WWE: What Role Will Kurt Angle Play When He Returns To The Ring?

The sudden departure from our screens for former RAW General Manager, Kurt Angle, has been met with a series of rumours suggesting that the Olympic gold medallist is training for a return to the ring as a full-time WWE wrestler. These reports beg several questions, most of which surround the plans for Angle as an in-ring performer.

While there are some certainly some exciting possibilities, many fans have greeted the news with trepidation given that Kurt Angle has flattered to deceive on the few occasions he has stepped back in the squared circle since returning to the company in 2017.

So what does the future hold for a nearly 50-year old Kurt Angle whose body has been showing increasing signs of the many years of physical toil he has been subjected to? The elephant in the room is, and always will be, whether Vince McMahon would be willing to allow Angle one more world title run in WWE.

Angle’s first run with the company ended under a cloud due to the circumstances of his release, but he is unquestionably one of the greatest in-ring superstars of all time. One final run holding either the Universal or WWE Championship would provide a fantastic bookend to his career and would stir up significant nostalgia amongst a large section of the fanbase.

The biggest question mark against whether Angle may hold gold again in WWE surrounds his ability to maintain a high level of performance in the ring. Certainly, he has shown glimpses of his former prowess during his matches between 2017 and 2018, but he has looked several steps slower and considerably less powerful.

This is of course to be expected as he ages, but will his training allow him to share a ring effectively with athletic phenoms like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles? If so, a number of potential dream matches await him.

A fit and healthy Kurt Angle could fill a multitude of roles within the current WWE landscape. Fresh rivalries against the aforementioned Reigns and Rollins, and others such as Daniel Bryan and The Miz, would be enthralling.

Or, Angle could revisit rivalries only previously seen in TNA against the likes of Styles, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode. Perhaps he’d be most effective in a “gatekeeper” role, acting as a measuring stick of sorts against future NXT call-ups like Aleister Black or Velveteen Dream. For the sake of the WWE product, let’s hope that Kurt returns from his training camp in the best shape he’s been in for years.