TNA's more relaxed schedule is why he was able to keep doing what he does best.

Offering a man of his worth and age a full-time schedule is a dick move. If you don't want or trust the guy, tell him so. Don't pull this phony shit.

The other thing is that we won't see Angle on WWE-television for at least another 90 days, since he's still on TNA as a GM. However, he probably won't have a show to be GM of for much longer.

 

[pepentorresHHH]

I'm sure we'll see him again. What I'm unsure of its if we will see him wrestle again. TNA might go down but GFW is only just starting. It seems the time is now for him to come back Home.

That said i think HHH doest want to make this happen. A full time deal is WWE way of telling Angle they are not interested in the kind of deal Kurt wants or needs right now.

 

[Mustang Sally]

If we're talking a return before November 2015: then no.

Then again, if he can't realistically return before then, there's still time to get something done with WWE, despite Angle's pronouncements that something big was coming as soon as his contract expired a couple months ago. He wanted to keep us guessing; instead, he might have overplayed his hand.

Still, I admit to an evil pleasure at the notion that after all of Kurt's announcements these past months ("Maybe I'll go to WWE and maybe I won't") were premature on his part and he wasn't calling the shots as he believed......in his rumor mill blurbs, he seemed so damn sure that his self-proclaimed standing as a wrestling immortal pretty much guaranteed he could write his own ticket.

Now that his contract expiration date has come and gone, I've been thinking that TNA was his only real option....and even at that, if they were to take him back, it would be at a vastly reduced salary.....essentially, they'd be doing him a favor to help him save face. That's what I'll think until next Fall comes around and we (presumably) learn for sure whether Angle has a place in wrestling anymore.

 

[Messiah]

Kurt Angle belongs in TNA.. That's where he should stay. He should end his career in TNA. WWE is behind him, there's no good reason for him to go back. His wrestling career is pretty much over anyways. He may as well just end it in TNA.

 

[Its Clobberin' Time]

Would be nice to have him back in some form...maybe as the new General Manager if the Authority is defeated??

 

[TDFG]

Angle's body can no longer cope with a full-time schedule, I'm a little surprised this apparently wasn't offered by WWE, Angle could put on a good match with anyone on the roster and put a couple of guys over that need that big victory.

If TNA go bust, I see him going to GFW or Japan on a part-time schedule, he could fit into the Bullet Club or whatever it's called.

 

[Navi]

Angle's body can no longer cope with a full-time schedule, I'm a little surprised this apparently wasn't offered by WWE, Angle could put on a good match with anyone on the roster and put a couple of guys over that need that big victory.

If TNA go bust, I see him going to GFW or Japan on a part-time schedule, he could fit into the Bullet Club or whatever it's called.

They did offer him a full time schedule, when I believed he only wanted a part time schedule. That tells me they don't want or need him and made sure he was offered something he wouldn't take.

I also don't see him going to Japan either, he's just not that young anymore and it's maybe time for him to hang up his boots and retire.

 

[MC_Live]

Should he come back? Absolutely. Will he? Not anytime soon. I don't get why. WWE is so high on using part timers these past few years. Why not use Angle? He's one of the biggest stars to ever come out of the company, not to mention one of the best ever in the ring. Not resigning Kurt Angle, even to a part time deal, is just leaving money on the table. But for some reason, WWE doesn't see it that way. Kurt Angle has to be inducted in to the Hall of Fame one day. That will happen. But it's just a matter of when. I would prefer to see Kurt in 2015, but I don't think we will. I want to see more Kurt Angle WWE matches, as there are so many great matches he can have with the up and coming roster. Can you imagine if Kurt was on RAW next month and started a feud with Seth Rollins? Until WWE changes their mind, Kurt's gonna be stuck in the smaller companies. In the words of James Hetfield, you know it's sad but true.

 

[HeroForHire]

This is a tough call. You can't buy too much into what rumors say. They just signed Randy Orton to a lighter deal, and I can see maybe Kurt just working TV shows and PPV. That doesn't seem like a bad deal to me. He doesn't have to work the house shows, but he can always be on TV. Didn't HBK have something like that?