WWE Rumors: Kurt Angle To Wrestle At WrestleMania? Plus Other Likely Matches

WWE rumors concerning the status of Kurt Angle have been flooding the newswire in the 24 hours since the news broke that the former Olympic Gold Medalist would be entering the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame.

Now, WWE fans are clamoring for a little bit more than just an appearance at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. They would like to see the 48-year-old Angle enter a WWE ring at least one more time, presumably at this year’s WrestleMania in Orlando.

Of course, the WWE rumors of another Kurt Angle match are far from confirmed.

In some form he'll be around https://t.co/VH2iB7uDJK

— . (@davemeltzerWON) January 16, 2017

Kurt — who left WWE in 2006 at the age of 37 amidst health issues and a painkiller addiction — told ESPN in a recent interview that he has no official plans, as of now, to step back into a WWE ring.

“[WWE and I] have not talked about any wrestling. Whether we do or not, that remains to be seen,” said Angle to ESPN. “There are no guarantees. I think right now the most important thing is the Hall of Fame — and I think both sides feel that way.”

No doubt, WWE rumors point to the company’s reluctance to host another Kurt Angle match coming after years of post-WWE news stories documenting Angle’s well-publicized issues with drugs and alcohol, primarily while employed as a member of TNA Impact Wrestling’s roster.

Still, the Kurt Angle of today proudly maintains his sobriety as one of his biggest achievements, perhaps even as big as an Olympic gold medal win. Earlier last year, Kurt told Sports Illustrated the following.

“I treat my battle with addiction the same way I treated my Olympic gold medal. I realize I’m not going to overcome my addiction overnight… It is one day at a time, which is the same way I trained. Every day is important to stay clean — not only for me, but also for my family. If I make the wrong move, I’m dead and my kids are fatherless. That’s helped me stay clean.”

Despite this newly focused mindset, Kurt has gone on record a number of times in recent years to talk about who he would love to face from WWE, a list that has included everyone from his WrestleMania XIX opponent Brock Lesnar, to Daniel Bryan, to his former TNA colleague — and WWE World Heavyweight Champion — A.J. Styles.

In fact, most WWE rumors point to a potential match between Angle and Styles as a likely scenario, should Kurt and WWE secretly negotiate a WrestleMania match for him this year.

“The thing with A.J. Styles, and I want everybody to realize this–you don’t have to do anything with him,” Kurt recalled during a Making their Way to the Ring podcast interview with Lilian Garcia. “He does all the work. So it’s an easy match for you.”

Regarding the rest of the card for this year’s WrestleMania, strangely, the expected matches have been slow to trickle in.

WWE rumors certainly point to a main-event showdown between Brock Lesnar and the returning former WCW star Bill Goldberg. This match — which would be the third in the series between the two monsters — immediately follows the recent Survivor Series match between them when Goldberg shockingly pinned Lesnar in just 1:26 of action.

The rumor-mill also points toward John Cena and The Undertaker squaring off at this year’s super-show. Despite recent rumors that this planned dream match may have been called off for various reasons, it still stands to logic that the two would finally be given the green light.

Another highly-anticipated match would be the showdown of (presumably) former best friends Kevin Owens — who most expect to lose the title before WrestleMania — and Chris Jericho, likely with Jericho’s United States title on the line.

Finally, many expect to see Bayley continue to climb the ladder — both regarding WWE’s pecking order and in fans’ popularity — to ultimately challenge Charlotte Flair in a Raw Women’s title rematch at WrestleMania.

Other WWE rumors for matches include Seth Rollins vs. Triple H; Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman; a multiple-person match featuring the Intercontinental title; a Smackdown Women’s title match featuring Becky Lynch and/or Alexa Bliss taking on the returning Mickie James; and the highly-touted Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Regardless of how the matches actually pan out, however, WWE fans the world over will no doubt be excited about the show — especially if Kurt Angle finds his way onto the card.

[Featured Image by Mark Mainz/Getty Images]