Kurt Angle on Talks with WWE, Staying in TNA, McMahon, Dixie, HHH, More

TNA Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer and current World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle recently spoke to Sports Illustrated about his talks with WWE last year and his decision to stay with TNA.

His original plan of finishing up his TNA contract last September and re-signing with the WWE to close his career:

“I haven’t spoke openly about this. but I opened up my options and was going to decide between TNA and WWE. I wasn’t going to leave TNA unless WWE was offering a fair deal.”

Vince McMahon and Triple H:

“Paul [Levesque] is in charge. I found that out when I contacted Vince. I’ve always had a good relationship with Paul, so I didn’t consider that a problem. But he decided they had enough talent. For the Vince McMahon who I knew, enough was never enough. He always wanted more. I don’t know what was going on over there, but they even canceled our meeting. I never went to see them. They didn’t even sit me down and talk to me.”

WWE not bringing him back:

“It blew my mind. It was as if I was a nobody, that I wasn’t Kurt Angle. From a wrestling standpoint, they just weren’t interested. But TNA not only stepped up, they gave me everything I wanted – the dates, the money, and it’s no secret that I’ve went to rehab in the past, and they gave me time off. You talk about a company that’s loyal to you, and you want to be loyal back. So I didn’t pursue the WWE any further. When it comes down to it, you’ve got to stick with the people who want to take care of you. And [TNA president] Dixie Carter took care of me. But I’m going to be straight with you. The WWE would have made more money this year if they would have signed me. That’s no secret.”

Potential matches if he would have returned:

“The best match of the year would have been between myself and Daniel Bryan. Rusev would have made sense, and Brock and I could have went at it again. There were just so many places to go. I don’t know if they just thought I was too old, but obviously they’re not watching our product. Triple H is the same age as me. It was hard, but at the end of the day, I’m really happy. Will I ever go back? I really don’t care. I’m happy to be here in TNA.”

Seeing more differences than similarities between Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter:

“They’re completely different. If I wasn’t feeling good, Dixie would tell me to take the night off – and she wouldn’t dock my pay. I can’t say that ever happened in WWE. Vince is great at what he does, but so is Dixie – and I know my body is going to hold up in TNA.”