Kurt Angle had fun with the rumors of him joining AEW and competing for the promotion when the Big Show teased the signing of a Hall Of Famer worthy talent for Revolution. While Christian ended up being the big reveal, it doesn’t end the possibility of the Olympic Gold Medallist joining the AEW roster somewhere down the line.

On the latest episode of his The Kurt Angle Show podcast, the former WWE star talked about the rumors of Big Show potentially wrestling for the company. When asked if we could ever see him coming to AEW to wrestle, he replied negatively:

“I don’t think so, I texted Big Show and said congratulations on signing with AEW and he said ‘Oh man, I feel like I’m 25.’ I was like holy s–t, you’re going to wrestle? He didn’t answer me, but he said he felt like he was 25 again, I guess that means he’s going to wrestle, I don’t know.”

• Kurt Angle Says His TNA Career Was Better Than WWE Stint

Kurt Angle also talked about how surprised he was with Big Show’s AEW signing and he said that he thought Paul Wight would remain with WWE for the rest of his life. While the former Raw General Manager declined the possibility of wrestling for AEW, he did not completely rule out the possibility of making an appearance for the company.

Do you see Kurt Angle making an appearance for AEW somewhere down the line? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has seemingly trolled fans when it comes to the rumor of his AEW signing. The Olympic Gold Medallist posted a video yesterday to Twitter; showing the pro wrestling great tying up his boots and getting his gear ready for an in-ring return.

The video finished with the words ‘to be continued.’

This lead fans to believe that the former WWE and TNA Superstar was the rumored new AEW signee appearing tonight.

Kurt Angle posted a further video today. The video showed most of the same footage but ended with Angle appearing in a Kurt Angle Podcast t-shirt. It appears as though Angle was aware of the AEW rumors and decided to help promote his new AdFreeShows podcast.

There are however still rumblings of Kurt Angle being the rumored ‘hall of fame level’ talent that is going to be revealed tonight.

AEW President Tony Khan recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Khan discussed a number of topics on the show ahead of tonight’s AEW Revolution PPV, including the aforementioned surprise talent that will be signing with AEW on Sunday.

“It’s one of my all-time favorite wrestlers” Tony Khan stated on the show. “I’m very excited about [it]. I’ll say one thing, it’s one of my all-time favorite wrestlers. I tipped this on Unrestricted, I tipped the gender — it’s a male. He’s coming.”

Do you think that Kurt Angle will appear on tonight’s AEW Revolution PPV? Let us know in the comments

The last match of Kurt Angle’s professional wrestling career took place on April 7th, 2019. He lost to Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35. In recent days, however, there have been rumors circulating that Angle could be the “Hall of Fame” worthy signing teased for AEW Revolution.

Angle recently Tweeted out a video that can be taken as a tease for his in-ring return. The video features him lacing up his boots and putting on his ring gear. It closes with the caption “To Be Continued.”

Kurt Angle was released from his contract with WWE on April 15th, 2020 along with several other performers.

Is Kurt Angle The New AEW Signing?

Tony Khan recently dropped some more hints on who the new signing is.

“It’s one of my all-time favorite wrestlers” Tony Khan stated on Busted Open. “I’m very excited about [it]. I’ll say one thing, it’s one of my all-time favorite wrestlers. I tipped this on Unrestricted, I tipped the gender — it’s a male.”

“He’s going to do great things for us” Khan continued. “He’s committed, he’s going to sign a contract on Sunday at Revolution on PPV.”

WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic Gold medallist Kurt Angle recently started a new podcast with the team at AdFreeShows. On the newest episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the former TNA performer discussed Ronda Rousey and her quick rise in WWE.

“Without a doubt, Ronda picked it up very quickly” Kurt Angle began on the show. “But, you know, she was on a crash course. I didn’t have that crash course when I started. When I started with WWE, and went to their training camp? It was only five days a month! So I didn’t have a lot of training before I started.”

“Only when I went down to Memphis after about six months and I did a few months down there did I get any type of consistent training” Angle continued. “Ronda was getting it every day, but she really came through. I mean her performance at WrestleMania was incredible. She did a fantastic job and she deserves a lot of credit, she has incredible work ethic.”

Kurt Angle on Ronda Rousey

Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey teamed at WrestleMania 34 against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Many fans and critics complemented Rousey’s first ever performance in a WWE ring, and Kurt Angle himself had huge praise for the former UFC fighter’s mental approach.

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“I think she wasn’t going to disappoint herself or anyone else” Angle stated. “She was going to make sure she hit a home run at WrestleMania, and she did. She picked it up, I think, quicker than anybody in the history of the sport. I think Ronda picked up the technique, very fast, and she made it her own. Everything she did, her throws and her submissions, they were all real. [It was] Judo, Jiu Jitsu type of stuff, she really made it her own, so she was very artistic in that aspect.”

There’s currently no news on the status of Ronda Rousey in WWE. Rousey left the company following her loss to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 35’s main event; it was reported that Ronda Rousey wanted to start a family with her husband at the time.

Do you think that Ronda Rousey will be returning to WWE? Let us know in the comments

The Kurt Angle show has now joined the AdFreeShows family and will be airing every week for free on all major podcasting providers. The debut episode of the show was released early on AdFreeShow’s Patreon page, with Angle discussing his WrestleMania 19 main event match against Brock Lesnar.

During the show, Angle also discussed former SmackDown Head Writer Paul Heyman. The former owner of ECW was instrumental in changing the perception of SmackDown back in the mid-2000s, with many fans dubbing the era the ‘SmackDown Six.’ The Superstars part of the famous, but ‘unofficial’ group were Angle, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero.

“I think Paul is very talented” Kurt Angle began on the show, describing Heyman as a creative mind. “I think that he comes up with excellent ideas and concepts. You know him coming in [to SmackDown] definitely helped us out. It seemed, like I’ve said before, the writing was more geared towards RAW.

Kurt Angle on Paul Heyman

“When Paul came in we were safe” Angle continued. “Smackdown was taken care of, because he has a great mind for wrestling, for the business. He comes up with some crazy things, but most of the time, they all they work…almost all the time.”

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Kurt Angle then finished by saying that his ‘Wrestling Machine’ gimmick from around that time was a Heyman’s brainchild. “Paul is the one that wanted me to change gears and become the ‘wrestling machine.’ And that’s what I did, I backed it up.”

Do you think that we’ll see Paul Heyman in an official creative capacity again? Do you think that Kurt Angle could become an onscreen character again? Let us know in the comments

Kurt Angle has announced that “The Kurt Angle Show” podcast will debut on Westwood One on February 7th, 2021. He spoke to SI.com about the news.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun with this podcast and get into some great wrestling stories,” said Angle. “It’s true that I have a lot of stories to tell, and I won’t be holding back.”

Angle plans on being open about his past substance abuse issues on the show as well.

“I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve been clean and sober for nearly eight years, and I want to help others,” Angle continued. “If I can help one person with this show, that will mean the world to me.”

Conrad Thompson, who hosts popular podcast with Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Eric Bischoff, will be Angle’s co-host.

“It’s almost become a gag about that he won an Olympic gold medal with a broken freakin’ neck, but Kurt Angle wrestled that match, the main event of WrestleMania 19, with a broken neck,” Thompson says. “His decision to wrestle is one that he is still paying for today, and it started his dependency on prescription drugs. He goes into all of it, and fans are going to love hearing his stories. This is going to be a chance to really learn about the human element of this wrestling machine.”

Kurt Angle started his professional wrestling career in WWE in 1998 and the Olympic Gold Medallist achieved a lot of success in the company including half a dozen world title reigns.

However his WWE run came to an abrupt end in 2006 when the former champion asked for his release from the promotion due to health reasons.

After quitting WWE, Angle joined TNA and during his recent appearance on Wrestling Perspective podcast, Kurt claimed that his TNA career was better than his run with WWE:

“I actually had a better career there,” said Angle. “I hate to admit it because WWE was the big company, but I got better. I was only in the business six and a half years when I switched to TNA, and that was the prime of my career.

I mean, my matches with Samoa Joe, Sting, AJ Styles, Bobby Roode, all those guys, and I had a really great career there, “said Kurt Angle, “As much as I love WWE, that was so much better.”

• Kurt Angle Had Talks With Impact Wrestling About Possible Return (Report)

The former Raw General Manager went on to say that there is a part of him that wishes that he would have stayed in WWE during those years because there were more eyes on WWE’s product.

Would you put Kurt Angle’s TNA run above his stint with WWE? Do let us know your thoughts on the claims made by the former world champion.

Wrestling veteran and Olympic Gold Medallist Kurt Angle recently held another one of his Q&A sessions on his official Facebook page where he answered some interesting questions.

The former WWE star was first asked what are the three things aspiring pro wrestlers should focus on and he replied by saying that selling, bumping properly and psychology-telling a story are very important.

A fan then asked Angle which is the one match he would like to erase from his memory so he can watch it again for the first time and Kurt mentioned the match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart from WrestleMania XII:

“Bret vs. Shawn Ironman match. It was really great to watch. They told a great story. It was a draw at the end of 60 minutes. Awesome match!”

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Kurt Angle also offered some praise to Drew McIntyre and when asked who is his favorite babyface in WWE, he wrote: “Drew McIntyre. He’s having a great run!”

Apart from this, the former Raw General Manager answered questions such as the first CD he bought from his own money, what is on the Christmas list of Kurt Angle and his favorite Christmas movie.

Kurt Angle could’ve made a return to Impact Wrestling earlier this year. 

The promotion reportedly made a strong push to have Angle come back after being away for several years. PWinsider.com reports that Impact came up with for him to appear at the Bound For Glory pay-per-view event last month. 

The report goes onto state that while they did have talks, those conversations stalled. It should be noted that he posted this photo on Twitter with the TNA title last month:

The WWE Hall of Famer has stated in previous interviews that his focus is now on his Physically Fit Nutrition business. Once he was let go as a producer for WWE, he was offered to be the manager of Matt Riddle but turned down the opportunity. 

With Angle being outside of the WWE bubble, there’s been some hope from fans regarding him potentially going to AEW, a direct rival of WWE as they’re seen as the second biggest promotion in the United States. 

Just back in September, Angle nixed the idea of him going to All Elite Wrestling. At the time, he cited that possibility is off the table for now because he’s okay where he is at this stage of his life. 

“The thing is, when I came back to WWE, I wasn’t expecting what I got, and I was very grateful. I got the Hall of Fame. I wanted the Hall of Fame, but I didn’t want it first. I wanted it last, and I wanted to wrestle first.”

Angle is a member of the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame but hasn’t made an appearance for the company since March 2016. 

Another WWE Legend Will Be At Survivor Series (Spoiler)

WWE will celebrate The Undertaker’s legendary career this Sunday at Survivor Series. His 30 year reign of darkness comes to an end, as WWE is advertising the appearance as his “final farewell.”

Several wrestling legends will be in attendance for the special celebration, including Kane, The Godfather and Savio Vega. We now know about another all-time great who is headed to Orlando, FL for the festivities. WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle will be at Survivor Series. The news was first reported by PWInsider.

At this time, it is unclear if Angle and the other legends will appear on television. It is possible that cameras will be rolling backstage to capture footage to be used in future programming on the WWE Network.

The Undertaker Appearing On Hot Ones To Eat “Wings Of Death”

Kurt Angle Angle was released by WWE earlier this year. He was working as a backstage agent / producer at the time, but was let go in April when WWE released several dozen people as a cost-cutting measure just as the COVID-19 pandemic was hitting.

WWE offered Kurt Angle a chance to return as the manager of Matt Riddle, but he declined. Click here to read what Kurt Angle said about that decision.

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WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has detailed what he had intended for his final run in WWE. Speaking with PWInsider, Angle shared how his swansong with the company didn’t exactly go as he would have wanted.

Upon his return to WWE, Angle admitted he wasn’t exactly the old version of himself. However, he believed he was still in “good enough” shape for a potential championship reign. Unfortunately, it turned out WWE had different plans for the Olympic gold medallist.

“I was good enough that I knew, you know, if Vince wanted to give me a title run, I was ready for it, but when I got to the WWE, they had no plans of me wrestling, at least not at first.”

Kurt Angle believes his past drug issues could have been a factor behind WWE’s lack of plans in him. He emphasized how his envisioned return would have included a title run before culminating his career with a WrestleMania retirement matchup against a WWE Legend of Hall of Famer.

“[…] so it didn’t go out as planned but I understood why, you know Vince just…he looked at me as a liability and I wasn’t.”

Rumors had circulated at the time that Kurt Angle would end his career in a matchup against John Cena at WrestleMania 35. He ultimately wrestled his Farewell Matchup against Baron Corbin.

Kurt Angle had revealed in previous interviews that WWE had offered him a role as the manager for the Ultimate Bro Matt Riddle but he turned down the proposal from the company.

The Olympic Gold Medallist had not revealed the reason behind his refusal at the time but during a recent interview with Pwinsider, the former champion finally opened up about the situation.

Angle explained that there were mainly two reasons why he did not take the offer from WWE. The first being the supplement company he has started and the second was the amount he was being offered:

“Two reasons – one was my company I started needed my attention 100%, especially with the virus thing and I had to just be there for the company and the other thing was the money, it just…it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t going to manage somebody for the amount of money they wanted to give me.”

• Also Read: WWE Wants To Make Current NXT Champion A Big Star (Report)

Though while he declined the offer for a longer role, Kurt Angle still made an appearance to hype Riddle and he was actually the one who announced the main roster call up of the former UFC star on SmackDown.

Apart from this, Kurt Angle talked about things like his start in wrestling, why he refused the initial offer from WWE, and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.

Former WWE agent and AEW on screen coach Arn Anderson recently answered fan questions on the ARN podcast.

One fan asked The Enforcer what was the best match you’ve ever seen ‘live.’ Arn Anderson would give an interesting and unexpected answer to that question. “I’ll tell you one, it’s a sleeper” Anderson began on the podcast.

Arn Anderson on Kane vs Kurt Angle

“I saw Kane wrestle Kurt Angle, and I hadn’t been with WWE too long. I don’t remember the exact year, but they [WWE] were really high on Angle. They were really building him, and it was when Kane was about 330 pounds with the mask.”

The match that Anderson was referring to is from SmackDown in November 2001. At the time Kurt Angle was the WCW United States Champion and this was right at the tail end of the Invasion storyline.

“They went about 20-25 minutes on TV. With the story being Kane, the monster, tripping up a little bit and allowing that ankle lock to be put on him several times. And I mean several times. Kane obviously did what you thought Kane would, he nodded his head back and forth, saying ‘no no no no way, I’m going to tap out no way.'”

Glenn Jacobs

Arn Anderson would then praise the man behind the mask. “I’m a huge fan of the Kane character, and the person Glenn Jacobs. As we know if you’ve got a mask covering your face? It’s hard to see your facial and facials are where our money lies in this business. It tells you when you’re happy, when you’re hurt, when you’re sad, when you’re hurting and when you’re in trouble. All those emotions are conveyed through your face.”

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Elaborating further, Arn Anderson said “when you got a mask on? It’s hard to do that. But some way, somehow Kane was able to show me his frustration, bobbing his head in pain and the slapping of the mat. His whole body English during the course of that; until finally he did the unthinkable, and it was the first time he’d ever done it. Kane tapped out to Kurt Angle.”

Do you remember the match from ’01? Do you agree with Arn Anderson that it’s a great bout? Check out the match below and let us know what you think in the comments.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has revealed how a deal with AEW is currently “off the table.”

Speaking with the Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast, Angle admitted he occasionally watched Dynamite. He shared how he’s a huge fan of Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes, noting how he loves “watching those guys work.”

Angle then reflected on a statement he made a year ago regarding AEW. He claimed how AEW would “never” be the number one wrestling company. He recalled how he said AEW should “be happy with number two” before adding, “I also said I don’t know if they’ll stay in business only because of what we’ve seen in history.”

When asked if fans could expect to see Angle make an appearance on Dynamite, however, Kurt Angle nixed the idea. He explained how “Right now, I would say it’s off the table. I’m OK where I am. The thing is, when I came back to WWE, I wasn’t expecting what I got, and I was very grateful. I got the Hall of Fame. I wanted the Hall of Fame, but I didn’t want it first. I wanted it last, and I wanted to wrestle first.”

Kurt Angle then listed the global talent he had been able to compete against before his Hall of Fame induction. He pointed to Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes, Alberto Del Rio, Joe Coffey and Zack Sabre Jr. Angle would ultimately wrestle his last matchup against Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has shared his thoughts on a potential Brock Lesnar run in All Elite Wrestling. Speaking with Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast, Angle noted how he believes there’s more to the story regarding Lesnar’s current free agent status.

“The company, obviously, they’re not going to let him go. Brock’s pretty level headed. He doesn’t get in any trouble. So there’s no reason to fire the kid. He’s a tremendous athlete, a tremendous employee. So I think Brock just got tired of doing it.”

Kurt Angle admitted he isn’t sure if Lesnar would consider jumping to AEW. He shared how he can’t see Lesnar becoming a member of the AEW roster unless Tony Khan “wants to pay him $10-20 million.”

As far as Kurt Angle is concerned, Lesnar should “end his career in WWE.” Angle pointed to how he is treated well by the company, and can’t think why he wouldn’t stay with WWE before noting how “I think he wants to fight. I think that’s the reason.”

Reports that Lesnar had become a free agent began circulating last week after his merchandise agreement with WWE expired. It was revealed his contract had actually concluded “months ago” in April.

Despite not currently being under contract at the time of writing, WWE is reportedly interested in scheduling a rematch between Drew McIntyre and “The Beast Incarnate” at WrestleMania 37.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has reflected on preparing for his first-ever WWE promo with Vince McMahon’s help. He shared the story during an interview with the BASCHAMANIA podcast. Angle revealed how he had initially been under the impression he would be used solely as a wrestler. He hadn’t anticipated having to speak a lot and the importance of cutting promos himself. Angle shared how he thought he would be assigned a manager to be his mouthpiece.

Angle then recalled the night of his debut. He shared how Vince McMahon had him rehearse a “preconceived promo at my hometown of Pittsburgh.”

According to Angle, Vince McMahon instructed him on what to say but didn’t write anything down.

When his debut match against finally rolled around, Angle confessed he arrived at the arena and had forgotten his lines. He revealed how “Vince was pissed at me and said, ‘Ok, here are the lines again but you better not forget again.'”

Having defeated Shawn Stasiak, Angle then delivered the promo. He declared himself a role model and introduced the WWE Universe to the Three I’s: Intensity, Integrity and Intelligence. He divulged how during his first promo, he only delivered “about 70 percent” of his lines.

Despite only remembering 70 percent, his delivery impressed Vince McMahon. Vince believed that Angle’s ability to cut a promo and improvise if need be was something to “build off.”

Kurt Angle On WWE’s Current Promo Training Methods

Kurt Angle juxtaposed how he learned to deliver promos with WWE’s current training methods. He shared how in the past “everything was spontaneous.”

Angle explained how Superstars would travel from arena to arena, taking bumps and learning on the job. He stressed they never had time to work on promos. Angle argued how today, NXT Superstars get to “work extensively on their promos, matches, and pre-takes,” which he believes creates “very polished” Superstars.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently did a Q&A on Facebook and commented on a number of interesting topics.

During the session, a fan asked how his storyline with Jason Jordan was supposed to end. If you recall, Jordan had neck surgery in early 2018. 

At the time, WWE announced that Jordan wouldn’t be able to return in time for WrestleMania 34. The procedure Jordan underwent is called a minimally invasive posterior cervical microdiscectomy.  

Angle responded with, “I’d imagine that Jason and I would have wrestled at WrestleMania.”

Clearly, that didn’t happen. Instead, WWE booked the pro wrestling legend in a feud with Baron Corbin that resulted in Angle losing his retirement match to the heel wrestler at WrestleMania 25 in 2019. 

Jordan still hasn’t been cleared to return to in-ring action. Since then, the former NXT Tag Team Champion has been working as a producer for the company. 

In January, it was reported that he was doing better but still had issues gripping and making a fist. It’s been reported by Dave Meltzer that the likelihood of Jordan wrestling again isn’t likely. 

• Kurt Angle On Which NXT Star Has The Highest Potential

WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle recently held a Q&A session on his Facebook where he answered questions related to his early wrestling career, his training and more.

A fan asked the former World Champion which title belt design he liked the most and the Olympic Gold Medallist said that he liked the Undisputed Championship belt that was used from 2002 to 2005.

Angle was then asked about the backstage environment at the Ruthless Aggression Era and he said that it was fun because they had a little more creative control over their characters:

“It was fun. We had a little more creative control over our own characters and the wrestling just kept getting better. It might have been the best era in wrestling. Maybe.”

• Also Read: Vince McMahon Has Reportedly Been ‘Very Upset’ With Raw

When asked which NXT talent he sees having the highest potential, Kurt Angle took the name of Velveteen Dream: “It’s hard to say. I always liked Velveteen Dream. But…there are so many great talents in NXT right now.”

The Attitude Era star also discussed the promos during the Attitude Era and praised Stone Cold Steve Austin for his abilities on the mic saying that he was a rare breed.

You can check out Kurt Angle’s full Q&A in the post below:

Kurt Angle recently served as the referee for Matt Riddle’s match against Timothy Thatcher on NXT. Following Thatcher’s victory over Riddle, Kurt Angle then announced on Smackdown that Riddle would soon debut for the blue brand on Friday nights. In a recent interview with Talk Sport, Riddle recently revealed a booking idea he had for a storyline involving himself and Kurt Angle.

It had recently been revealed that WWE offered Angle the role of managing Riddle but the Original Bro feels the big money would have been with him turning on Angle.

• Kurt Angle Says He Turned Down Offer To Manage Matt Riddle

“You know what crossed my mind originally [with Kurt Angle]? There’s the management thing, but then like in my head – and maybe this is just greedy me – in my head, when I see Kurt Angle, even if I like him and I’m friendly with him, I know the money is in beating up Kurt Angle,” Riddle said.

Riddle felt that the storyline could have been him turning on Angle after Angle costed him his match against Thatcher.

“I was really hoping he was going to cost me the cage match and then the Bro was going to snap and beat up Kurt Angle! Some deadlift Germans to an Olympic gold medallist from the Stallion? You telling me everybody at home wouldn’t be like ‘no he didn’t just dump him on his head!’ – because that’s what I do! It would have been crazy.”

Riddle also talked about how he could get revenge on King Corbin for retiring Angle and that could be a storyline he works on Smackdown.

The full interview with Riddle can be read here.

It turns out that Kurt Angle could’ve been the manager for Matt Riddle on WWE television. 

The WWE Hall of Famer did an interview with CBR where he revealed that not only would he love to manage Riddle but also had the chance to do so. However, the reason for him not taking the gig all comes down to timing. 

Angle started out by stating that he thinks Riddle is going to be one of the faces of the WWE because he has all the ability to do so and thinks his personality is great. He admits that at first, it’s odd but once you get to know him, he’s very likable. 

Angle thinks that’s what he’s going to get from the fans as he thinks that they’ll love him and his in-ring work, which he called phenomenal.

“His whole bro gimmick thing works really well. And he’s going to do extremely well. WWE has offered me a job to manage him. Unfortunately, I turned it down due to a few different reasons, but I would have loved to manage him. It just wasn’t the right time.”

Angle worked as the special guest referee for Riddle’s Cage Fight against Timothy Thatcher last week on NXT. 

Riddle, who was announced by Angle as the latest addition to the SmackDown roster, has yet to make his main roster debut. 

• Matt Riddle Says Shane McMahon Thanked Him For Not Fighting Goldberg At SummerSlam

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is slated to make his return to WWE programming when he appears on Wednesday’s episode of WWE NXT. 

WWE confirmed on Saturday that the legendary pro wrestler will be the special guest referee for the Cage Fight between Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher that takes place on the show. 

This will make his first appearance on WWE television since his departure from the company as he was part of the mass talent and staff releases by WWE due to coronavirus-related budget cuts. He had previously worked as an agent for the company. 

It was also announced by NXT General Manager William Regal that a new match has been added to the lineup. Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley will team up against NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte and a partner of her choosing.

This is being done as a way to further build on the program in the women’s division heading into NXT TakeOver: In Your House on June 7. 

Updated NXT Card

• NXT Champion Adam Cole and William Regal to have negotiating session
• Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher – Cage Fight (Kurt Angle as special guest referee)
• Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley vs. NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte and a partner of her choosing
• Drake Maverick vs. Kushida vs. Jake Atlas – Triple Threat to determine the Group A winner of the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Title tournament 

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WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently did a Q&A on Facebook and commented on a number of interesting topics. 

Right off the bat, one fan asked him about what a dream match he thinks could take place between two WWE superstars who have never wrestled before. 

This is where he named a match that could realistically happen soon perhaps taking place at WrestleMania 37. Angle picked Aleister Black challenging Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title. 

Angle wrote, “Aleister Black vs Drew Mcintyre. Could be next year WrestleMania main event. Both are exceptional talents.”

WrestleMania 37 will take place on March 28th, 2021 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The stadium holds 70,000. 

The belief is that seating can be expanded for an event like WrestleMania to hold upwards of 100,000 fans. Whether the event actually takes place at this venue remains to be seen. 

WWE has been grooming Black as a rising star and McIntyre has been positioned as the top star on the RAW brand. Both guys are well-liked by RAW executive producer Paul Heyman. 

Angle was one of the many WWE producers who were released and/or furloughed by the company last week as a way to save money. 

Backstage News On If WrestleMania 37 Could Be A Two Night Event

AEW commentator and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently discussed the firing of WWE talent this past Wednesday. The company released and furloughed a number of on-air and backstage personnel, due to the economic climate and ongoing uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

In a Patreon Exclusive episode of Grilling Jr, Jim Ross would specifically make some intriguing comments on one released WWE Superstar in particular, Kurt Angle. Interestingly, Ross would discuss the potential of bringing in Angle to wrestle for AEW, even after his retirement from in-ring action last year at WrestleMania.

Jim Ross on Kurt Angle

“I know he wasn’t being used a lot” Jim Ross began, discussing the Olympic gold medallist. “There’s always some trepidation about Kurt’s health. He has had a lot of injuries. And you don’t want to get a guy [that’s] pushing beyond the pale. Look, Kurt’s also got a young family, he’s got several kids, you know? He’s got to find work. There’s a million things Kurt can do, no doubt. But he may have to get out of the day to day pro wrestling business to accomplish that.”

“his age and his injury situation may be a little bit prohibitive”

Jim Ross

Comparisons To Tom Brady

Jim Ross would elaborate further, discussing the quality that Angle could bring to the table in a number of industries. “He’s a great talker. He’s a hell of a personality, you know? He’s got acting chops, he’s got talent. But his age and his injury situation may be a little bit prohibitive. Now, he’s one of the greatest talents I’ve ever seen. He was a great signing for us [then WWF] when we signed him, he adapted. He took Dory Funk Jr’s coaching and Tom Prichard’s coaching very very well.”

Ross continued, comparing Kurt Angle to legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady.

“He is a monster athlete,” JR said of Kurt Angle. “But again, he’s like Tom Brady, he was at one time considered the greatest in the game. But at 42 for Brady? How’s Brady gonna play this year at that age? We’ll wait and see if he plays this year, If anybody plays [football] this year.”

JR – Short Run in AEW?

JR would finish by fantasy booking Angle for a short run in-ring at AEW. “Just fantasy booking here. This will make the internet for clickbait, because that’s what goes through their head. No creativity, and they’re little wh*res.” (Author’s note: Love you too, Jim!)

“Theoretically, if he’s cleared physically, and I don’t know that he would be. But if he was cleared physically? He may be a guy that you can bring in for a program against a guy like [AEW Champion Jon] Moxley. The matches between Moxley and Angle if Kurt is healthy and able to go? They could be phenomenal. But it’s not a long term thing, right? It might be a big program you get that takes you to a pay per view. But that’s it.”

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Also Check Out:

• Jon Moxley Talks About WWE’s Recent Releases
• Cody Rhodes: Zack Ryder’s “Best Wrestling Days Are Ahead Of Him”
• Jon Moxley Retains AEW World Title Over Jake Hager

On Wednesday, WWE decided to release or furlough several wrestlers as well as producers from their contracts with the company. 

This came after WWE had announced via a press release that they had plans to cut back on talent expenses in addition to other areas of business expenses. 

These cuts will include reducing executive and board member compensation, decreasing operating expenses, and deferring spend on the build-out of the Company’s new headquarters for at least six months.

Unfortunately, there was a long list of notable people who were let go by the company such as Lio Rush and Kurt Angle. 

Talent released by the company included Deonna Purrazzo, Aleksandar Jaksic, Rusev, No Way Jose, Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis, Primo, Epico, Rowan, Sarah Logan, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, EC3, Drake Maverick, Curt Hawkins, Heath Slater, Eric Young, and Lio Rush.

Procedures who were let go included WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, Billy Kidman, Mike Rotunda, Pat Buck, Fit Finlay, Shawn Daivari, Scott Armstrong, Sarah Stock, Shane Helms, and Lance Storm. 

Several wrestlers and producers took to social media to give their reactions to the news. You can see their reactions here. 

WWE Releases 15+ Superstars (Updated)

As the world continues to self-isolate and struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, Kurt Angle has offered some words of encouragement to the WWE Universe. 

The WWE Hall of Famer took to his Twitter account to connect with his fans, acknowledging how the future is uncertain at this time. He stated how many are struggling right now due to the pandemic.

Kurt Angle then stressed how “this is the calm before the storm” before adding how humanity will eventually bounce back. He believes that we “will end up in a better place than we were before” before imploring his fans to believe. The former Superstar accompanied the tweet with hashtags for prayer, faith, hope, and positivity. 

WWE Being Declared “Essential Bussiness”

Despite coronavirus concerns, it was recently revealed that WWE will be going ahead with live broadcasts of its shows. This comes in the wake of Mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings, declaring that WWE is considered an essential business.

“I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business,” Demings stated before giving the explanation. “With some conversation with the Governor’s office regarding the Governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. Therefore, they were allowed to remain open.”

Since retiring from in-ring competition at WrestleMania 35, Kurt Angle has segued into a backstage produce role with WWE. It is unknown if Angle will be in attendance for WWE’s live broadcasts.