WWE News: Kurt Angle reveals in-ring return date, names possible opponents
What's the story?
Ever since returning to WWE as an inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, fans have been waiting with bated breath for Kurt Angle to announce when he'll be in another actual match for the company.
So, while his statements during an interview at the WWE 2K18 kick-off event last weekend aren't an official announcement, at least it's some encouraging words.
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Even well before the announcement of his Hall of Fame induction, Kurt has been saying his return to a WWE ring was a matter of "when not if".
After his induction, Kurt returned to an on-air role for WWE as the new General Manager of Raw. He even helped move Jason Jordan to a singles role by claiming Jordan was his long lost son. Still, we have yet to see Angle in a situation that would lead to an in-ring return.
The heart of the matter
The closest we'll see Angle return to wrestling action at the moment is in the upcoming WWE 2K18 video game from 2K Sports.
Angle is the bonus download for pre-ordering the game. So, of course, he was going to be at the game's kick-off event.
According to Kurt himself, we could be seeing him "end of this year, early next year" but that it was really up to Vince McMahon.
As for his potential opponents, names like Triple H, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, A.J. Styles and Braun Strowman ("I love that big guy") were thrown around.
What's next?
As the interviewer pointed out, Kurt is still in great shape, and his limited time in the ring has certainly had to help any nagging injuries heal up.
WWE certainly wants to have Kurt's wrestling return be a big deal, so expect some sort of build up before it actually happens. After all, it will be his first match in the WWE in over 12 years!
Author's take
As much as the WWE would love to play up Kurt's "first WWE match in" however many years, don't count out the possibility that we could see him as an entrant into the Royal Rumble next year - just like a lot of us were predicting last year.
Either way, I'd say expect Kurt in the ring sooner than later, but with appearances few and far between.