Kurt Angle talks about Sting & Hulk Hogan's TNA departures, unfinished business in WWE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sun held a web chat with Kurt Angle, who was promoting the TNA tour in the U.K. Here are some highlights:

- Angle put over competing in the U.K. and said that London was one of his favorite cities to wrestle in.

- It’s an honor to be inducted in the TNA Hall of Fame, especially with the talent that is in TNA.

- He put his WrestleMania 21 match with Shawn Michaels as his favorite. He called Michaels “a full package” and he considers him to be the best of all time. He later called HBK the greatest wrestler of all time and noted that he could have a five star match with anyone.

- He said that Chris Benoit pushed him to the limits and their matches were intense. He said they raised the bar on each other, and they were really competing. He said that the Benoit tragedy is a shame because he brought so much to the table.

- Angle said his rivalry with Brock Lesnar was probably his best because they came from similar backgrounds. He noted that they had a shoot wrestling match backstage and that it didn’t matter who won, just that the rivalry felt like they were back in college. He also revealed that it was his idea for Lesnar to do the shooting star press at WrestleMania 19, so he had to take some of the blame for the botched move. He said that he worried that if Lesnar didn’t kick out, he would have had to hold the title for another month and he needed surgery. However, Lesnar kicked out and he told him what to do next to finish. He later said that Lesnar was never scared to wrestle him Olympic style, and said that he was scared when they had their shoot match. He put over Lesnar for being a freaky athlete, but said that his technique was far superior to Brock’s and he let the technique do the work because you can’t match his strength.

- He would wrestle The Ultimate Warrior if the opportunity arose. He said that Warrior had the greatest charisma of any wrestler, and he would try to have a five star match with him.

- It was disappointing to see Hulk Hogan leave, but they had to make a decision if he was worth keeping on knowing that he couldn’t wrestle again. Angle said that he thinks Hogan could still benefit the company and has a great mind for the business. He thinks that it would have been worth it to keep Hogan around, but TNA had to make a business decision to see if it was worth the big money that they were paying. The company signed some great young talent that they probably wouldn’t have been able to if Hogan stayed, so ultimately he thinks TNA made the right decision.

- He does see himself returning to WWE, but he doesn’t know when. He’s very happy in TNA. His contract expires in September and he’s leaving his options open. He does have that desire to go back, but doesn’t know if it will be this year, next year, etc. He said that there are a lot of guys that he wants to wrestle there like Daniel Bryan, CM Punk or Triple H. He said that it’s not a bad thing to stay in TNA, but he does have unfinished business in WWE and will go back at some point.

- He said that the past two and a half years were frustrating because of how TNA was using him. He said that he finally spoke up around the time he left for rehab, and he realized how much he loves pro wrestling after that. He said that because of how much he loves the business, he doesn’t see himself retiring.

- They get a little spoiled going to the UK because they have their biggest crowds there. They know that they are not WWE, but they are growing internationally.

- Angle Foods is no longer in business because they were in too much debt. It was a hard choice, because they were beginning to turn the corner.

- He said losing Sting was “about as bad it gets.” He said that Sting is the cornerstone of the company, and that he was their leader. He doesn’t know who will be the next cornerstone, but losing Sting was a big blow to the company.

- Angle was asked if he was ever really in love with Stephanie McMahon. Angle laughed and put her over, and said that she looks even better in person. He said that Stephanie said that he kisses like a fish, and he’ll never forget that. He said that she seems like she has it together all the time.