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#Post#: 30624--------------------------------------------------
Chat with Kurt Angle. Talks TNA, WWE & More
DIR By: ChrissiCalvert
Date: May 25, 2015, 3:42 pm
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We've just had the announcement that TNA's 2016 UK tour is
coming to Manchester, Birmingham and London in January. What
makes the UK tour so special from your point of view?
It's always great going over there - we've have our best crowds
in recent years and we've had our best matches in the UK. We
treat it as if it were our WrestleMania. We always try and put
on our best shows over there and we get a great reaction from
the crowd, which looks great on TV. I wish we could come back
more often but at this point once a year is all we can do. It's
great to go over there and give back to the fans who watch our
show every week.
This year's tour was significant for you as it coincided with
your in-ring return. It culminated in an amazing night in London
on January 31, when you captured the TNA World Heavyweight
Championship from Lashley during an Impact Wrestling taping.
Yeah, that was a great night. I think that me returning from my
knee injury and facing Lashley who is a great performer, who I
think at that point was underrated, up until then... it was a
phenomenal match. It was the first time Bobby and I had ever
been in the ring together one-on-one. We had never even
practised in the ring, that was the first time we touched. It
was a great night. Those matches only come along once in a while
and I'm hoping next time I'm in England I've got the same
calibre of match.
Lashley obviously trained for the Olympics long after I did.
What's ironic is I got Bobby into pro wrestling. I saw his
talent at the Olympic training centre. I went there in the early
2000s to do a story for WWE about going back to my roots and he
was there and he stood out as a phenomenal athlete. But I didn't
know he was going to turn into such a great pro wrestler. I
introduced him to pro wrestling, which is why it's kind of funny
we never touched until in London.
Do you particularly enjoy facing someone like him, with an
amateur wrestling background and an athletic edge?
Yeah we brought a lot of mat wrestling to the table that night
in London. I couldn't do it as much because I was testing my
knee, but Bobby was manhandling me at the end. He was picking me
up and slamming me down! The guy is a beast, I told him 'I wish
I could have gone toe-to-toe with you'. But he's an animal and
he's in the prime of his career right now. Me, I'm still able to
go with the big boys, it just takes me a little longer to
recuperate and I can't do some of the things I used to.
We spoke midway through the UK tour in 2014. At the time you
were nursing a knee injury and a picture emerged of you
backstage in a wheelchair. Today you're the TNA World
Heavyweight Champion. Did you ever think you might struggle to
return to the ring?
With my training I knew I would come back, I just didn't know
how quickly. A lot of times with ACL surgery it can take at
least a year, but I was back within nine months. I was doing
okay, I just had to take it easy when I first got back in there.
I bounce back from injury, I've had my share of them. It's been
tough, but having injury isn't always a bad thing because it
makes you work harder, you keep that work ethic. I think the
guys that have been injured understand how much work ethic you
need to make it back 100% and it only makes you a better
athlete.
In June last year you became TNA's executive director of
wrestling operations. Did you enjoy the role? Did it give you
the chance to take a step back and look at the company from a
different perspective, or was it just frustrating being on the
sidelines?
No, I rather enjoyed it. I did have a stint in WWE as SmackDown
general manager for about six months and that one killed me, I
wanted to be back in the ring. I didn't want to be in that
position. But this last time it was a lot of fun. I got to look
at the wrestlers and pick and choose who I really wanted to have
a programme with when I got back and it gave me a lot of time to
study the art of wrestling, see what kind of talent we had, how
they were able to tell a story and consider different ideas for
me to come back.
I was more of a coach. I talked to a lot of the wrestlers and
gave them feedback and I enjoyed it. I like coaching. It's
something I'm sure I will do one day. I do have a wrestling
school in Pittsburgh. It's amateur wrestling only, but I'm sure
one day I will probably give back to pro wrestling and do some
kind of coaching with that too.
Last year you openly discussed your plan to finish your contract
with TNA in September and re-sign with WWE to finish out your
career. Can you clear up what happened there?
You know what, when it came down to it, I talked to both
companies and it was an easy decision. From every perspective,
from amount of dates, to the amount of money, to the amount of
interest, it wasn't a hard decision - TNA trumped the WWE. And
for whatever reason, maybe the WWE didn't think I could still
go, maybe they just wanted to start grooming younger talent,
although they've obviously hired Sting, brought in Batista and
brought guys back like Jericho... I don't know the full story,
it could be anything, but when it came down to it I had my
options open. I never said I was going to leave TNA and I never
said I wouldn't go back to WWE, but when I looked at the best
scenario for me, hands down it was TNA. It wasn't something I
had to sit down and think about for hours, the writing was on
the wall. It was TNA for one more year.
It's been reported in some quarters that you didn't want to work
a full-time schedule. It's also been suggested it was a case of
personal differences between you and Triple H, after you
approached Vince McMahon rather than him. Is that true?
I don't think so, I don't think that Triple H and I have any
problems with each other, I've always liked him. He's always
treated me with respect and I've always treated him the same.
No, I don't think it was that. There was a point when my manager
talked to them and I believe they did say 'he would have to
wrestle full-time'. That is not an option for me, not at this
point in my career. So, whether that was part of it, honestly I
just don't think they had that much interest in signing Kurt
Angle at that point. For whatever reason, it could have been my
mishaps in my past, it could have been that they didn't think I
was healthy enough to go - and obviously I am - but we never got
a full answer of why they couldn't give me what I wanted. And it
wasn't just what I wanted, it was a reduced schedule, but there
was no option.
Dixie Carter gave me exactly what I wanted and it wasn't a hard
decision. I wasn't upset, I was excited about signing another
year with TNA. I think they did an incredible job this year.
They had to refocus, they had to re-group, they had some issues
in the past, and I think they've done an incredible job of
making their way back. Are they back to what they were? No. But
they're on their way and they're doing so many good things right
now that make me excited about being part of the company.
WWE's loss was TNA's gain - you returned to the ring when TNA
made its debut on Destination America, which was a big moment
for the company. You also got the chance to work with MVP.
Yeah, you know I have just touched the tip of the iceberg with
MVP. He's one of the reasons that I wanted to come back and be
able to wrestle. I love his talent, I think he's great. I did
want to wrestle Lashley, I also wanted to have another programme
with Bobby Roode, I was very happy with the programme with Eric
Young. Austin Aries I got a chance to wrestle him, it obviously
hasn't been aired yet, but that was awesome. That kid, wow, we
had a five-star and then some, it was really good. But talent
like EC3 and Drew Galloway, they are guys that make me excited
about being a part of the company. I want to be able to
challenge myself and them.
Had your paths crossed with MVP or Drew before?
No, not in WWE, I had one eight-minute match with MVP in TNA
when I returned and we both had street clothes on, so it wasn't
much of a match! I'm looking for another programme with him, I
think he's up there as far as talent is concerned right now, on
the microphone he is as good as it gets. So I'm excited about
working with him. Before I end my career, which could possibly
be in the UK, I would love to have a match with Drew.
You mentioned Eric Young , what do you make of his transition
from a comic character in the middle of the card to a vicious
villain in TNA's main event scene?
Well we all knew Eric Young was that talented. We all knew he
had the ability to be a main eventer, a world champion, we just
didn't know how to get there. From not taking him seriously
because he was kind of a goofball, we didn't know what role
would escalate him to that level, and we found it - he found it.
He found it himself. I think that right now Eric Young might be,
might have had the best matches in the past six months, more
consistently than anyone else. He is a rare talent, he can go in
the ring as good as anybody, he does it all, and I like the
character he's portraying, I really enjoy it.
I guess it's all part of a learning process – you were obviously
someone who had no qualms playing a comic role earlier in your
career.
No I loved it. I never wanted it to stop. I enjoyed playing the
character, just at one point Vince McMahon said 'no more, we're
going to make you a killer'. 'You're going to be a killer and
you're going to make us money'. And I just think that the comedy
thing, he thought it took its toll and there wasn't much more
money in it, but I think there was plenty more money in it. I
went over to being a more serious character and it worked, I
liked it, but did I enjoy it as much as the comedy, entertaining
the fans? No. When you're an Olympic Gold Medallist you can be
as comical as you want because when you get in that ring people
are going to take you seriously anyway.
On June 28th at Slammiversary you're scheduled to face Ethan
Carter III for your heavyweight title, which takes us full
circle back to the UK tour in 2014, when he took credit for
injuring you. It's a match that has a great backstory to it.
Yeah, that's one of the matches I was really looking forward to
coming back and doing. I didn't know what creative had in store
for EC3, but I knew that he was going to win the world
heavyweight title this year. The writing was on the wall, he was
the guy that you wanted to put that title on, so it was a matter
of time. I just didn't know how they were going to get there. So
I feel very blessed to at least be a part of that, because
whether or not I beat or lose to EC3 in this match, I believe in
this programme somewhere along the line he's going to win the
title. So what better way to win the title than beat Kurt Angle?
I think that's a great move on the company's part and it's also
great for me because I get the chance to wrestle EC3, and it's
also great for me because I will probably be the one most likely
to end his undefeated streak, so there are many things in that
storyline that can be a lot of fun for both of us.
You mentioned how TNA keeps evolving and reinventing itself,
which is crucial for any wrestling company to thrive. What do
you make of the addition of the Smashing Pumpkins' singer Billy
Corgan to the creative team?
You know what I got very limited access to Billy but when I did
he really took, he adapted quickly, almost like he has been
around this for a long time. We did some segments that he
produced, promo segments and such, he took control of The Doll
House, which you will see a lot of things change in the future
with The Doll House, that are really cool. He's added a lot of
depth to the company, I like him, I think he's going to be very
good for TNA. I think it was a great move by TNA, a smart move,
to sign him and I think he's well in tune with what the audience
want to see. He brings a different flavour to the table, no
doubt about that. We've been so drawn into just hiring former
wrestlers and former office from WWE and former WCW talent, and
not going outside the box. Well we went outside the box with
Billy and I think it's working out. He did an incredible job, he
produced a promo segment of EC3 and myself, which we'll see in
the next few weeks, which was hilarious. You're really going to
be entertained, he really stepped up. So those are the kind of
things we can get from Billy.
#Post#: 30696--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chat with Kurt Angle. Talks TNA, WWE & More
DIR By: Emmylou
Date: June 5, 2015, 9:16 pm
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Kurt Angle is a legend. I was at Wembley for his match with
Lashley and it was pure gold. I hope he can stay with TNA for
many years to come
#Post#: 30712--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chat with Kurt Angle. Talks TNA, WWE & More
DIR By: tnagirl
Date: June 6, 2015, 5:29 am
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I see his last year when he was in a cage match with Aces and 8s
with bully ray . He looks a bit slow but he is getting old now
and he can not go for 30 mins anymore
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