Kurt Angle Talks About the WWE Hall of Fame, TNA Supporting Him Through Rehab and More

[CM Punk]

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- Kurt Angle recently spoke with The Big J Show on if he would rather do a UFC appearance or make a WWE return.

"I am happy where I am. I dabbled with UFC, talked to Dana White a couple different times. Came up with contracts but couldn't agree on a starting date. Now it's too late for me, I'm 44, I'm turning 45 in December, I would have loved to have done it. It just wasn't in the cards. I love Dana White, and we were able to reach an agreement. The starting times were just too early for me."

Angle commented on the support from TNA through his recent stint in rehab:

"They have been awesome. I had to take some time out and clear my head and physically get better. TNA has been awesome. They have been 100% supportive. Dixie Carter has been amazing. The WWE Rehabilitation program has been awesome for me. My road to recovery is great. I'm really happy to be where I am right now."

Angle also discussed being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame:

"You have to be. I am very honored to be in the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame, but any hall of fame especially the WWE Hall Of Fame you wanna be a part of it. That's where I started. I have to give them credit on my character development. Teaching me my skills. You always want to be apart of their Hall of Fame. It's legendary."

 

[Testify]

On who deserves a push in TNA:
"I really like Magnus right now. I love his promo skills, his wrestling has gotten a lot better. I would love to re-push [Samoa] Joe. He's a cornerstone of the company, and sometimes I feel like we’re not utilizing him right. That guy can carry the company; he can carry any company. AJ [Styles] has done a tremendous job, but when you look at the young talent, there are a lot out there that have the ability. Right now, stepping up, it’s hard."

On changes he would make to TNA:
"I think they’ve been improving a lot on it, but I would have a more organized way of doing things. I would have a lot more rehearsal. I would have the talent come out to the ring every hour of the day, and just rehearse and go over. Just ram it down their throats so they have it right when they go to the show that night. We have been doing that. Have we done it enough? Yes and no. And it’s not by any means, a WCW, but you don’t want it to become where the talent just says what they want to say, and the story doesn’t really go anywhere because of that. I want it to become more organized like Vince McMahon has run his show. That’s how I was brought in, and for seven years, that’s how I was taught. And I believe TNA is going in that direction."


On Hulk Hogan's status with TNA:
"Hogan is not under contract right now, but I have a feeling he will be back. I don't know when. He's an icon, he's a guy that has done so much for wrestling you always want him under contract, even if he can't wrestle anymore. A lot of people would say, ‘No,’ but look at what this guy has done for business. Any time he goes out, he gets the loudest cheer, doesn’t matter if he’s wrestling or not. Getting to know him and seeing what he’s done for business, I’d say heck yeah, you wanna sign that guy."

On the current Dixie Carter storyline:
"I love the heel turn Dixie has made, it has helped a lot. Obviously we have had a few bumps in the road the last few months. We've been able to iron it out."