Kurt Angle Back to WWE???

[JBK2008]

*This is my first post so don't be too harsh on me!!!*

So I couldn't help but notice that one of the headlines today said that WWE creative was actually pitching ideas about Kurt Angle returning to the company. He left for TNA what 2 years ago or something like that? I just want to know IF ( and that's a big IF) does return, which brand would he go to?

 

[JBK2008]

ECW...I know it sounds like a long shot, but he should start there and help develop the young guys. He can be dominant there. He can't land in Smack Down! because of HHH and Raw has Cena again. The way Matt Hardy has developed, I'd like to see Angle take on Matt. Finlay vs Angle also sounds great.

 

[grahambrown]

Right, Angles TNA contract runs up in September, so at that point the door would be open. As far as a specific brand that he would return to, I guess that's as up in the air as anything, although PWO says Michael Hayes (working for SmackDown) was potentially leading the charge to get Angle back in.

I'm sure Angle would get over again, he's the kind of guy that fans who like to stay in their secure WWE Superstar comfort zone will cling to. I personally think that this kind of action, pulling old superstars (who clearly left the company for legitimate reasons) back into the ranks, is hurting and will end up debilitating WWE. Angle took a step down, he went to TNA, so why put the time and effort into getting him over again. Angle will be 41 when he returns, and although his prowess in the ring is vast, no one can stay on top of their game forever.

WWE should NOT be allocating their resources toward rehiring old stars. The future of the company depends on getting new, quality talent and working on getting that over with fans who are stuck in the mindset that Taker and HBK are the only good wrestlers ever. There is a world of talent out there, and WWE needs to reach it.

 

[Showtime]

Were looking at a pretty cloudy future here. Angle's contract doesn't expire till next year September, in that time a lot can change in the WWE and most likely a lot of superstars will change shows, there will be new ones coming into the WWE, old ones leaving or retiring. My money would be Angle returning to RAW if he at all does return to the WWE. RAW is the flagship show and Vince is desperate for anything that will bump RAW's rating up. Angle I'm sure can do just that.

Rather than debate on which show I would want to see Angle on and why, it may be easier to look at who should Angle feud with if he does return. He's already done big feuds with Cena, HBK, Big Show, Mysterio, Undertaker, HHH, Edge, Orton. Of those, HHH, Edge, Cena and Orton, I could see Angle re-feuding with cause it's been a while since he had a feud with HHH and Edge, so it would look new again, Cena will most likely be the champion always so he could re-feud with Cena for the title, and Orton also changed a lot since he and Angle feuded. So who does Angle have to feud with that is a fresh idea. There are lots of people for Angle to work with that he hasn't done money with, Batista, Hardy (both of them), Kennedy, Morrison, MVP, Miz, Punk, Shelton, Santino. I would love to see Angle feud with all of these guys and hopefully help put some of them over, because at his age and the bridges he burned, he shouldn't expect to be given the World titles, he should be teaching the younger talents what it takes to be main event and maybe once he's earned it by helping them out and putting some rising stars over, then maybe a World title reign.

So really, to me, it doesn't matter which show you put him on, just as long as we get to see Angle again in the WWE, that would be pretty awesome for me.

 

[JBK2008]

Yeah. ECW first. That should be his punishment. He should put some of the guys over there. Miz, Morrison, Hardy. Then Raw. Have him take on Y2J, Kofi, Batista, then Cena. I don't know if he'll get another title, but I wouldn't be surprised if he got some title shots.

He will be 41 and Vince does need to let the young guys take center stage, and Angle would be perfect to help out.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I wanna know the sources on this. I wanna know what's going on. I must know. Tell me. Tell me now or God help me I'll punch into your back and pull your skeleton out! Edit: And punishment? If Angle were told he had to be punished he'd wipe his ass with that contract.

If it were true, I wouldn't want Angle to go to ECW. In fact, I'm pretty sure if there were contract negotions then one of Angle's conditions would be that he wouldn't go to ECW; wasn't that supposedly one of the reasons he left in the first place?

I'm stuck between which brand would be better for him. I can imagine him doing something quite good with the likes of Jericho on Raw, and I think he'd have something with MVP (is he on Raw? Give a shit). Also, nobody would be against Angle/Michaels IV - that's hyperbole, but few people would.

Then again, I think that the contrast between him and J. Hardy would make for some interesting encounters. He's shown he can have decent matches with Edge - though I don't think he's properly faced Rated R-era Edge before, hmm. And of course, there's the man himself, The Undertaker. I'd rather see a 'Taker/Angle rematch than a Michaels/Angle one.

I'm getting too far ahead of myself though. Angle will likely stay with TNA, leaving me to clumsily tape my heart back together.

 

[8five]

Well first and foremost if Angle left TNA they would fall apart quickly. He has been the glue, the front man of that organization since day 1 of being there and they are totally dependent on him at the moment.
If he were to end up back in the E as much as I would want to see the initial feud be with orton and then something with jericho cause all returning people get face pops, i think he goes to Smackdown. I think you start him off with Shelton. You can have him go up to him and say that he was his mentor once and thinks that he could help him out again. Shelton says no i'm the gold standard or whatever and doesn't need the help and boom you have what would lead to some epic matches. These would just be clinics on what good matches are. Their styles are similar but different enough to make every match exciting.

 

[Khalifa]

i would love him to come back. but for me september is a logn way away. so the rosters will have to be changed a bit. because right now there is to many stars on raw. i mean the feuds there are endless right now. smackdown well to me it just feels like not the place for angle. you have really good up and comers over there ( hardy,TBK,Shelton is devolping,kennedy) and thats what smackdown should be for. ECW would not be good for angle because i also heard that was a major reason why he left.

For him to have a place in the wwe. Shawn would have to go to smackdown and angle would go on raw and have a nice little time over there feuding with punk/batista/cena/rey etc.etc. thats if there isn't much changes in the draft ( if there is one). he could come back feud with batista then hopefully kane will have his mask back and feud with the once so dominative and over as hell kane. if he were to go to smackdown well a feud with umaa and hardy would be cool.

anyways I would love angle to comeback and hear the " you suck" chants. oh so funny.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

First Christian, now Angle possibly? TNA is slowly losing their guys back to the WWE. Anyways, the only reason why I think he would go back is for money reasons and since him and Karen are divorcing maybe he needs it.

Anyways Angle coming back to the WWE would be nice for a while and he would get alot of hype and cheers when he came back but with the WWE state I don't think they really would need or want to push angle. Although he is still one of the best entertainers and very talented he has accomplished pretty much everything in the WWE and it wouldn't make much sense to push him to the top unless it's to establish other guys. Angle & Cena could have a great feud if done properly, along with alot others.

It also has been reported(take with a grain of salt)that Angle has been praising HHH & Vince(the same people he based 2 years ago)so maybe it is true and Angle will be heading back to the WWE sooner or later. Also it may be sooner than we excpect if Rhino beats him in their PPV match. I hope Angle stays in TNA since I just think Angle in TNA means more to the company than Angle in the WWE.

 

[RBH]

The fact of the matter is that Kurt Angle while still being welcomed into the WWE by Vince McMahon who likes him, does appear to really want to go back to WWE. I mean come on people, why did he leave in the first place remember? He did not want to do the whole workload that WWE wrestke3rs do and all the travel. It was wearing his body down and he could not take it anymore. He was contstantly getting injured. I mean, he is still getting injured now but not as much. TNA is a better place for him right now and I do not see him going back to WWE anytime soon.

 

[klunderbunker]

Definitely interesting. Now I can't imagine that Kurt will leave TNA as he is a god there, but supposing he does, the things he said about WWE will mean nothing at all for a man with his level of talent. He'd likely be put on ECW or SD as he's never been much of a Raw guy that I can remember. That all being said, I'd be interested in seeing it, but I don't want it to as it would be a huge blow to TNA at this point, having their easily biggest star going back to where he came, likely unleashing a series of venomous tirades against TNA. I can't picture it happening either way, as Angle is closing in on the end of his career, and the schedule would be too much for him.

 

[Mustang Sally]

....as it would be a huge blow to TNA at this point, having their easily biggest star going back to where he came, likely unleashing a series of venomous tirades against TNA.

I agree with that. I have no particular empathy for TNA, as they've looked to sign some of the competition's biggest stars away and must face the music if WWE hits back.

On the other hand, I didn't enjoy hearing Angle rant about his former employer when he arrived at TNA. If not for the McMahons', he wouldn't have attained the fame he did. Yes, one could argue that his talent was what got him over.....but always remember that if the employer doesn't give the talent a stage, it never gets to shine.

So yes, I hope that Kurt can come back and not spend time telling us how horrible TNA was.

 

[klunderbunker]

It would make me lose a lot of respect for Kurt if he did go on such a rant. We've heard nothing for two years but how awful Vince treated him and how great TNA is. Now I know a lot of that is him talking for the sake of the people that sign his paychecks, but I refuse to believe that some to a lot of it isn't true. TNA offers a lot of things to Kurt that he couldn't get in WWE: the primary spotlight, the workload, and I'd venture to say a hand in creative that would be far less prolific in WWE. In TNA he is a god, in WWE he would be an upper midcard/main eventer, but one of many. I hope he stays there and doesn't go back to Vince.

 

[N'ron]

I would probably shit myself if kurt angle came back. I always loved watching kurt angle in his WWE days. Had the best theme song too

 

[Rusty]

I really hope Kurt Angle doesn't return to the WWE. For starters, he left there two years ago to go to TNA and has badmouthed the WWE and even Vince McMahon himself. Even though, they released him in the first place so he could rest up from constant injuries. So the WWE really did nothing wrong to him. Plus, Angle is TNA's biggest star. The whole damn show revolves around that man. He isn't the current TNA Heavyweight Champion, but he gets more than twice as much air time as what the current champion, Sting receives. Plus, with the lighter work schedule he is much better off staying with TNA, unless he is money hungry.

But if he did leave TNA and return to his roots, then I think he would definately fit in easily. He could return to Raw as a face to feud with the likes of Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, JBL, Kane and many more. Smackdown already has enough talent, and I think Raw is the brand that needs him the most, in all honesty. He does have many fresh feuds over on Raw, but I'd much rather have him in TNA. With Christian and Tomko presumeably going to the WWE, if Kurt Angle and a few others follow suit, then that won't be good for TNA at all.

Does the WWE even really need Kurt Angle back? My answer is no. TNA treats Angle like loyalty, but the WWE treats him as just being one of the many main eventers in the company. Plus apart from the money of course, what else would benefit him if he were to go back to the WWE? He is injury prone and is getting fairly old, so his best option is to stay where he is now. The WWE won't gain much if he returned, but TNA would lose quite significantly, and that's why I believe TNA will try their absolute best to renew his contract.

 

[Azrael Cain]

If this is true, it only proves one thing: Kurt Angle needs the WWE a lot more than the WWE needs Kurt Angle. (And the same thing for Christian and Tomko)

I think Rusty said it best, as he usually does.

If he were to return, I honestly think it would be a waste of the talent he is. He had his stint, he had his time, he had his chances. As great a talent as Kurt is, at the current moment he would be lost in the shuffle. And while as soon as he returns, he may be stuck in the foreground, the moment that feud fizzles, he will not be the focus.

 

[OIL]

Woah. Opens up some possibilities eh?

Well, if (and that is a huge if) he returns, he should go to RAW. Being arguably the greatest wrestler ever, he needs to be on the main show for a huge return that would prove a HUGE hit. He has the fanbase to make this return huge, and the headlines would just be amazing. On RAW, he has the chance for lots of fueds, Cena, Orton, Batista, Kingston and more. It could last him around 2 - 3 years in which time I would guess he would want to retire.

If he does return, he would be on a HBK type schedule. TV appearences, PPVs and the odd house show. He can't handle a full schedule as his body is just getting worse and worse, due to years of not looking after it in the WWE.

Just a thought to leave you with, imagine Angle won the TNA World Title, signed with the WWE, returned on RAW with the belt and dumped it in the bin, live on national television? Phwoar.

 

[OIL]

This is just some news from the main site.

Jason Powell of ******** is reporting that Kurt Angle has been telling people close to him that he is very seriously contemplating a return to WWE. He is reportedly frustrated with the creative direction that both he and TNA are following, and appears to have little faith in Jeff Jarrett's lead. Angle's current contract is set to expire next fall, and at this point he would ditch his job with TNA and return to WWE if he could. Angle has spoken out about his concerns, most notably in the interview he did in the UK which sparked the TV feud between him and Jeff Jarrett.

Should Angle decide that he ultimately wants to return to WWE, it appears they would welcome him back despite anything negative he has said about working there in the past. Vince McMahon has a long standing forgive and forget policy when it's good for business, and in the case of Kurt Angle there would be no hesitation on WWE's part to bring him back into the company. He would most likely work a reduced schedule akin to The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, which would alleviate the issues he had with WWE prior to his TNA debut.

So, if this news is true, it looks like Angle may indeed fancy a final run with the WWE. If this is true, it would be fantastic because he could add another dimension to the main event scene on RAW, which is where i'm pressuming he would go as SmackDown! isn't big enough for his return really. His fued if he returns? Put him up against Cena. It's the only logical choice in the sense of making a HUGE amount of money from his return, if you look at it as in a PPV sense. Say Angle returns before SummerSlam next year, and the main event is Cena v Angle. I'd buy that PPV in a heartbeat, due to it being the biggest wrestler active at the moment, versus the most gifted wrestler, arguably, ever.

 

[George Michael]

Having him topple a super heel ECW champion upon his return would put him over for at least a few years.

For example, if Kozlov were to win the title off of Hardy this month and hold it until around the time Angle returns, he would be the longest WWECW champion ever; not only that but the longest reigning Russian super heel champion. Have Angle return in Red/White/Blue glory to topple Kozlov would be a 'money' moment that would be talked about for a while. A short three to six month reign with the title beating Kozlov in rematches and he can drop it some other up and coming young heel. There would still be a lot of buzz so it would mean something. He could probably float around the ECW ranks for a while living off of his name before shipping over to a new show to repackage: wash, rinse, repeat.

Angle is money.

He probably also doesn't want his name/legend to be handled by TNA. He made his name in 'New York' and some of his greatest matches, with some of the greatest stars happened during his time there. We still don't have a 'Kurt Angle Retrospective Collection' on DVD, and we'll probably get one sometime around his return.

Vince: "Hey Kurt, we're making a DVD movie starring you. Want in?" What's a competitive, (often cited as) egocentric guy like Angle going to do?

Bret Hart reconciled with Vince McMahohn (supposedly) because of his tapes. He wanted his legacy handled appropriately and new this was what he had to do. Anlge has some great Wrestlemania moments.

As much as people think we don't need the 10+ year veterans in WWE's top spots, we do. These guys can't have the a few years of title runs and then step aside to let the young ones have a go. Having the young guys continue to take titles off of older more established stars is smart investing. Edge has won title off of Taker, and Triple H; great resume builders to solidify him as a main eventer for the rest of his career.

My point is that if Angle does comeback, giving him a few title runs would be a logical thing to do. He's an established veteran whose loss would still mean significant gain to a younger up-and-comer.

 

[OIL]

Thinking of this from TNA's perspective and if Angle left, TNA would be fucked. Think about it, the superstar they've invested the most money in, who hasn't done much to bring TNA to a higher level, leaves and goes back to the WWE where he WOULD make the WWE a fuck load of money from PPVs and merchandise, because he is such a huge name. Top this with Christian possibly going back to the WWE, and TNA will have now lost 2 of their top, top superstars to their rival company, dealing them a huge, huge blow.

 

[Fizzy]

Boy oh boy did this get me riled up. Even though when he left, Angle said some harsh shit about the WWE, Vince seems to be looking in the best interest for business. Angle seems to want to return, and Vince sees that this would be HUGE and will not pass that up.

Now as for the brand, I do not want to see Angle on ECW at all. There is no talent on that roster except for Evan Bourne, and with Matt Hardy as the champ, I don't see Angle having a good feud with anyone on that show.

Now I think Angle on Smackdown would be great. He could feud with Trips, which would be a pretty good feud. He could feud with Jeff Hardy, which I personally would love to see. That feud would be great, and I don't think anybody would not like to see that. He could feud with Edge for the title, which I would also love to see, and he could also feud with some mid carders such as MVP. Overall I think SMackdown would be a great choice for him.

Now onto Raw. I think this is the place WWE would put him, and I'd really love to see this. Angle could have a great feud with Cena for the title, which I'd love to see. He could also have another HBK/Angle match or feud as Sam stated. I think that would be freakin golden if it happened. Angle could feud with many more on the brand, and even get the title, which would benefit business and have Cena chasing the title for once.

Overall I'd love to see him on any brand except for ECW. I think this would be great for business, and I sincerely hope it happens, because TNA is just not the right spot for Angle. That is my opinion on where I want him to go and where he most likely will go.

 

[George Michael]

Thinking of this from TNA's perspective and if Angle left, TNA would be fucked. Think about it, the superstar they've invested the most money in, who hasn't done much to bring TNA to a higher level, leaves and goes back to the WWE where he WOULD make the WWE a fuck load of money from PPVs and merchandise, because he is such a huge name. Top this with Christian possibly going back to the WWE, and TNA will have now lost 2 of their top, top superstars to their rival company, dealing them a huge, huge blow.

It's true, but I would argue that TNA didn't use them properly. They can't seem to get attention on their own, as a wrestling fed. WWE throws them a bone by including TNA in their 'Industry News' section. Clearly they see TNA as less than a rival, and a good way to semi-retire some of their own stars, before bringing them back to their spot and big cash. I'm sure they knew that they'd be back at some point.

Could be turned into a motivational management technique as well, to get more out of the midcard/upper midcard guys trying to break through the ol' glass ceiling; a feud with Angle as some kind of reward to be obtained.

Kurt's got some great Wrestlemania matches under his belt, and would be money at any coming Mania, but now I'm repeating myself.

 

[Mustang Sally]

From a standpoint of seeing Angle perform, I would love to see him back in WWE, but I can't get over his hypocrisy. He hated WWE so he went to TNA and proclaimed it the superior product. Now, he's considering a move back to the place he hated, and only heaven knows what he might say about TNA after he's left. Ugh.

Of course, his TNA contract isn't up until next Fall and there is plenty of time for them to try and change his mind. But, what would that take?

It could be that the only way to make him happy is for TNA to do everything his way. Let Kurt be the chief booker, the head writer and the company President. Maybe he'd like to dictate the direction of the storylines, too.

TNA might well be able to change his mind and get him to stay. But, at what cost?

If he comes back to WWE, the company hopefully will be smart enough to spell out everything before he starts. If they are willing to allow him to work a lighter schedule and see to it he gets some title runs, then so be it. If they want to pay him a fortune, do it. But they should also let him know that he needs to perform as directed and that the company will determine the storylines, not Kurt.

Let him know all this in advance so that he doesn't need to do outside interviews letting the world know how horribly he's been treated.

 

[George Michael]

From a standpoint of seeing Angle perform, I would love to see him back in WWE, but I can't get over his hypocrisy. He hated WWE so he went to TNA and proclaimed it the superior product. Now, he's considering a move back to the place he hated, and only heaven knows what he might say about TNA after he's left. Ugh..

He has to promote the product he's chosen. Putting down WWE seems to be unecessary but it was the only thing he had done for the previous 8 years; disaccociating yourself seems necessary.

Of course, his TNA contract isn't up until next Fall and there is plenty of time for them to try and change his mind. But, what would that take?

It could be that the only way to make him happy is for TNA to do everything his way. Let Kurt be the chief booker, the head writer and the company President. Maybe he'd like to dictate the direction of the storylines, too.

TNA might well be able to change his mind and get him to stay. But, at what cost?

He seems like a control freak who needs constant reassurance (a la Bret Hart..?). I imagine TNA has just been an ego stroke that has now gotten boring.

'I'm in a faction and I don't have the belt; time to leave.' I would be worried if I wasn't main eventing in TNA as well.

If he comes back to WWE, the company hopefully will be smart enough to spell out everything before he starts. If they are willing to allow him to work a lighter schedule and see to it he gets some title runs, then so be it. If they want to pay him a fortune, do it. But they should also let him know that he needs to perform as directed and that the company will determine the storylines, not Kurt.

Let him know all this in advance so that he doesn't need to do outside interviews letting the world know how horribly he's been treated.

Despite his behaviour, he is still a tremendous talent to have on the roster and to invest in. I'm sure both Kurt and WWE know what they would want in a contract. Protect his health, legacy, and finances and he's theirs.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Personally, I don't see why the WWE would want to pay a whole bunch for him. His retirement is up and coming and its not like he's a huge presence in the media like Hulk Hogan or something that could really gain them a lot of viewers that aren't already paying attention. Would it please the fans in general? Yeah. I wouldn't mind seeing him back. But its not going to boost sales to a ridiculous level or make it so merchandise is booming tenfold, you know? He's just Kurt Angle.

But should the WWE consider taking him back after he said all that stuff? Sure, why not?

As for a brand? Much too early. A whole year's worth of releases, new acquisitions, and the draft. You don't know who's going to be on what. I'd say put him on ECW, though, to give him a "big fish in a small pond" mentality as well as have him work with the younger guys. If he was on Raw or Smackdown he would be too focused in main event storylines and upper-midcard feuds to help anybody out, really.