Now that Bill Goldberg has officially returned to WWE, there are only two major names out there that haven’t returned to the company since they left — Kurt Angle and CM Punk.
Even though his UFC debut didn’t go as planned, it doesn’t look like Punk will return to WWE anytime soon. In fact, he’ll probably have a couple more fights before he even considers a return to professional wrestling.
As for Kurt Angle, well, WWE hasn’t been interested in bringing him back since he was released from the company a decade ago, but it does seem like there’s at least a little bit of interest from the WWE side now that Angle has cleaned up his life.
In recent years, WWE chairman Vince McMahon has been hesitant to bring Angle back to the company, simply because his life was a mess. In the years following his WWE release, Angle was cited for driving under the influence four different times. On top of that, he was taking a massive amount of Vicodin every single day, which he detailed on a recent edition of the Steve Austin Show podcast.
Now, Angle says that he’s been completely clean and sober for three years, and that he’s planning to sign with whoever offers him the best deal in 2017.
Does Nakamura get called up in the next year? I answer that, but do you really want him to? Kurt Angle back to WWE? https://t.co/kKldMhZPII
— Justin LaBar (@JustinLaBar) November 12, 2016
According to Wrestle Zone , Kurt Angle will be on WWE television at some point next year, and he could very well make his return at the 2017 Royal Rumble on January 29.
WWE is hoping that the 2017 Royal Rumble will break the event’s previous attendance record, which was set almost 20 years ago. How are they planning to do that? Well, it’s already been reported that they’re reaching out to legends such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker, as they’re hoping that all three men will at least appear on the show.
Is WWE talking to Kurt Angle as well? We don’t know. But, Angle did say in a recent interview that he’s spoken with Paul Levesque — better known as Triple H — about coming back, and that WWE is interested in bringing him back . He also said that if he returns to the company, it’ll be at some point in 2017.
WWE typically likes to have three or four legends make their return to the ring during the annual Royal Rumble match. In recent years, we’ve seen huge names like Kevin Nash, Booker T, Chris Jericho, and Diamond Dallas Page make their in-ring return during the match. We’ve also seen some incredible debuts, as AJ Styles made his highly anticipated debut during this year’s match.
November 14th 1999. 17 years ago today @RealKurtAngle made his WWE debut, 11 months later he was the WWE Champion. #WWE pic.twitter.com/HAlIPdjWIU
— WWE Today In History ? (@WWE__History) November 14, 2016
Next year’s Royal Rumble is scheduled to take place in San Antonio, Texas, and on top of talking to Austin, Michaels, and The Undertaker, WWE is reportedly trying to get a few big Hispanic superstars, such as Rey Mysterio , to be a part of the event. So, Angle may end up getting lost in the shuffle and return at a later date.
As previously mentioned, Angle is planning to sign with someone in 2017, and given the fact that his former employer — TNA/Impact Wrestling — is struggling to pay their bills, he probably won’t end up going back there. Could he go to a place like Ring of Honor? Sure, but that really wouldn’t make much sense. He could go to New Japan Pro Wrestling, but chances are he doesn’t want to work for a company that isn’t based in the United States. So, that really only leaves one choice for him — WWE.
Will Kurt Angle be a part of the 2017 Royal Rumble ? It’s possible. But, it’s far more likely that he’ll end up being the pre-order bonus for next year’s WWE 2K video game, and that will set the wheels in motion for his return to the company.
[Featured Image by WWE]