In an interview with WrestleZone, Kurt Angle discussed his time in TNA Wrestling from 2006 to 2016, stating that he considers it to be more impactful than his WWE tenure.
Angle addressed a common fan belief: “I always get, ‘You know, Kurt Angle would have been the best of all time if he would have stuck in the WWE and wrestled there for 20 years.’ That may be true, but what’s the difference? I wrestled in TNA for 11 of my 20 years, and I think that should be added on.”
During his time in TNA, Angle faced off against some of the biggest names in wrestling, including AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Sting. “I had a better career in TNA because I came into my own,” he said. “When you’re a professional wrestler, it takes you about 6, 7 years to really master your craft. And that’s when I left WWE, after 6 years. And I went to TNA and I was a man on a mission there; and I just did incredibly well there.”
Angle expressed frustration that his TNA accomplishments don’t receive the recognition he believes they deserve. “I don’t get enough accolades for it, you know? I mean, I know that a lot of people consider me one of the best of all time now regardless of my TNA career. But that career gets a little bit stifled.
That really bothers me a little bit because, you know, I was really that good. I mean, I had an incredible career. Don’t get me wrong, the WWE career was great too.”
Despite returning to WWE in 2017, Angle does not regard that period as part of his prime. “Now me coming back to the WWE in 2017, I don’t even count that. Because by then I lost a step, I wasn’t the same person. The reason why I retired early is because I looked at myself on television and I was like, ‘Wow, this looks like an old man wrestling.’ And I didn’t like what I saw.”
Angle’s move to TNA came during a challenging period of his life as he dealt with addiction and health issues, but it marked a career resurgence. He became a 6-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion and played a key role in some of TNA’s most successful pay-per-view events.
His contributions were recognized in 2013 when he was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame.
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