WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Rumors: Kurt Angle backs out from appearing for indie promotion on Royal Rumble weekend
What’s the story?
In what would further fuel rumours of Kurt Angle’s Royal Rumble return, the Olympic gold medalist was pulled from his scheduled appearance as a commentator on the debut episode of 5 Star Wrestling’s Dominant Wrestling.
The TV show, which is set to air its debut episode on Saturday at 8:00 P ET on Spike TV, will now be devoid of the presence of the soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer. Former WWE stars Johhny Mundo, Rey Mysterio, PJ Black (Justin Gabriel) and Drew Galloway are all set to appear on the show, which would take place at the Dundee Ice Arena in Dundee, Scotland.
5 Star Wrestling issued the following statement on their Facebook page:
In case you missed it....
Angle was recently announced as the first and possible headline inductee into the WWE Hall of Famer class of 2017. The fans have naturally started speculating about Angle’s much-anticipated return to WWE TV, with many of them convinced that the upcoming Royal Rumble is the perfect stage for such an epic comeback.
The heart of the matter
The 5 Star Wrestling booking counteracted the possible return of the legend and the fans were naturally left dejected. Now with the appearance out of the way, a monumental return looks certain.
5 Star Wrestling’s Dominant Wrestling TV show debut has been hyped up with the appearances of former WWE superstars as previously mentioned and Angle on the commentary desk was one of those selling points for the promotion. The exclusion of Angle would surely hurt, but when the WWE is the scheme of things, you just can’t complain.
What’s next?
Angle’s return to the squared circle of the WWE would only boost the ratings for Royal Rumble. With big ticket names such as The Undertaker, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar all in the match, having Angle appear would be a best for a business decision.
Also, rumours have been circulating that Angle could involve himself in any one of the on-going storylines upon his return. WWE would certainly want to utilise the star power that comes along with him and being the General Manager of one of the two brands is also one of the prospects.
If the cancellation of the booking is any indication then an epic surprise entrant could very well be a lock for the Rumble.
Sportskeeda’s take
This year’s refreshingly unpredictable Rumble match needs a few big name returns and Angle ranks high up on the pecking order. We bet a majority of the fans would be hoping for the former WWE Champion's music to hit at the Alamodome and anything less would be a major disappointment.
Angle at the Royal Rumble seems like a sure shot possibility now.