– Kurt Angle set a time frame for the end of his career on Wednesday, tweeting:

“I Will Not Wrestle Past 46 Yrs Old. I Love U All GOD Bless.”

Angle, who is 43 years old, turns 46 on December 9, 2014.

– Mickie James, who has not appeared on Impact Wrestling since April 19, will be on hand for tonight’s live show. She poked fun at her lack of television time in recent weeks after being asked on Twitter whether she will be on the show.

“I am! At least I’m going! *almost forgot I worked there* Haha!”

– ImpactWrestling.com has added Brooke Hogan to their roster page. She debuts on tonight’s live episode of Impact as the Executive in Charge of the Knockouts.

TNA star Kurt Angle recently spoke to Mississippi’s Clarion Ledger to promote this weekend’s TNA’s live events tour. Kurt’s interviews are good for a few laugh out loud quotes – and this one’s no exception. Here are some highlights of what our Olympic Gold Medalist said about:

Pulling Out Of The 2012 Summer Olympic Trials:

“I was actually 12 days out from the trials. I tore my MCL ligament in my knee. I can still pro wrestle but it does limit me.In 1996, I broke my neck before the Olympics. I still competed, but I had nothing to lose. I didn’t have a family. I didn’t have a lot of money. And it might be my only opportunity to make the team. And thank God I did it. I was getting Novocaine shots in my neck. I couldn’t have Cortisone because it was illegal. So I went through the Olympic trials and the Olympics with my neck broken, so a lot of people said, “Why don’t you try out this year with your knee injury?”

And I said, “Because I don’t want to make it worse, because I do have a family. I have a job. And if I’m not working, I don’t get paid.” So I have a lot to lose now and I had to back out for personal reasons.”

Why He Can No Longer Play A Heel:

“I’ve done everything, from comedy to being the badass. … I think my character now is more true to life than I’ve ever been. It’s just the real Kurt Angle. I think it’s because, thank God, I got to the point where fans now look at me as one of the best of all time. So it’s kind of hard to be the bad guy now, when the fans have the respect for you.

The Reason He Hasn’t Retired Yet:

I probably would have retired a a couple of years ago if I wasn’t so good,” Angle laughed. “It sounds very arrogant. I know it sounds very pompous, but yeah, when I started, I didn’t realize I was going to pick it up so quickly.”

— Former WWE Superstar Mike Knox received a tryout with TNA Wrestling at Monday’s Impact Wrestling taping in Orlando, Florida. Brandishing a new look, he faced TNA Television Champion Devon in a pre-show dark match.

— Kurt Angle stated on Twitter that he would be wrestling Samoa Joe at Monday night’s Impact Wrestling taping in Orlando, Florida. The match will air on Thursday.

Also announced for the show is a three-way match between Brooke Tessmacher, Gail Kim and Velvet Sky for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship.

— It was noted by some TNA Wrestling employees Sunday night how good Sacrifice was without Eric Bischoff, Dixie Carter and Hulk Hogan’s last-minute involvement. All three individuals were not on hand for the annual pay-per-view event.

– Dixie Carter tweeted a nasty photo of Austin Arie back after Sacrifice, which you can view here.

– Kurt Angle tweeted after Sacrifice that his knee was banged up and he was going to ice it.

– TNA is teasing that Rob Van Dam was injured at Sacrifice, which may be used as a storyline at tonight’s Impact tapings. The belief is that RVD wasn’t seriously injured in the Ladder Match against Bobby Roode, but both men were hurting afterwards.

– TNA has announced details of the company’s January 2013 UK Tour:

* 1/21 – Dublin, Ireland
* 1/23 – Glasgow, Scottland
* 1/24 – Nottingham, England
* 1/25 – Manchester, England
* 1/26 – London, England

The 1/26 show from London, England will be an Impact double television taping from the Wembly Arena.

— Announced exclusively on WWE.com, WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth will defend their titles for the very first time at WWE Over the Limit on May 20, taking on Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. (Match Preview)

— WWE.com has added Rob Van Dam to their Alumni section. The website writes, “Rob Van Dam’s innovative maneuvers, laid back demeanor and airbrushed attire made him ECW’s most popular Superstar of all time, and he later became WWE Champion at a historic contest in New York City. Check out RVD’s career milestones, photos and videos, the latest addition to WWE.com’s Alumni section!” (Profile)

This continues a trend of WWE.com acknowledging former talent affiliated with TNA Wrestling as Sting was added to the section last week and a playlist of Hulk Hogan’s wildest interviews was uploaded. Furthermore, three TNA Wrestling stars who succumbed to Brock Lesnar during his rise to the top of WWE—Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle and Hogan —were shown in a series of video packages on the April 23 Raw SuperShow.

— William Regal turns 44 years old Thursday.

AAA matchmaker Konnan has launched his new weekly podcast, MLW’s Konnan Show presented by Masked Republic’s LuchaShop.com. A variety of topics were discussed this week and Konnan even had some surprise callers, including AAA star Teddy Hart. Konnan had previously appeared on MLW Radio and told a story about how Kurt Angle had claimed to him that Vince McMahon mails flowers to Angle every week with a note asking Angle to return to WWE. Kurt Angle recently responded on Twitter and accused Konnan of lying. Konnan had this to say about Angle’s twitter rant:

“All I can say is that it did happen. Obviously, when people are embarrassed or don’t remember, they’re going to refute it. If we can get him on the show one day, I’ll say it to him over the phone. There’s no problem. He did tell me that. He said, ‘Yeah man, Vince McMahon sends me flowers every week hoping for me to come back.’ I was just thinking to myself, yeah right.”

You can listen to MLW’s Konnan Show for FREE at MLW.com, on iTunes (search: KONNAN SHOW), and syndicated via Stitcher.com. Other topics include Konnan’s thoughts on the fake Konnan Twitter account, Andre the Giant and Yokozuna wrestling in Mexico, what wrestling companies can learn from successful companies like Nike and more.

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shot a fight scene with TNA Wrestling star Kurt Angle on Saturday for the upcoming 2013 black comedy film Pain & Gain. Johnson then tweeted a photo of himself with Angle and film director Michael Bay on Monday with the caption reading: “The Peoples Champ, The Maestro Michael Bay, The Olympic Gold Medalist.”

— CNN-IBN, CNN’s India news affiliate, posted a photo of the late Chris Benoit in their article recapping WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view event.

— WWE will hold a Raw SuperShow on Monday, July 2, 2012 at the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas. Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 12, 2012.

— 2011 WWE video titles Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator and Greatest Rivalries – Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart are now available on Netflix.

ImpactWrestling.com has released the official preview for Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

IMPACT Preview: Flair Demands Hogan, Roode & RVD, Knockouts & More

Preview Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c. If you can’t watch it Thursday, make sure to set your DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the action.

– After what happened this past week during the Eric Bischofff Appreciation ceremony, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair has promised to call out General Manager Hulk Hogan to address what happened

– Before their World Heavyweight Championship bout at Sacrifice, Bobby Roode and Rob Van Dam will pick each other’s opponents on the huge broadcast

– As a preview to matches that will take place at Sacrifice, AJ Styles teams with World Tag Team Champions Samoa Joe and Magnus to face Kurt Angle, Daniels and Kazarian

– In Knockouts Tag Team action, Knockouts Champion Gail Kim and Madison Rayne face Velvet Sky and Brooke Tessmacher

All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast at 9/8c on SpikeTV, plus news on the upcoming “Sacrifice” Pay-Per-View event on Sunday, May 13

– The Rock announced on Twitter that he is filming a fight scene with Kurt Angle for his new movie, Pain & Gain:

“Big fight scene today for PAIN & GAIN w/ my boy – Olympic Gold Medalist & wrestling MACHINE @RealKurtAngle. #Boots2Asses”

– Antonio Cesaro made his WWE in-ring debut on SmackDown ina “tryout match” against Tyson Kidd. John Laurinaitis stipulated that if he liked what he saw, he’d offer Cesaro a contract. Cesaro squashed Kidd in about three minutes and is expected to officially join the SmackDown roster soon.

– WWE talent Damien Sandow make his in-ring debut on SmackDown next week.

Rob Van Dam beat Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson in a Three-Way Match at Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling taping in Orlando, Florida (airing this Thursday on Spike TV) to become the No. 1 Contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. He will face Bobby Roode at Sacrifice, which takes place May 13 in Orlando, Florida.

The show kicked off with Hardy and Anderson confronting Roode and staking their claim for his title. Impact Wrestling General Manager Hulk Hogan appeared and made a match for the No. 1 Contender’s spot with Hardy, Anderson and Van Dam.

Kurt Angle stated on Twitter that he will face AJ Styles at Sacrifice. This is a rematch from Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling taping.

— Kurt Angle announced on Twitter that he will face AJ Styles on this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling. He also addressed his health, writing, “Knee is bugging me. Injuries suck.”

— Jeff Hardy and Velvet Sky appear at Direct Auto Insurance 7558 West Commercial Blvd. Lauderhill, Florida this Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. They will also appear at Direct Auto Insurance 5100 South Cleveland Ave. Ft. Myers, Florida on Saturday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

— Tara faces Winter on this week’s episode of TNA Xplosion on Challenge TV.

— TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode appeared at Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling taping in Orlando, Florida with a change in his appearance. The TNA veteran now has short hair after cutting off his signature slicked back long hair.

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is set to appear in The Hero, a new competitive reality series looking to find the “next great hero,” reports Variety. Johnson is an executive producer for the show, and will be appearing in “various incarnations” to encourage contestants.

— WWE.com takes a look back at the 10 best rookie years in WWE and WCW history. Brock Lesnar is ranked number one on this list, beating out Goldberg, Kurt Angle and The Undertaker, among others. (The 10 best rookie years).

— Former WWE talent Shane “Hurricane” Helms is not a fan of WWE’s “CM Drunk” storyline. He wrote during Monday’s Raw SuperShow where Chris Jericho claimed CM Punk was spotted drinking alcohol before defending his title against Mark Henry: “I like both Punk and Jericho but I could care less about this “straight edge vs alcoholic” angle. Just wrestle.”

Helms also critiqued a WWE star’s bumping ability: “Otunga … geez. You’re on TV with the biggest wrestling company in the world. Please learn how to bump bro.”

– Following his match with Jeff Hardy at Sunday’s Lockdown pay-per-view, Kurt Angle wrote on Twitter that he’ll be taking some time off to deal with his injured knee, but “not too long.”

He also followed up on his recent announcement that he won’t be competing at the 2012 Olympic Games, stating that he’s at peace with the decision. Angle said he loves his fans and his job now is to entertain us.

– After his team lost at TNA Lockdown, Eric Bischoff has been written out of the TNA storylines after and will no longer be allowed to use the Bischoff name on television.

The plan going forward is that Eric Bischoff will be off TV, although he will still be working backstage as a top executive for the company.

– Former TNA Knockout Leticia Cline announced on Facebook that her wedding planned for this summer has been canceled. She cited “personal reasons” for why her and her partner of 5 years called off the wedding.

(Partial Source: PWinsider.com)

— Promoting tonight’s Lockdown pay-per-view event at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, Jeff Hardy teased jumping off the Steel Cage in his match with Kurt Angle.

“I made my career jumping off of cages and ladders,” Hardy tells The Tennessean. “That’s my territory.”

The article has already been deleted.

— Hulk Hogan commented on tonight’s Lockdown pay-per-view via Twitter, writing, “Today is a LOCKDOWN day,the PPV is gonna be really intense! Everybody at IMPACT is a team player and this year were gonna change the game HH”

Rob Van Dam, who will be competing in a Lethal Lockdown match, also commented on tonight’s show via Twitter. He wrote Saturday, “If you haven’t heard, RVD is back on your tv! Watch Lockdown on pay per view tomorrow…I’ll prove it.”

— Winter was backstage at Friday’s Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors Live show in Los Angeles, California.

TNA Wrestling’s eighth annual Lockdown pay-per-view takes place tonight at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The following matches have been announced for the show:

Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Bobby Roode (c) vs. “Cowboy” James Storm

Lethal Lockdown
Team Eric Bischoff (Eric Bischof, Gunner, Bully Ray, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) vs. Team Garett Bischoff (Garett Bischoff, AJ Styles, Rob Van Dam, Mr. Anderson and Austin Aries)

Steel Cage Match
“The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle

Steel Cage Match for the World Tag Team Championship
Magnus and Samoa Joe (c) vs. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin

Steel Cage Match for the Women’s Knockout Championship
Gail Kim (c) vs. Velvet Sky

Steel Cage Match for the Television Championship
Devon (c) vs. Robbie E

Steel Cage Match
“The Blueprint” Matt Morgan vs. Crimson

Following a series of messages on Twitter blasting TNA Wrestling’s upper hierarchy, Scott Steiner urged fans to turn off tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV whenever Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Garett Bischoff appear. “Big Poppa Pump” says he doesn’t want TNA to meet the same fate as World Championship Wrestling and that the fans’ voices can be heard by lowering the show’s ratings. He wrote:

Getting alot of support from evrybody bcuz im sayin what they wish they could

Even guys from back in WCW who hogan kept his thumb on and Eric was an asshole to

Tonite is a good nite for you fans to help save TNA,so all u fans of AJ Roode Angle Abyss Sting Morgan Magnus Kazarian

Everybody who was a fan of Tna b4 bitchoff hogan n Pritchard fuckd Tna up,tonite during the show

If u see hogan bitchoff or his son turn the channel..wait 5 mins and turn it back you wont miss amything

Except their bullshit..and it will give u fans a voice thru the nielson ratings

Lets show these assholes that we dont want their bullshit and its time to save TNA from the same fate as WCW

Kurt Angle officially ended his quest to compete at the 2012 Olympics Games in London, England as he announced Thursday via Twitter that he has pulled out of the United States Olympics Trials due to injuries amassed while training.

After injuring his hamstring last month, Angle revealed suffering a knee injury that could take four to six months to rehabilitate. However, he says the injury will not prevent him from wrestling Jeff Hardy at TNA Lockdown on Sunday as he will be heavily protected.

Angle’s announcement reads:

“Due to Hamstring@Knee Injuries, I’m forced to Pull out of trials. Had a talk W/ Usa Wrestling Coach Zeke Jones Who has Supported Me all Year. I trained Extremely hard for a full Year. I’m Very Disappointed. I want to thank All the fans for Ur Support. U Motivated Me.

“I Must focus On TNA and Lockdown PPV, Which Has Always Been My 1st Priority. I Hope to Be Able to Put On the Best Performance I Can. TNA Has Supported My Olympic Dream Since the Day I Approached Dixie Carter about My Quest for Gold! Thank You.

“I injured My MCL in My Knee. The Doctors Say It’s a partial tear which will take 4-6 Months w/ rehab. I Will have It Heavily Protected at Lockdown. I’ve Had Prior Knee Injuries More Serious than this @ Still Won Ncaa’s but I Must Put My Job in Tna 1st. Again, thank You all for Us Support. Ur Support. Your Prayers and Support Have motivated Me to Put On the Best Performance I Can at Lockdown, Considering My injuries.

“As Zeke Jones told Me, We Were Hoping that Father time Would Hold Off Until After London Olympics. Unfortunately It Hit Me Hard 1 Month Prior to Olympic trials. Thank You to All My training Partners, Especially Edinboro Univ Wrestlers and Coach Tim Flynn and Tony Dipietro.

“Training for Gold and Wrestling for #ImpactWrestling at the Same time took it’s toll. I’m Still Proud that I Went 4 It at age 43. Thx to all the fans Who Supported Me! I Will Heal and focus On What I Do Best and that’s Perform for all Of You. GOD Bless!”

TNA Wrestling has announced three new title matches for Lockdown on April 15 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium as the World Tag Team Championship, Women’s Knockout Championship and Television Championship will be on the line. A stipulation has been added to Lethal Lockdown as the losing Bischoff family member “must leave TNA for good.”

Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Bobby Roode (c) vs. “Cowboy” James Storm

Lethal Lockdown
Team Eric Bischoff vs. Team Garett Bischoff

Steel Cage Match
“The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle

Steel Cage Match for the World Tag Team Championship
Magnus and Samoa Joe (c) vs. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin

Steel Cage Match for the Women’s Knockout Championship
Gail Kim (c) vs. Velvet Sky

Steel Cage Match for the Television Championship
Devon (c) vs. Robbie E

Steel Cage Match
Crimson vs. “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan

Kurt Angle suffered a bad hamstring tear injury on Thursday which could put his hopes of competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics Games in jeopardy.

Angle, who won a gold medal for heavyweight freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Games, called in to TMZ Live o Friday and explained, “I injured my hamstring this morning, it is a tear.”

The injury occurred during a Thursday morning training session. An MRI is scheduled for Friday. As for how this will affect his Olympic bid:

“I still plan on going [to the Olympics] … I’ve been training for a whole year now … so it all depends on how it heals … but if this tear is really bad, there’s a chance I may not go.”

TMZ has picked up the story we posted earlier today regarding Kurt Angle’s 80-year old mother getting scammed. According to Angle, his mother recently received a call from someone based out of the Dominican Republic who claimed her grandson was in a local jail and needed $4,000 right away, or that he would suffer severe consequences.

Angle’s mother wired the money to the people, and then received a call the next day, demanding another $4,000. When she couldn’t afford the second payment, she called her son Kurt. Kurt felt that something was wrong, and contacted the family member in question, who was not only fine, but had not been to the Dominican Republic in over a year.

Realizing his mother was the victim of a wire fraud scam and had been robbed of $4,000, Angle got the local authorities involved. According to the FBI, Angle’s mother is one of many victims being targeted by international scammers who prey on the elderly.

Angle believes the thieves have an accomplice near his mother’s home in Pittsburgh, because they knew about his family and somehow got access to his mother’s unlisted number.

TNA star Kurt Angle says his 80 year old mother was robbed this week by a few criminal lowlifes from the Dominican Republic. Here’s what Angle posted on Twitter regarding the situation:

My Mother Who is 80 Yrs Old was robbed from Criminals from Dom Republic. They Said My Nephew Was in jail and Needed $5,000 to Bail Him Out

These Criminals Need to be Arrested @ their ass kicked!Taking Advantage of an 80 year old Woman With Little $.Watch out for these Criminals

This Scam Happens A lot. If I Ever Come Across these Criminals, and I Will find U, I Will Make You Pay, with Pain! Trust Me

One Name is Otto Ramirez. I Will fly to Dominican Republic and Find You. I Also Know U Have a Contact in My Hometown for this Scam

I Will Find You All! You Are Scum!

my Mother Doesn’t Have A lot of Money and I try 2 Help Her,but Lowlifes Robbing an 80 year old Woman need their Ass Kicked

Kurt Angle has issued a follow-up statement to his Tuesday night Twitter rant.

• Read Angle’s Twitter Rant Here – Mentions Austin & Michaels

Angle made a lot of bold statements during his latest rant, but his comments about WWE legends Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels are getting the most attention.

Angle stated that it only took him 1 year to reach the top of WWE – when it took Austin and Michaels 15 years. Angle added, “Could Either of U take Me as a Shoot? Be Honest!” He later clarified, “by the way! I Love Austin and Michaels. Just Joking. U guys are legends!”

He tweeted the following apology on Wednesday afternoon:

“I Do Want to Apologize to Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin for My Comment. Without them I Would Have never had my Opportunity in Pro Wrestling,”

“I don’t get twitter.I Love tweeting What I feel-or responding to idiots. But I’m Supposed to be”Politically Correct” w/ My tweets?Forget It”

Kurt Angle went on another Twitter rant on Wednesday night, making several controversial tweets – many of which have already been deleted from his account. Angle spoke about his Olypmic training, his history of drug abuse, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and more. Here are some of the highlights:

– He told Jim Ross and Chris Jericho, “I plan on retiring in TNA! But what if I wanted main event at WMania One More Time? Fans say yes I’m the Best today! If Wwe never wants Me, their Mistake. What then?”

– Regarding his TNA future, he said, “I will retire in Tna. I Love It Here. But what if I wanted one last WMania? How would the fans respond? I would kick ass”

– Angle spoke about training for the Olympics, saying “Every Wrestler is terrified of me that they will get tired”

– He named CM Punk and Daniel Bryan as WWE stars he’d like to wrestle.

– He became a top star in WWE in 1 year, “but it took Shawn and Austin 15years. Hello?” He says he respects both Austin and Michaels, “But Could Either of U take Me as a Shoot? Be Honest!” He later clarified, “by the way! I Love Austin and Michaels. Just Joking. U guys are legends!”

– When fans began to question Kurt’s state of mind (and his sobriety), he responded, “I have not touched a pill 8 yrs. up urs”

– A fan told him go back to WWE and take Sting with him. Angle replied, “I wish. Sting will stay in tna”

Angle posted several other tweets, using profanity at fans (including … “Your girl sucks. me. lol”), but those have since been deleted.

He told fans that he was not drinking and that his account was not hacked this time.

– After Sunday’s TNA Victory Road pay-per-view went off the air, the crowd chanted “Fire Bobby” as Bobby Roode continued to stand over Dixie Carter and Sting. Agents D-Lo Brown, Al Snow and Pat Kenney finally came down to help Dixie.

– Hulk Hogan’s daughter Brooke was at ringside for Victory Road and got involved during the TV title match between Robbie E. and Devon. At one point in the match, Robbie E. had a steel chair in his hands, but Brooke took it away from him.

– TNA was pushing Twitter at Victory Road more than usual, with Gail Kim and Devon trending worldwide during the show.

– Kurt Angle recently spoke to GoErie.com that about his chances of making it to the Olympics, which he admits are “slim to none.” Angle, who is currently nursing a rib injury, had this to say about his health:

“I’ve beaten myself up a lot. When I came back and started working out for the Olympics this time, I kept getting hurt. I popped a patellar tendon, then I popped an Achilles, then I blew out my hamstring. I went to my doctor and said, ‘What’s going on? I’m a machine, I don’t get hurt.’

He said you’re over 40, things are gonna happen to you unless you train. So I spent four months training just to get ready to get back on the mat.”

– TNA star Kurt Angle tweeted the following message about the state of TNA, now that Vince Russo is officially gone from the company:

“I’m Excited to Have Bruce Prichard and Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan Running Impact Wrestling. They Are the Best. Awesome Shows Coming!”

– One of Eric Bischoff and Jason Harvey’s television projects has been picked up by the CW Network and will beginning airing this summer, according to entertainment industry publication Variety.

The show, titled, “Catalina,” will be an unscripted reality show that takes place at a Miami Hotel “where a young staff gets as wild as the guests.”

– There is a new policy in TNA regarding how talent is used on television. F4wonline.com reports that the new policy states that talent will not be featured on television unless the creative team has a storyline in place for them. This is on of the reasons top stars such as Rob Van Dam and Mr. Anderson have been kept off television for extended periods of time.

– Speaking of Mr. Anderson, he turns 36 years old today.