Kurt Angle talks TNA career, says it was better than time in WWE

[Chris]

“I always get, ‘You know, Kurt Angle would have been the best of all time if he would have stuck in the WWE and wrestled there for 20 years.’ That may be true, but what’s the difference? I wrestled in TNA for 11 of my 20 years, and I think that should be added on. I had a better career in TNA. I was wrestling guys like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe and Sting. And I had a lot better career in TNA because I came into my own. You know, when you’re a professional wrestler it takes you about six, seven years to really master your craft. And that’s when I left WWE, after six years. And I went to TNA and I was a man on a mission there. And I just did incredibly well there."

“I don’t get enough accolades for it, you know? I mean, I know that a lot of people consider me one of the best of all times now regardless of my TNA career. But that career gets a little bit stifled. That really bothers me a little bit because, you know, I was really that good. I mean, I had an incredible career. Don’t get me wrong, the WWE career was great too. Now me coming back to the WWE in 2017, I don’t even count that. Because by then I lost a step, I wasn’t the same person. The reason why I retired early is because I looked at myself on television and I was like, ‘Wow, this looks like an old man wrestling.’ And I didn’t like what I saw.”

 

[Death By Looch]

I never heard a single person say that Kurt would only have been the best of all time if he would've stayed in WWE. Sounds like the hottest garbage-take.

 

[Chris]

Can't say I've heard exactly that either, but I think it's more they just didn't watch TNA entirely so it's more of the sentiment of "if I had watched him in WWE for those years he was in TNA, I'd think he was the best ever"

 

[Leon TrotSky]

Yeah it feels like people don't give Kurt enough credit for his strong matches in TNA even today, it's always "lmao pills, lmao perc angle"

 

[Deadd2009]

Him not being in WWE the entire time doesnt hurt his standing as one of the best of all time but he definitely missed out on some "bangers" with the guys that came after. Punk, Bryan, Cesaro etc. Hell, he probably would have had a decent match with Swagger too.

 

[Cwalker]

I will agree that I think the decade or however long he was in TNA may outrank his WWE run.

I think if you take that first interaction with Joe, and put it in a vacuum, it holds up against 85% of the stuff that he did in WWE. A lot of people just didn't experience it live cause idk how many people were watching TNA weekly like that back then.

As far as his standing all time goes, I don't think it would've changed had he stayed in WWE his entire career. TNA noticeably had a better roster from maybe 2008-2011 so he got to work with an assortment of better talent and have better matches. Again, it's just looked at being on a smaller scale.

If I did an all time list, Kurt is probably in my top 10. If not, he's definitely 11 or 12. He should feel comfortable with his legacy as it stands.

 

[Kim Jong Umb]

Yeah it feels like people don't give Kurt enough credit for his strong matches in TNA even today, it's always "lmao pills, lmao perc angle"

Perc Angle prob help make those matches even more epic tbh. I imagine a sober Kurt isny bout to Moonsault off a cage or do that flip senton spot off the stage.

 

[Emb]

I think Angle's best TNA match was the one with Jeff Jarrett from Genesis 2009.

 

[Death By Looch]

Yeah it feels like people don't give Kurt enough credit for his strong matches in TNA even today, it's always "lmao pills, lmao perc angle"

I also joke about Perc Angle, but honestly it's more like an admiring thing for me... because I know what he has brought to the TNA table DESPITE being in one of the darkest places someone can be. Him working three PPV matches in one night in the middle of that period of his and all of them were at least good? Fuckin' legend.