The John Report: Fantasy Booking Kurt Angle's WWE Return

Kurt Angle is currently a free agent and the rumors of his return to World Wrestling Entertainment have been out there for months. Angle has talked openly about his desire to go back to WWE to end his career there. He said so when he was on Jim Ross' podcast and he has said it elsewhere too. He started in WWE in 1999, won 5 WWE World Titles and became arguably the best wrestler alive within three years. Angle left WWE in 2006 and has been working for TNA Wrestling ever since. He's actually worked for TNA longer than WWE, which is weird to say, but it's true…it's damn true.

There are a lot of questions about his future. What we know is he had ACL surgery on his knee in May and he has talked about how he won't be able to wrestle until January. What's in January? We'll get to that. He took part in TNA shows that were taped prior to his deal expiring on September 21, 2014 and there's no clear indication of what might be in his future.

As is the case with any big name wrestler, there are stories that Angle had talks with WWE initially with Vince McMahon. What Angle found out was that Triple H is the one that deals with contract signings these days and there were reports that maybe Triple H was mad that Angle didn't come to him first.

Angle spoke about WWE recently to AlternativeNation.net: "The only person that I really spoke my piece with, that I had a lot to do with in the past, and the problems I had and the way I left the company, I was able to speak my piece with Vince, and I’m happy with that. As long as Vince and I don’t have any issues, I’m okay with that. What I found out is that Triple H is pretty much running the show now. I didn’t know that, I really believed that Vince would always run the show until the day he died, but now they’re in a position as a publicly traded company where you’re not only answering to Vince and Triple H, you’re also answering to the shareholders."

There hasn't been a word said by WWE regarding Angle. That's not their style. We know they like to sign guys, keep it quiet for months and then reveal it when they want. Recent reports indicate that Angle is staying in TNA because all he got from WWE was an offer to work full time. At age 45 and a number of injuries under his belt, Angle shouldn't work full time. If that's all WWE offered then they are foolish. The reality is we really don't know what they might have offered. It's all a rumor at this point. For all we know, they just said those things to certain people to throw them off.

Like a lot of people in wrestling, Angle comes with a lot of baggage. He left WWE in 2006 in part because he had drug dependency issues. They wanted him to go to rehab, he said no and he left. He also had multiple DUI arrests although two of them were thrown out. Angle went to rehab in 2013 and when he was on Jim Ross' podcast he said he was clean for about a year at that point. He has re-married, he has two younger daughters that depend on him and he talks all the time about how much his family motivates him.

Everybody deserves second chances in life and Angle is no different. We've seen guys like Shawn Michaels and Goldust come back strong. Why not Angle? Give him a chance, WWE.

With that in mind, here are my ideas for a Kurt Angle WWE return that would last from January 2015 until WrestleMania 32 in March 2016 when he would retire.

My feeling is the best deal would be for something like 50-75 dates so that he only works television (mainly Raw), PPVs (most of them) and a select few house shows like the ones in Madison Square Garden or a few in Europe. It would be a deal similar to Shawn Michaels in his last few years in WWE.

Booking The WWE Return Of Kurt Angle

Royal Rumble 2015 (Jan 25)

Next year's Rumble PPV takes place in Philadelphia. It's rumored to have 40 men in the match. What I would do is have Rusev come out as #15. Say there are five guys in the ring. None are really big names. Rusev tosses all of them out, plus #16 within three minutes. Lana gets a microphone saying nobody can stop Rusev. With Rusev all alone in the ring, all of a sudden some familiar music hits.



It's Kurt Angle's music. Visualize it. Imagine that crowd reaction. Sure, some fans in attendance may not even know who he is, but the majority of the crowd will. They will blow the roof off of the place. Angle could walk out by the stage, his head down and then as the "you suck" part of the song hit, he could lift his arms up to a thunderous ovation.

There is no better American hero than Angle. He's the only Olympic gold medalist in the history of WWE. He said it all the time as a way to get heat, but also to get crowd support. Fans recognize him as one of the best ever. Watching Angle march down to the ring to face off with Rusev would be a magical moment. The story is built perfectly for it.

Angle would eliminate Rusev within a minute. He would be on fire since it's his first time in a WWE ring in nearly 9 years and the Pennsylvania crowd (Philly isn't his hometown of Pittsburgh, but it's close) would absolutely love it. Angle could get eliminated a few minutes later after Rusev comes back out to distract him. Even a heel like Miz could do it, which would set up a match on Raw.

The presence of Angle in the Rumble would be enough to get people talking. What's he doing back? Who is he targeting? What kind of shape is he in? There would be all kinds of questions that would come from it. It's the kind of buzz that WWE currently lacks and hasn't had since Brock Lesnar's surprise return in 2012.



(Note: The milk truck pic had to be used. I absolutely loved that moment.)

Raw the next night (Jan 26, 2015)

They spend hour one hyping the WWE return of Angle. Don't put him on first. Just say he's there to address the WWE Universe. Angle does a promo saying it's great to be back home and he says he just signed a new WWE contract on Sunday. Everybody is happy. He gets cut off by Rusev with Lana. They don't take long before they get into a wild brawl that is broken up by security.

Following the brawl, Angle says he came there to wrestle and he wants a match right now. Cue The Miz, who did the cheap elimination of Angle the night before. He does a cocky promo saying he barely knows who he is and he's going to get rid of him. They have a match, Angle wins in about three minutes hitting all of his signature moves and forcing Miz to tap out via the Ankle Lock.

Raw - Two Weeks Before Elimination Chamber (Feb 9, 2015)

Angle doesn't wrestle again until a singles match with Cesaro to determine the sixth man in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Title. Angle does promos about how he wants to be WWE Champion one more time and that nobody is going to stop him. They have a competitive matchup where it looks like Angle is going to win when Rusev shows up. Lana distracts the ref, Rusev hits a superkick, Cesaro capitalizes with a Neutralizer and Angle loses.

Post match, Angle is attacked by Rusev. The "Russian" goes after his surgically repaired knee and injures it to the point that fans start to wonder if Angle can ever wrestle again. Remember, he's old and has injuries. Use that in the storyline.

Angle misses the Elimination Chamber and there are questions about if he'll ever wrestle again. It's not that important of a show and there are others. He doesn't have to wrestle on every PPV. It's all part of a bigger angle.

Raw - Night After Elimination Chamber (Feb 23, 2015)

They hype up Angle's return about his future. He would walk out with crutches and a big brace on his injured knee. They could even show his family at ringside to try to play it up like he's about to retire. Just as he's about to talk, Rusev interrupts with Lana. That would lead to Lana doing a promo about how Angle is a weak American just like everybody that Rusev has faced in a WWE ring. Rusev mocks him because even though Kurt came back, he couldn't even make it to a match with him.

That sets up the big moment where Angle takes one of the crutches and hits Rusev in the ribs with it. Then he breaks it over his back. Angle puts Rusev in the Ankle Lock as the crowd goes wild. Angle tosses the knee brace off. Then Angle delivers this promo: "My knee is fine! It's true, it's damn true! Rusev, you Russian piece of crap, I'm challenging you to a match at WrestleMania 31. And you know what else? I'm going to make you tap out and win this match for America. It's true, it's damn true!" Rusev and Lana leave up the aisle looking like they accept the challenge while the fans go crazy that this match is official.

It would be Angle's first WrestleMania match in nine years. That's a major selling point for the show.

Build Up To WrestleMania 31

Angle would only wrestle once between Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 31. It's a way to keep him fresh. His opponent would be a physical heel, so let's say it's Mark Henry. By that point Henry will likely be a heel and Angle has feuded with him in the past. There's some familiarity there.

It would be a hard fought match that Angle wins clean while favoring the injured knee. He can say that he's healthy, but people would watch that match and see that he's still dealing with a lot of pain.

In the lead up to WrestleMania 31, it would also be smart to talk about how much American pride Angle has and how he won a gold for the US at the Olympics 19 years earlier. He can say that it meant even more because that event was in Atlanta. They could also drive the point home that he really wants to beat Rusev to set an example for all the kids watching at home to prove to them that you can make your dreams a reality just like he does.



WrestleMania 31: Angle vs. Rusev

After two months of building up to it, they have their first match. It gets about 15 minutes. Rusev dominates the majority of it. Angle's the underdog babyface that keeps fighting. When it looks like Rusev is about to win with the Accolade submission, Angle finds a way to counter out of it. Remember that Angle is a submission expert, so he knows how to get out of moves. By that point, Rusev will nearly be one year without being pinned or submitted. That Accolade finisher will really be over huge by then.

For the finish, Rusev will go for the Accolade again. Angle will slip out of it, grab him by the left ankle and slap on the Ankle Lock. Rusev will fight it off and not tap out. After another exchange, Angle takes him down again, focuses on the ankle and not only does the Ankle Lock, but he applies the heel hook where he drops to the ground to apply even more strength. With nowhere to go, Rusev taps out for his first pinfall or submission loss in WWE. The doctors rush into the ring to check on the ankle as the announcers put over the idea that Rusev may have broken his ankle. Angle celebrates the win with the fans that love him for finally beating the evil Russian. Once again, Angle is the American hero.

One loss isn't going to kill Rusev. They could push him to the main event. The fact that Angle beats him is done because it shows that Angle is back in WWE and he's a threat. Rusev could sit out for a month or two, then come back strong. He'll be fine.

From this point on I won't have intricate details for television angles aside from a few exceptions.



Spring 2015 Feud With Cesaro (Extreme Rules & Payback)


Post WrestleMania, Angle needs a solid feud to keep the momentum going. Enter Cesaro. He could still be a heel, but this could be a feud where they have multiple matches that turns him face.

They would have matches at the April 2015 Extreme Rules PPV where Cesaro gets the win by a cheap rollup or something nefarious. Maybe he does an eye poke that the ref didn't see, which leads to the Neutralizer. Give these guys 15-20 minutes, let them do their thing and you're looking at one of the best matches of the year.

There's an Angle/Cesaro rematch at Payback. It's 2/3 Falls and even better than the first one. Angle wins in a classic, making Cesaro tap out to the Ankle Lock. After the match is over, Angle helps Cesaro to his feet. He extends his hand. This is the point where the fans really start to respect Cesaro and accept him. WWE can use Angle to help Cesaro become a face by having them wrestle in some technical wrestling classics. That's the value of a legendary babyface. He has influence over other wrestlers.

Money In The Bank 2015 vs. Jack Swagger

Following the Cesaro feud, Jack Swagger could make his presence known by attacking both Angle and Cesaro the next night on Raw when they're tagging together. Swagger could be a heel by then. He's really not a long term babyface. He could say that Cesaro makes him sick while Angle stole his move, which Swagger calls the Patriot Lock. Of course Angle was doing the move before Swagger and Ken Shamrock was doing it before both of them, but a heel like Swagger can lie.

That would lead to Angle vs. Swagger at the June or July Money in the Bank PPV, whenever they decide to have it. Let's say it's the end of June. It's a match that makes a lot of sense since they have the same submission move. Angle would win that one too.

You may be thinking Angle is winning too much. That's the point. It builds up the idea that he's still one of the best wrestlers alive and it will lead to other angles. When you tell good stories, one thing leads to another. It's not just randomly put together.

Angle can sit out the July Battleground PPV. It's not a major show and as I said at the start, he's not going to wrestle on every PPV.



Build Up To SummerSlam 2015

Dream match time. On the night after Battleground, Angle would be in the ring doing a promo talking about how there's one guy in WWE that the fans want to see him face more than anybody else. He's a guy that he has never wrestled before, but he admires a lot. Angle mentions that fans think that this guy is the new Kurt Angle in the sense that he's the best technical wrestler in the business. His name is Daniel Bryan. With Bryan still in a babyface role, he walks out there to say that he's always respected Angle and watched his matches so many times over the years.

Angle challenges Bryan to a match at the biggest party of the summer, SummerSlam. In Angle's mind, Bryan is as good as there is in the business and while Angle has had a lot of success since he came back, he needs to know if he can beat Bryan one on one. They shake on it. It's official.

In the build up to the match, they can do the usual build to a babyface match with the two of them tagging up once or twice and trying to one up each other. It usually works well. There's no sign of a heel turn.

SummerSlam 2015 vs. Daniel Bryan

They have the SummerSlam match, which would be one of the biggest matches on the card. It goes about 20 minutes with a ridiculous amount of great nearfalls, near submissions and actions that the fans are into. It's a dream match come to life. Bryan ends up countering the Ankle Lock into the Yes Lock and Angle is forced to tap out. Bryan wins. Post match, Bryan wants a handshake. Angle shakes the hand, but is seen saying "you got lucky" and walks off angrily with his head down because he let himself down.

Heel Turn Post SummerSlam 2015

On the Raw after SummerSlam, Angle can demand another match with Bryan. Instead, Triple H (or whoever is in storyline power) says that Angle has a match with somebody else. It's Sami Zayn. By this point, Zayn will be a midcard babyface that the fans love for being great in the ring and very energetic.

They have a highly competitive match that ends with Zayn winning on an inside cradle. The announcers put it over as a huge upset. After it's over, Zayn tries to respectfully help Angle back to his feet. Instead, Angle nails him with a forearm shot to the face. Angle ends up laying a huge beatdown on Zayn. He knocks him out and hurts him. Zayn is injured.

Night Of Champions 2015 vs. WWE Champion Roman Reigns

With Angle fully in the heel role that is backed by Triple H (or the heel authority figure), he gets a WWE Title shot. The WWE Champion is Roman Reigns. They have a back and forth matchup. For a few moments it looks like Angle may regain the WWE Title, but he falls short.



Hell in a Cell 2015 vs. Sami Zayn

Angle's a veteran wrestler that should be used to elevate younger talent. With the built up rivalry with Zayn, that's exactly what WWE can do with him. It would lead to a Hell in a Cell match between them where Zayn could finally get his hands on Angle. In the end, Zayn gets the win and become a bigger star because of it. That's why you mix veterans with younger talent.

The story would be that Angle thought he had to turn heel in order to get ahead, but it was the wrong path for him. Time to turn him face again.

Raw After Hell in a Cell 2015 (Face Turn)

Angle's in the ring doing a promo about how he came back to WWE to win the WWE Title and he failed. He thought that by aligning with Triple H it would be easy. Instead, he's not sure he has it anymore. Triple H comes out. He says that WWE made a mistake in signing Angle and that he wants Angle to quit. Sure, Hunter could fire him, but he'd rather see Angle quit and humiliate himself.

When it sounds like Angle's about to retire, John Cena walks out. He talks about how in 2002, he had his first match with Angle. Even though Angle won, Cena earned his respect. All these years later, Cena tells Angle he respects him as much as anybody and tells him that this is no way to end his legendary career. Randy Orton comes out. He's a babyface. He also tells Angle he respects him. Daniel Bryan shows up to say that even though he didn't like Angle's actions of late, he's one of the main reasons why Bryan got into wrestling. That leads to Cena, Orton and Bryan asking Angle if he wants to be on their Survivor Series team. Angle says yes to solidify his babyface turn.

The faces challenge a Triple H heel team consisting of Triple H, Seth Rollins, Sheamus (he would be a heel as part of The Authority) and then they take a while to announce the fourth man...Brock Lesnar.

As soon as Lesnar gets announced everybody remembers the history between Lesnar and Angle.



Survivor Series 2015: Cena, Bryan, Orton & Angle vs. Triple H, Rollins, Sheamus & Lesnar

The big selling point in this match is that it would be the first time Angle would be in the same match against Brock Lesnar, who is arguably his biggest rival. Their last match was in 2003, so it would be 12 years since they last wrestled.

The faces dominate the match. It leads to a scenario where it's Cena, Bryan and Angle left against only Lesnar on the heel side. They go the whole match without having Angle and Lesnar face off. Finally, Angle tags in and squares off with Lesnar. They look like they haven't lost a step as they exchange suplexes repeatedly. Eventually, Angle wears him down, then Cena tags in, hits the AA on Lesnar, tags Bryan in and he hits the running knee on Lesnar and Angle finishes it off with the Ankle Lock. Lesnar taps out.

That's the last we see of Lesnar for a bit. Heyman can say that Lesnar is furious that his team let him down and he had to fight alone, so he's not going to show up again until he's ready. As we know, Lesnar likes to take his breaks.



TLC 2015 Angle vs. Rollins Best Of 7 - Match #1

Angle's next rivalry is against the heel Seth Rollins. There's no title on the line, but Rollins challenges Angle to a best of seven series of matches to prove that he's better than him. Since Rollins is one of the best workers in the company, it would be a great way to have Angle compete against one of the most talented guys in the business.

They have a really competitive match. Angle wins clean to go up 1-0 in the series.

Royal Rumble 2016 Angle vs. Rollins Best Of 7 - Match #7

The Rollins/Angle series reaches a conclusion. It's announced that their last match will be a 30 minute Ironman Match that opens the PPV. The winner of the match automatically earns a spot in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Title. With the matchup tied 2-2 in the 29th minute, all of a sudden Brock Lesnar's music hits. The last time we saw him he was tapping out to Angle at Survivor Series. Lesnar doesn't even attack Angle, but his presence stuns Kurt enough. Angle goes for the Angle Slam, but his injured knee gives out (Rollins could work on the knee for months) and Angle collapses. Rollins capitalizes with the Curb Stomp for the win.

When the match is over, Lesnar enters the ring and laughs at Kurt. He gives Angle the F5. Then he gives him another F5 with Angle grabbing his knee immediately because when people take the F5, they hit their knees hard too. Lesnar, along with Paul Heyman, laughs and walks away.

During the Rumble match, Lesnar is dominating the action as one of the final ten competitors. It looks like he's going to win because nobody can stop him. All of a sudden, Angle's music hits and he enters the match even though he wasn't expected to be there. Of course, Angle is still hurt with the knee injury from earlier. Lesnar dominates Angle, looking like he is going to toss him from the match. Instead, Angle holds on. He wraps his legs around the neck of Lesnar, holds onto the top rope and eliminates Lesnar thanks to the help of two other babyfaces in the ring. The crowd pops huge for it. Angle celebrates although he is exhausted. Next man in the match is Angle's old rival Rusev, who tosses Angle out.

Raw After Royal Rumble 2016

Angle does a promo saying he wants to face Lesnar right now. Heyman says no. Angle says that's fine then, he wants a match at Elimination Chamber 2016. Heyman says Lesnar isn't going to be wrestling at that show, but if Angle wants a match with Lesnar at WrestleMania 32 then Angle has to beat Sheamus.

It doesn't have to be Sheamus. Maybe if a guy like Finn Balor or Kevin Steen is ready by that point then it could be one of them. It just has to be a heel that has some credibility that is a tough test for Angle.

Elimination Chamber 2016 vs. Sheamus

As mentioned earlier, Sheamus is the heel. Angle's the aging babyface dealing with injuries, so he has a lot of sympathy. He's fighting for the right to face his arch rival Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Even though it's not a decisive win, Angle finds a way to get the job done. He beats Sheamus or whoever it is that he's against.

The night after Elimination Chamber 2016 on Raw

Angle is in the ring making an announcement. He says that when he came back to WWE a year earlier he wanted to prove to the world that he could still be among the best wrestlers in the world. Even though he didn't win the WWE Title again, he proved that he could hang with the stars of today and the future top guys in the business. It's a real emotional promo that also sees one of his daughters at ringside saying "I love you daddy" with the camera on her. It's just classic, sappy babyface stuff. If they don't want to involve his family, that's fine. It's not a necessity.

Cue Brock Lesnar's music. Lesnar shows up with Heyman. Lesnar says he ended The Undertaker's career at WrestleMania 30 (assuming Undertaker never wrestles again) and now he wants to end Angle's career too. Heyman says the only way Lesnar signs the contract is if Angle puts his career on the line. Angle says fine, but they should raise the stakes even more: Lesnar has to put his career on the line too. Heyman doesn't want to do it, but Lesnar never backs down and says that's fine.

The match is set for WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, Texas: Angle vs. Lesnar. The loser must retire.



WrestleMania 32 2016 vs. Lesnar: Career vs. Career

It's the biggest WrestleMania ever because the stadium in Dallas can hold 100,000 people. They need all kinds of big matches, so Angle vs. Lesnar with their careers on the line would be a huge sell.

It would be a very emotional match with Angle as the veteran babyface. Lesnar would still get booed as the dominant heel because that's what he is best at. Heyman would be incredible reacting to everything knowing that his client's career could be over with a loss. Give them 20-25 minutes. Let them do all their signature spots. Sure, Lesnar can be booked in a dominant way, but there's nobody that knows him better than Angle. He could hit counter holds all night long. They could even tease Lesnar doing the Shooting Star Press, but instead he doesn't do it.

The final sequence would be amazing. Lesnar has always been great selling his injured foot in matches with Angle, so that's what he could do for the majority of this matchup. In the end, Lesnar hits his third F5 (after hopping on one leg) and wins the match. Angle can't get his shoulder up one more time.

Post match, Lesnar helps up Angle. They embrace. It would be reminiscent of their WM19 match where they hugged at the end. They're rivals, but as two very successful amateur wrestlers they always have respect. Heyman can yell at Lesnar, which could be the start of Lesnar becoming a babyface in his last year or two. Lesnar leaves with Heyman, who is still mad at him.



Angle can milk the cheers for all they are worth. It doesn't have to be the last match on the card, but the sendoff should be a big deal. He could walk up the ramp with his wife, his kids and his family as the crowd chants his name one final time as an active competitor.

Instead of chanting "You Suck" during his song, they would be chanting "Thank You" for it.

Somebody hit that Angle music one more time.

They could also do the big sendoff on Raw the next night like we've seen for Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels. Angle deserves that.

WWE Hall of Fame 2017

Angle is the headline name for the Hall of Fame ceremony that year. It's the perfect way to cap his legendary career.



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That's a wrap. There are loads of other guys that would make great opponents for Angle like Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor and others I didn't mention. It's tough to include everybody. They could always do some of those matches on television. I just tried to include the major matches.

What do you think? Let me know via Twitter, Facebook or email using my info below.

John Canton - mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter @johnreport

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