"Has a reputation of doing that" - WWE legend on what Vince McMahon does after signing stars from rival promotions

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle believes Vince McMahon doesn't push new signings from rival companies right away. He noted that Vince usually brings them down before including the stars in meaningful storylines.

The WWE Chairman appears to be open to the idea of signing performers from rival promotions since the Monday Night Wars. After a lengthy and influential stint with All Elite Wrestling, Cody Rhodes also recently signed with WWE.

While speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympian said McMahon has a reputation for shoving down new signings to a "modest degree" and then building them up.

"Vince (McMahon) doesn't like to bring in wrestlers that are hot in other companies - and bring 'em in and push them right away. Instead, what he does is he brings them in, shoves them down a little bit, gets 'em to a modest degree and then builds them up again. Vince has a reputation of doing that. You'll notice that with Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit when they came into WWE. He shoved them down in the beginning, working the first match on the shows and they eventually build them up."

The Hall of Famer cited the example of AJ Styles to validate his statement

"You know, he was going to do with AJ (Styles). I think AJ just had to leave TNA, go off, do something for a year or two and then WWE would pick him up. And that's exactly what happened," said Angle. (From 29:27 to 30:04)

Angle said Cody Rhodes returned as a "star" at WrestleMania, but there's a possibility that The American Nightmare's push could come to a halt, which he hopes doesn't happen.

Vince McMahon wasn't impressed by AJ Styles' WWE debut

Styles debuted in Vince McMahon's company at the 2016 edition of the Royal Rumble with a raucous ovation from the crowd. However, McMahon thought that The Phenomenal One's debut was a fluke.

"The reaction that I got at the Royal Rumble 2016 was awesome. It was amazing, but Vince didn't really believe that - [he thought] that it was a fluke, basically. That's what he thought it was," said Styles.

Styles seems to have won over McMahon and has featured in several high-profile matches over the years, including being The Undertaker's final opponent.

It will be interesting to see how The Boss reacts to several AEW stars possibly transitioning to his promotion in the near future.

What do you think of Angle's comments on Vince? Sound off in the comments below.

Please H/T The Kurt Angle Show and Sportskeeda if you use any quotes above.