WWE or AEW today does not measure up to Attitude Era talent, says Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle compared the wrestling talent today to that of the Attitude Era and said the talent in WWE and AEW today does not measure up to the star power of yesteryear.
Kurt Angle is one of the most accomplished professional wrestlers in the history of the sport. The 54-year-old, who is well known for his time spent in WWE, joined the Stamford-based company during the Attitude Era and is a multi-time world champion.
Speaking on Grue Rume Show, the Hall of Famer said that both WWE and AEW have a lot of talent, but it does not measure up to the talent during the Attitude Era. Angle said that in those days, everyone was a star, including the lower-card and mid-card guys, but these days, there are only five to six top guys in the company, and others are not as recognizable.
"Both companies [AEW and WWE] have a lot of talent right now. I wouldn't say they have the talent that we had back in the Attitude Era. Back then, everybody was a superstar. Lower card guys, middle card guys, the Godfather, Val Venis, Bob Holly, guys that were midcard and opening card guys were huge stars. Now, there are five or six top guys in the company that everyone knows and everyone else is not as recognized. Back then, we had a special group of guys. " (H/t Fightful)
The Olympic Gold Medalist praised today's wrestlers for their athletic abilities and the crazy stunts they perform and hoped that they hone their skills to perform more wrestling moves instead of just the stunts.
"Don't get me wrong, the guys today, they are much more athletic and do a lot more crazy stuff, more flips and acrobatic stunts. Hopefully, they'll hone that in and come back to the way wrestling was where you have wrestling moves and stuff like that, not just stunts. I think everyone is doing a good job today in WWE and AEW," Angle said. (H/t Fightful)
Kurt Angle shares his opinion on WWE vs. AEW
Speaking on the show, Angle praised All Elite Wrestling for competing well with World Wrestling Entertainment in terms of television ratings but stated that WWE is a nine-billion dollar giant in professional wrestling and is hard to compete with.
The Hall of Famer also stated that WWE will always be ahead of AEW based on the fan following.
"I think everybody’s doing a good job today in WWE and AEW. It’s crazy because fans pick sides. They pick who their favorite is, and WWE is still in the lead. I think they’ll always be in the lead. Don’t get me wrong, AEW is doing great, but they’ve done pretty well on ratings. From time to time, they’ve actually came close to beating WWE in ratings at certain points but the WWE is just a monster," Kurt Angle said. [H/T Wrestling News]
Angle also said that Tony Khan has money, but not as much as Vince McMahon's company.
What is your take on today's wrestlers compared to those in the Attitude Era? Tell us in the comments section below.