Would you like to see a Kurt Angle AEW return to wrestling? Let us know in the comments below
Kurt Angle is a legend in WWE and TNA, but revealed that he came close to signing a contract with AEW recently and why he turned down the deal. A Kurt Angle AEW debut would have been huge, and the details of the offer is very interesting.
Kurt Angle is a legendary wrestler who has been a success wherever he went. He first gained fame with his Olympic Gold Medal in Wrestling at the 1996 Olympics, which allowed Kurt Angle to move into professional wrestling and sign a contract with WWE.
He wrestled for WWE for a number of years before drug issues forced him out of the company. Here he signed with TNA, where he became a legend before returning to WWE in 2016. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in WWE but was released in 2020 during the global pandemic.
Kurt Angle AEW
However since then, Kurt Angle has revealed that he had multiple job offers from AEW. Three times Tony Khan approached the Olympic Gold Medals to join AEW, but Kurt Angle turned him down for a variety of reasons.
Tony Khan was keen to see Kurt Angle in AEW, and was disappointed that Angle turned down the chance to join AEW.
“Yes, they offered me a couple of different contracts,” Angle revealed in an interview with Wrestling Inc.
“I turned it down for personal reasons, but Tony Khan’s been really nice to me, very generous, and I really appreciate his interest in having me there. But at this particular time, I can’t do it.”
“The first offer, they wanted me to have many matches,” Angle added. “The next offer, I think, was three matches, and then one was just an on-camera personality, no wrestling.” Angle added.
Sady we still haven’t seen a Kurt Angle AEW appearance, despite numerous legends making at least a one time appearance in the promotion.
Why Angle turned down contract offers
AEW wanting Kurt Angle on a full-time schedule wrestling a variety of matches could have been a huge mistake. Kurt Angle revealed on his interview with Steve Austin that once he stopped wrestling after signing for WWE again, his body never truly recovered and was in more pain that it was worth wrestling.
Having just three matches, as Angle noted, would be a bigger mistake. If his body was too worn down after a long time out in WWE, having fewer matches may have just made him feel worse. However, a tag team run similar to Sting with Darby Allin is having could have been an option for Kurt Angle. Teaming him with fellow Olympian Anthony Ogogo would have been an option if Kurt Angle had signed for AEW.
The third option of a complete out-of-ring career in AEW was also rejected. Having Angle as Anthony Ogogo’s mouthpiece would have been a good option for Ogogo. Being under QT Marshall in AEW isn’t doing him very good, and someone of the star power and ability as Angle would elevate the former Olympic champion in the ring immensely.
WWE Offer
Kurt Angle AEW offers were not the only ones he received during this time however.
Angle also revealed that WWE made him a similar offer to AEW. Whilst fans have been wishing to see Angle managing Chad Gable for years, WWE had other ideas. First, they had him actually manage Jason Jordan, Gable’s tag team partner, as well as claiming Jordan to be his son. It was a terrible storyline.
Sadly, WWE pitched Angle the idea of manage Matt Riddle instead. The former UFC fighter has done fine on his own, and has his own type of charisma that has done him well on the main roster. Riddle has found success teaming with Randy Orton in recent months, even winning the WWE Tag Team Championships.
“I wasn’t going to manage somebody for the amount of money they wanted to give me.” Angle revealed as his reason to turn down the deal. As he revealed on the Steve Austin interview, Kurt Angle does not need to sign for AEW or WWE due to his current work with his supplement company.
Another offer WWE gave to him was to come in and work with the young wrestlers in NXT. He spoke with Triple H regarding an offer to work as a trainer at the WWE Performance Centre.
“Triple H offered me a job, I believe, to train wrestlers,” Angle said. “He wanted me to come down once a month to NXT. Nothing transpired from it but maybe in the future, there might be a possibility. I like training people. I just don’t have a lot of time, believe it or not, including in this pandemic. I’m good at training people, I’m good at teaching stuff.”
Who knows when, if ever Kurt Angle will return to wrestling. Whether it be in the ring with AEW, or training the future of WWE in NXT, Kurt Angle’s return will be one fans around the world will be excited for, whatever he decided.
Would you have wanted to see a Kurt Angle AEW appearance? Or would you prefer to see him return to WWE? Let us know in the comments or click below to read more.
