Kurt Angle is coming home. ESPN has reported that the former Olympic gold medalist and six-time WWE/World Champion is being inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame. The legendary star is taking his rightful place among the all-time greats of WWE, and it could not have come soon enough for his fans.
Angle’s departure from WWE in 2006 was both a shock and a disappointment. While guys come and go in the business, Angle had never been just another Superstar. It was inconceivable to many that WWE would ever let a talent of his stature go.
Angle took to the business better and faster than perhaps anyone in wrestling history. He adapted his tremendous amateur skills to the pro game and did so smoother than anyone could have predicted. Angle was a natural in every sense of the word, and fans saw it the day he first stepped into the ring.
He was a machine. He worked every type of wrestler WWE could offer, and he consistently had five-star matches with each one. His aptitude for pro wrestling was second to none, and his athletic ability was unmatched. Angle was everything WWE wanted in a wrestler and more.
Of course, no one could have guessed he would be so entertaining as well, though his character was plain and generic. He had no flash and no sizzle. He should have been a babyface because of his Olympic credentials. But he became a throwback heel because he was annoying and cowardly.
He also believed his own hype, whether anyone else believed it or not.
However that gimmick eventually endeared him to fans, who could not stop laughing at his antics. Angle was a clown, but he was respected for his work, and he soon got over in a very big way. He became a babyface in spite of himself, and fans couldn’t get enough of him.
Angle made it cool to be goofy. Fans saw that he was in on the joke, and was having a blast just doing his job. They appreciated him and cheered him on in one main event feud after another. Angle was a top player in the company, and his matches are considered some of the best in WWE history.
Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Eddie Guerrero, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock are just five legends that battled Angle, and the Olympic hero excelled with each feud. Angle was one of the best that WWE had ever seen, and everything he touched turned to gold.
But when his time in WWE came to an end, all of that appeared to be over. Angle was bruised, he was banged up, and he was beaten. He had enough of WWE, and the feeling appeared to be mutual. Fans likely believed it was over for him.
However, Angle’s journey did not end with WWE. He went to TNA and became the top guy in the company, where he faced Sting, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe. Angle had a new lease on life and had never looked better in the ring. WWE’s loss was definitely TNA’s gain.
Of course, as with every top star that leaves WWE, Angle’s name has always been mentioned among those that fans wanted to come back. Every time a “mystery” partner was booked for a tag team match, Angle was one of the guys that fans thought of.
Every time the Royal Rumble went down, fans waited for the countdown and hoped to hear his familiar entrance music.
But it was ultimately the Hall of Fame that fans impatiently waited for. With each new legendary class that was announced, Angle’s name was always disappointingly not on the list. It seemed as though he would never receive the proper recognition that he deserved. Angle was a legend and needed his moment in the sun.
That moment is finally becoming a reality now and as fans begin to count the weeks until WrestleMania weekend, they’re also surely counting the days until the Royal Rumble. Lesnar, Goldberg and The Undertaker are already part of the Rumble; could Angle be included as well?
Fans are undoubtedly ready for the unexpected, and now that Angle is heading back to WWE, anything can happen. Fans know it could only be a matter of time until Angle’s back in the fold, but to what extent, is unknown at the moment.
Angle has said he may be done with wrestling. But if he changes his mind, if the timing is right and if his booking is on point, then Angle could come in and once again become a major player. Of all the legends that could have one last run in WWE and can still draw money at the same time, Angle is the most deserving.
If the company agrees, then the entire landscape of WWE could change sooner rather than later. Kurt Angle may be on the verge of taking the wrestling world by storm once again.
Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Sportskeeda. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here
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