What if Kurt Angle would have signed with ECW?

[CM Steel]

After amateur wrestler and olympic gold metalist Kurt Angle competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA. He had his eyes set on joining the pro wrestling ranks. So later on that year Kurt Angle made a appearance at a ECW event in that bingo hall in south Philly.

At that same ECW event, wrestler's the Sandman and Raven (along with Stevie Richards & the Blue Meanie) were in the middle of a feud. And Raven with the upper hand crossed the line (no pun intended) that night when he and his goons in Stevie Richards & the Blue Meanie "CRUCIFIXED" the Sandman in front of a live ECW crowd, and it was on camara for a ECW taping.

When Kurt Angle saw this backstage at the event, he was upset! Hot!! Angle went to ECW head Paul Heymen to question Heymen's motive's on what the hell just happened. Paul E. told Kurt that he knew nothing about that before it happened and ECW is more of a freelance promotion other than the WWF/E & WCW at that time. But Kurt Angle told Paul E. that if his name or face is somehow attached to the crucifix angle. That Heymen would receive a call from Angle's lawyer. And nothing bad came out of what had happened. And Raven apologized to the ECW crowd later on that night.

But of course Kurt Angle didn't signed with ECW, but instead the then-WWF in 1999, and the rest is history. But what if Kurt Angle would have signed with ECW? Could we have seen epic feuds like Kurt Angle vs Taz like how it was leading up to that night when Taz did a in-ring shoot on Angle? Feuds with Rob Van Dam? Tommy Dreamer?

Anybody??

 

[thebarber]

no, Kurt Angle was disgusted with the angle that took place at the arena that night, he turned his back on the wrestling game for 18 months after that. Paul Heyman would not have had amny booking options in ECW, he would have had to bill him as Olympic gold medalist. Id imaginwe as back then Taz thought of himself as a bad ass and would definitely have taken it personally having a much superior athlete and legit wrestler on the payroll. Angle would not have lasted very long in ECW had he signed, one of the big 2 would have snapped him up in quick time. The thing is, if he signwed with ECW, Kurt would not have had the training he got in STAMFORS ta WWE training headquarters, so he would have been wrestlnig a very stiff shoot style, which was already gimmicked to Taz. In short, Angle signing with ECW in 1997 would have bee a dismal failire

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

This was during the middle of Taz's unbeatable MMA monster gimmick push that Bischoff copied for Goldberg.

The plan was to just have Angle job out to Taz similar to how UFC VII tournament finalist Paul Varelans did that same summer.

I don't think Heyman ever had any longterm plans for Angle back then other than to feed him to Taz. I doubt he could have afforded him for much else.

Heyman was feeding everyone to Taz during 1996.

 

[Cereal Killer]

If he was there, he would of had some great feuds with Taz and RVD. The companies gimmick was Japanese style wrestling, Luchador and hardcore technical. Kurt fits in perfect. However I think that the company would have gone down anyway. He wouldn't of had the great feuds with Rock, Austin, HHH and Taker. He wouldn't have been as accomplished or even in TNA. This is because WWE probably would not have taken him because he would have been huge in ECW and it would have been too late to do all that hard work by the time he would have arrived there.

So the only positive of him going to ECW is the feud with RVD instead of 2 matches throughout their whole careers and he would have been a huge star there in ECW.

 

[IT Factor]

Not alot would've been changed or accomplished with Angle going to ECW back in 1996. Sure, he'd probably have had great matches with Taz or started new feuds and made an immediate impact. Heyman was smart enough to know having an olympic gold medalist in wrestling was a first. I highly doubt he'd have been jobbing out to Taz all the time. He would have eventually still went to WWE and then TNA anyway. Maybe just arriving in WWF sooner than he did.