From the WWE Rumour Mill: WWE had Wrestlemania 34 plans for Kurt Angle long before TLC 2017 return

What's the story?

Kurt Angle made his long-awaited return to the WWE ring at TLC 2017 when he was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for the sick Roman Reigns.

This led to speculations about when exactly Kurt Angle was cleared to wrestle, and what existing plans the WWE might have had in place for the WWE Hall of Famer.

Now, new reports from Dave Meltzer as part of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter suggest that a return match was already in the works for Angle.

In case you didn't know...

Kurt Angle was rehired by the WWE in April this year, taking over from Mick Foley as the General Manager of Monday Night Raw, in what was never supposed to be an active wrestling role.

However, Angle returned to the ring at TLC 2017 alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to take on The Miz, The BAR, Braun Strowman and Kane in a 5 vs 3 Tables, Ladders and Chairs match, with the 'Olympic Gold Medallist' and Shield coming out on top.

The heart of the matter

Despite Kurt Angle's participated in the TLC 2017 pay-per-view coming from out of the blue, shocking the WWE Universe, it now appears, as per Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that the WWE had been planning Angle's in-ring return for some time before that.

Meltzer suggested that the WWE had already been working on a potential return to the ring at Wrestlemania 34 for Kurt Angle with Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and The Undertaker all potential opponents for him.

What's next?

There is new speculation that Kurt Angle could be returning to the soon, even as soon as Survivor Series as the rivalry between Raw and SmackDown LIVE looks set to escalate, with Shane McMahon and Kurt Angle possibly joining their respective teams for the 5 vs 5 Survivor Series match.

Author's take

It's almost a shame that Angle's big return couldn't have been saved for Wrestlemania 34, as it would have been the epitome of a Wrestlemania moment, but the Raw GM undoubtedly stepped up and helped rescue the pay-per-view, so things turned out for the best in the end.