Kurt Angle Signs With TNA
September 24th, 2006 by Brian Cantor
Inside news plus comments from Angle
Earlier this week, Kurt Angle’s manager said that the wrestler was retiring from pro wrestling to pursue an MMA career. Earlier this month, sources said that if Angle chose to remain in wrestling, he would not sign with TNA due to a desire to remain on good terms with WWE.
All of those notions proved incorrect Sunday night when TNA announced that it had inked a deal with the former WWE Champion and former Olympic Gold Medalist.
“Being with TNA feels like I found my home,” Kurt Angle said in a TNA press release. “TNA will be the most watched show on cable TV – it’s just a matter of time. Thank you TNA for saving my career, my life and my desire to do what I love.”
Angle’s signing with TNA likely rules out an imminent MMA debut—implying that his MMA announcement was designed to throw the Internet off leading into TNA’s surprise—although it is conceivable that he plans to do both.
It should also be interesting to see how the TNA signing affects Kurt’s status with WWE. While WWE sources did reportedly realize an Angle-TNA deal was quite likely, the wrestler’s immediate jump to a competitor indicates that contrary to claims on his website, Angle’s number one priority is apparently not working for an eventual WWE return.
