Kurt Angle Isn’t Sure Why WWE Refused To Bring Him Back, Says He’s Still Planning On Returning To WWE In The Future

It’s quite possible that Kurt Angle is the greatest amateur-turned-pro wrestler in the history of the business, and, on top of that, he’s one of the top 10 best performers WWE has had in the last 15 years. Other than Brock Lesnar, there’s never been anyone who had rose to the top of the business quicker than Kurt Angle, and, there’s definitely never been anyone who picked up the business faster, and became a great in-ring performer quicker than Angle.

Since Angle was granted an early release from WWE in August of 2006, WWE has never even considered bringing him back to the company. Meanwhile, Angle has been having great matches over in TNA, and, to this day, even though he’s on his last leg, he’s still one of the best performers in the business. So, with WWE’s lack of depth, why is it that they don’t want to bring back someone who is a WWE Hall of Fame caliber performer? Well, nobody — including Kurt Angle — has the answer for that.

In an interview with The Mirror, Angle was asked why WWE hasn’t shown any interest in him since his abrupt departure from the company nearly a decade ago, and if WWE’s lack of interest is related to him having issues with WWE’s Chief Operating Officer Paul Levesque, a.k.a Triple H.

“I don’t think that Triple H and I have any problems with each other, I’ve always liked him. He’s always treated me with respect and I’ve always treated him the same. No, I don’t think it was that. There was a point when my manager talked to them and I believe they did say ‘he would have to wrestle full-time.’ That is not an option for me, not at this point in my career. So, whether that was part of it, honestly I just don’t think they had that much interest in signing Kurt Angle at that point. For whatever reason, it could have been my mishaps in my past, it could have been that they didn’t think I was healthy enough to go — and obviously I am — but we never got a full answer of why they couldn’t give me what I wanted. And it wasn’t just what I wanted, it was a reduced schedule, but there was no option.”

When Angle left WWE in 2006, he did go through a period where he ripped every top-level executive in the company, including Triple H and Vince McMahon. Almost immediately after signing with TNA, Angle did an interview with Bubba the Love Sponge, and said that he respects Triple H as a worker, but he doesn’t respect him as a person. Angle later backtracked in an interview with RF Video in 2008, and said that he regretted the statements he made about Triple H.

Within a year of Angle signing with TNA, a trailer for a reality show involving Angle surfaced, where he was seen saying “when I signed with WWE, I signed a deal with the devil. Vince McMahon, you can kiss my a**!”

Now, with the future of TNA in doubt due to Destination America’s plans to cancel all TNA programming this coming fall, Angle could end up jobless if WWE doesn’t want him back. Apparently, according to the Wrestling Observer, Vince McMahon isn’t interested in signing anyone from TNA should they go out of business, although he did end up signing Samoa Joe, who was a TNA mainstay for over a decade. However, the Joe contract isn’t an exclusive one, as Joe is allowed to work for other independent promotions.

Angle was a free agent this past fall, and expressed his interest in returning to WWE, however, WWE didn’t even schedule a meeting with him. But, Angle isn’t the only TNA star that this has happened to, as some of TNA’s top guys — including James Storm and Bobby Roode — have been completely ignored by WWE when they have been free agents.

Very few people have ever left WWE without returning, including guys who have left the company on worse terms that Angle left on. Guys like Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Bret Hart. Even “Stone Cold” Steve Austin left on worse terms than Angle did, when he walked out of the company in 2002. But, of course, he was forgiven. And speaking of walking out, both Vince McMahon and Triple H have said that they would definitely work with CM Punk again given the right circumstances, so, the fact that they won’t bring back Kurt Angle doesn’t make much sense, but, who knows, maybe they’ll change their mind at some point.

Even though WWE hasn’t shown interest in Angle, he still hasn’t given up hope that he’ll be back with the company at some point in the future, whether it’s for a WWE Hall of Fame induction, as a trainer, or, for one last run. So, it’s pretty clear that Angle is anxious to get back into a WWE ring.

[Image via Michael Buckner / Getty Images]