Wrestling legend Kurt Angle says he had a chance to join All Elite Wrestling, but didn’t feel he was physically up for what they wanted out of him.
Angle is now retired, but he has been in the wrestling business for around 25 years. He is an Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling and former collegiate wrestler. Angle has won 21 total championships and is a 13-time world champion.
All Elite Material
During a recent discussion with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, Angle opened up about an offer he received from AEW.
Angle had the following to say when he was asked about AEW reaching out to him:
“Well, you know what. They actually wanted me to wrestle in particular. Tony Khan gave me a call, wanted me to wrestle. They offered me a pretty good deal, but I just can’t do it anymore. I wish I could, but it’s just not possible.
They did offer me two different times, and they did want me to do an on-camera personality as well, or a non-wrestling role. I actually turned that down as well. I just wanted to start up my supplement company, so I wanted to put more time into that. So, I didn’t want to leave the company at this particular time, so I decided not to do it,” he said.
“I decided not to do it because of my supplement company, and the fact that I’m just not the same as I used to be.”
– Kurt Angle on AEW’s offer
“They wanted me to have big special matches. They gave me a contract for ten matches, but they didn’t say how long it would be, so it might not have just been for a year. It might’ve been for three years, and I would’ve wrestled three matches a year.
But I decided not to do it because of my supplement company, and the fact that I’m just not the same as I used to be. If I’m gonna go in there and wrestle, I want to be the old Kurt Angle, and I know I can’t be that anymore,” Kurt added.
Not The Same Kurt Angle
Kurt was asked if he felt like he received a contract offer for the person he used to be.
“Well yea, I did think that. You know what, I don’t want to perform if I can’t perform at my best. I don’t want to put together a match that is less than average. That’s what I felt like I was doing at that particular time, especially my retirement match. I didn’t think it was very good. I could tell that I was slower. I gained a lot of weight. I was more methodical. It just felt like it wasn’t the retirement I was expecting,” the 13-time World Champion explained.
Sting & His Longevity
AEW currently have a few legends on their roster at the moment. One of them being Sting. At 63 years old, Sting is still an incredibly physical wrestler and defies the bounds of age.
Kurt, like many, is in awe of Sting’s longevity within the business.
The WWE Triple Crown winner said, “He’s timeless. The guy, it doesn’t matter how old he gets, he still can go. It’s amazing how Sting has been able to go this long. I mean, he’s had to be in the wrestling business for 40 years.”
Check out Steve Fall’s interview with the great Kurt Angle:
If you use the quotes above, please credit the original course with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.
