Does Kurt Angle Regret Leaving WWE for TNA?

Kurt Angle was a six-time world champion, multi-time WrestleMania headliner, a Grand Slam champion [...]

By Connor Casey

Kurt Angle was a six-time world champion, multi-time WrestleMania headliner, a Grand Slam champion and one of the most popular heels on the roster by the mid-2000s. But in 2006 the Olympic Gold Medalist left the company, deciding to take his talents to TNA Wrestling (now known as Impact Wrestling).

He'd go on to spend a full decade with TNA, competing alongside the likes of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Sting and Jeff Jarrett as the promotion worked to become WWE's main competition.

Angle finally returned to the WWE in 2017, becoming a member of the WWE Hall of Fame and joining the main roster as the general manager of Monday Night Raw. On Friday he held an open Q&A forum on his Facebook and was asked if he had any regrets about leaving WWE in the first place.

"I can't," Angle wrote. "I had a great career in TNA, maybe better than my WWE career. I had a reduced schedule there. And I wrestled so many greats AJ, Joe, Sting, Roode...To name a few. My body couldn't hold up to the rigorous schedule in WWE at the time. I always imagine the career I could have had if I stayed in WWE. It would have been incredible, but I couldn't stay so I can't keep asking myself 'What if?'"

Upon his arrival in the company, Angle was immediately pushed into the main event picture with Samoa Joe for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He went on to hold the title six times and held every championship the company had to offer (at one point he held all of them at once, including both tag team championships) to join AJ Styles as the second TNA Triple Crown champion in history.

While he's television almost every week on Raw, Angle's wrestling appearances have been few and far between since his return. His first match took place at the TLC pay-per-view in October when he became an honorary member of The Shield (Roman Reigns could not compete that night due to illness) to defeat The Miz, Braun Strowman, Kane, Cesaro and Sheamus in a handicap Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.

He then teamed up with Ronda Rousey to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag match at WrestleMania 34, guiding the former UFC Champion as she made her wrestling debut.

Elsewhere in the Q&A, Angle was asked if he'd every write a biography about his time as an Olympic and professional wrestler.

"Yes. Someday," Angle responded. "I have a documentary I'm making right now. I'm excited to show all of you my entire life story. Stay tuned."

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