What’s the story?
Kurt Angle is regarded as one of the best to ever step foot in the ring. He has put up some phenomenal matches with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Shawn Michaels and Brock Lesnar during his time with WWE. He has also been a multiple time World Champion in both TNA and WWE.
During the recent edition of Chris Jericho’s podcast Talk Is Jericho, Angle said that all of it could have never happened as he was about to opt for the UFC Octagon instead of the squared circle, right after he had quit amateur wrestling.
In case you didn’t know...
Kurt Angle had won gold at the 1995 Amateur Wrestling World Championship and at the 1996 Summer Olympics in the 100 KG freestyle category.
After his stint in amateur wrestling, Angle signed a deal with WWE and remained with the company until 2006. Angle subsequently joined TNA wrestling in the same year and continued to work over there for a decade.
Also read: WWE News: Kurt Angle reveals details behind fight with Brock Lesnar
Recently, Angle returned to WWE and got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during the WrestleMania weekend.
The heart of the matter
On Talk Is Jericho, Angle said that before WWE offered him a deal and the UFC were already in talks with him.
“When I was serious about fighting, which was right around ’98, right before I got to WWE, UFC offered me a deal, it was 10 fights for $150,000, and I was like ‘are you nuts?!’
They’re like ‘well this is the most we’re paying everyone,’ and I’m like ‘well then I’m not doing it.”
Angle further said that he regretted his decision later, as the UFC exploded in a few years and the mixed martial artists started earning in millions. He also spoke about the other two times that the UFC offered him a contract.
"I did talk to Dana White in 2006 and in 2010, I flew out and met with him both times. The issue was, first of all, we couldn’t get a starting date. He wanted me ready in four and a half weeks for one fight, which was not gonna happen.
I thought I needed three to six months. But I was also in denial.
I don’t have the strength I had before I broke my neck in 2003, and breaking it several times in two and a half years didn’t help.”
What’s next?
Kurt Angle is back in WWE and is the current General Manager of Monday Night Raw. He is expected to be a part of this week’s Superstar Shake-up which will be hosted by both Raw and SmackDown LIVE.
Author’s take
Kurt Angle’s contributions to the professional wrestling industry have been immense.
He is one of the most technically gifted wrestlers to ever step foot in any wrestling promotion in the world. If Kurt would have accepted the UFC deal, we would have never got to witness all the classics that he has ever put and we would have never known what we missed.
Given his decorated career in amateur wrestling, Kurt Angle could have become one of the very best in the UFC.
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