Partial Source: Pwinsider
UPDATE x 8: As previously reported, WWE has been
negotiating with Kurt Angle if you believe Kurt himself. Triple H reportedly
offered Angle a full time WWE deal; this is because WWE is not interested in
having Angle return to the company under a part-time contract. Angle claims he
turned down the offer from WWE because he doesn’t feel that his body can stand
up to a full time WWE schedule.
It now looks like TNA will offer Angle
the part time deal that he is looking for, and that he will sign with them for
another year. Angle wants to work on acting and getting more movie roles, and
will be going to Los Angeles soon for meetings and auditions.
Speaking of Kurt Angle, he tweeted the following today:
I know what
I’ve done for wrestling, but don’t call me a legend. Just call
me Kurt Angle.
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) October
14, 2014
UPDATE x 7: Despite
reports to the contrary, it appears as though Kurt Angle is not in negotiations
with WWE to return to the company as an active in-ring performer.
It was
reported recently that Angle declined a full-time contract from WWE because he
doesn’t feel like he can handle a full-time touring schedule.
One theory
is that if WWE did offer Angle a full-time gig, it was a tactic done on purpose
to politely decline him since they know he wouldn’t be able to handle a
full-time schedule.
For a long time, Vince McMahon has been against the
idea of Angle wrestling for his company again due to health concerns. Many feel
that the only plausible scenario is that WWE may be willing to allow Angle to
return for a “farewell run” of sorts, as long as he’s able to pass all of the
Wellness and physical tests required to do so.
UPDATE x
6: Kurt Angle’s TNA contract has officially expired and according to
sources, he’s now a free agent. Angle has reportedly had talks with WWE about a
return as we’ve noted in recent months.
Angle is telling people close to
him that WWE offered him a full-time deal (assuming he could pass a medical
test) but he turned it down. Angle claims he doesn’t think his body would be
able to handle a full-time schedule. Instead, he had the idea of a part-time
deal. According to him, negotiations are still ongoing. Other sources say this
is just “Kurt being Kurt” and that WWE has no interest in him due to the risks
involved.
Angle is also said to be willing to return to TNA if they come
to terms on a new deal. He credits Dixie Carter and the company for helping him
when he had his personal issues over the years. He debuted for TNA in September
2006 as a surprise. It was several months after his WWE release. Prior to his
TNA debut, there had been rumors that he was retiring.
UPDATE x
5: Mark Madden recently interviewed TNA wrestler Kurt Angle on 105.9
the X. Angle promoted TNA’s upcoming event in Washington, Pennsylvania set for
August 16.
During the interview, Angle was asked about his current
relationship with WWE and if he could still return at some point. Angle
commented:
“I think [the door] is always open. I’m really not
allowed to talk to anybody, due to my contract, but it’s always an open door.
It’s about what you can give, what they want from you, and what you want from
them. At the end of the day, it really comes down to how much they want to use
me, and how much I want to be used.”
Angle also discussed that
he can no longer work a full-time schedule for the WWE and said,
“Wherever I end up it’s going to be part time.” In addition,
he thinks he could work about eight days a month, but his schedule could be as
low as one or two days of work a month. Angle’s current deal with TNA has him
reportedly working for 40 dates out of the year.
Madden apparently
learned from sources that Kurt Angle did speak with Triple H about a potential
WWE return, but the company is not interested in bringing Angle back at the
moment. Later, Angle tried dealing with Vince McMahon instead, but McMahon
deferred to Triple H as the man behind the decision.
According to a
source, Triple H was not happy that Angle tried to go over his head and go
through McMahon for the deal. The news of WWE not being interested in Angle
right now is consistent with an earlier report, which said that WWE “hasn’t
shown much interest” in an Angle return.
UPDATE x 4:
According to one source, Kurt Angle is trying to pitch a deal to WWE that would
see him return to the company on a limited basis, working a deal similar to the
one Shawn Michaels worked in his final run with the company. The deal would see
Angle work the bigger shows and limited dates.
WWE has reportedly shown
little interest in having Angle return as an in-ring performer. Additionally,
it’s said to be common knowledge within WWE that Vince McMahon is hesitant on
having Angle on his roster given his past substance abuse problems, as an
Olympic gold medalist tragically passing away while part of his company would
result in a ton of negative media attention, among other
problems.
UPDATE x 3: As reported last July, TNA star
Kurt Angle revealed on Jim Ross’ podcast that his current TNA contract expires
on September 21, which is today. During the show, Angle said his next wrestling
contract would be his last one and he needs to think about who he would sign
with. He also said he plans on returning to the ring in October.
Angle
did appear at the iMPACT! Wrestling tapings last week. He participated in a
brawl with MVP. The episode will probably not air until around November. During
the podcast two months ago, Angle revealed that TNA offered him a contract
extension and turned it down. While Angle has been more open to the idea as of
late, it is hard to see him returning to WWE at the moment. Based on recent
reports, it does not sound like WWE wants to take him back.
It should
also be noted that Kurt tweeted about two weeks ago that he’d be making a “big
announcement” on his future plans in about two weeks so we should be hearing
something from him soon.
UPDATE x 2: As we previously
reported, photos of Kurt Angle passed out on a flight to New York City were
passed around the locker room and production meeting at the SmackDown tapings
last week. Angle then later wrote on Twitter that he was just
sleeping.
Angle said in a recent Ross Report interview that he turned
down the chance to re-sign with TNA, which led many to believe he wants to go
back to WWE. Reportedly the photos didn’t help Angle’s chances of getting back
into the company, due to numerous “higher up” people backstage talking about his
“condition”. One source who saw the photos said he was “drooling” on himself. It
was not a good sight and was the talk among management and WWE
producers/agents.
UPDATE: Late last week there were
reports that pictures of Kurt Angle passed out on a plane were making their way
around the WWE locker room and producer’s meeting at the WWE SmackDown tapings
two weeks ago. Angle posted the following on Twitter, denying the
reports…
Rumors are the root of evil. The truth will endure.
Here is the truth! pic.twitter.com/qOsvOUvtWS
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle)
July 9, 2014
ORIGINAL: According to someone
who was backstage at the WWE SmackDown tapings in Newark, NJ on Tuesday night,
several photos of TNA Superstar Kurt Angle passed out on a plane were making
their way around the WWE locker room and producer’s meeting at the TV tapings
this week. The source reports that Angle was on the plane heading to the iMPACT!
tapings in New York City last week while WWE staffers happened to be on the same
flight heading back from that week’s SmackDown tapings in Pittsburgh, PA. The
photos were taken last Wednesday morning and were shown to the WWE staff at this
week’s TV tapings. Someone from WWE wound up taking the photos and were showing
them to numerous WWE employees at the SmackDown tapings.
The source seems
to imply that Angle was not in good shape. They note that Angle’s condition was
a topic of heavy conversation in WWE. What exactly that means is up to
speculation. Basically, the person who was showing the photos indicated that
Angle seemed “out of it” and slept almost the entire flight.
For what
it’s worth, there are people within TNA who have been concerned about Kurt in
recent months. On the other hand, people tend to sleep on plane rides all the
time so take this with a grain of salt.
