More On The Reports That WWE Offered Kurt Angle A Deal

Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

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.

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