Kurt Angle Returns to Raw, Wins Spot in WWE World Cup

It’s true, it’s true — Kurt Angle made his comeback to WWE Raw this week under the costume of The Conquistador to defeat Baron Corbin in a “Global Battle Royal.”

When Baron Corbin announced a “Global Battle Royal” for this week’s episode of Raw, odds are no one expected the segment we were treated to. With a berth in the WWE World Cup at stake — a tournament to determine “the best in the world” — Corbin assembled the greatest group of international talent he could find. Did anyone think Kurt Angle was lurking in the ring?

Prior to the match, Corbin refused to allow Heath Slater entry into the battle royal, because he “wasn’t any good.” So when I saw The Conquistador bouncing around as one of the participants in the match, I just figured Slater pulled a quick change and was going to get his revenge immediately.

Instead, Corbin made a show of introducing all his opponents, including The Sultan of Shwarma and The Belgian Waffler. Yes, it’s exactly what you’re picturing. Representing Spain, The Conquistador — long known as a ploy to get certain superstars into the ring where they don’t belong — was among the crowd, but he bailed to the floor as soon as the match started.

Corbin, meanwhile, eliminated every other competitor, thinking he had won the entire match. But he forgot about The Conquistador, who slid into the ring and danced around. Once Corbin made his move, The Conquistador busted out a triple German suplex, and followed that up with an Angle Slam, giving away his secret identity.

After clotheslining Corbin over the tope rope to win the Global Battle Royal — and a spot in the World Cup — The Conquistador removed his mask to eliminate all doubt, officially revealing himself as Kurt Angle. Corbin looked distraught, and Angle refused to speak with Charly Caruso backstage because he’s “still on vacation.”

It would have been better if it were Slater in the Conquistador costume, because Heath Slater in a tournament to crown the best in the world would be amazing. But having Angle join John Cena as the first two of eight participants makes more sense, especially given both their history and relative standing over the course of their careers.

There’s still six names to join the tournament, with a couple of qualifying matches scheduled for SmackDown Live this week. But so far, it’s looking like a solid field — even with only two names.

What did you think of Kurt Angle making a surprise return to action this week?