The Mirror has an interview with TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle who was promoting the upcoming Slammiversay PPV. Below are a couple of highlights:
Why He Didn’t Sign With WWE:
“I don’t think so, I don’t think that Triple H and I have any problems with each other, I’ve always liked him. He’s always treated me with respect and I’ve always treated him the same. No, I don’t think it was that. There was a point when my manager talked to them and I believe they did say ‘he would have to wrestle full-time’. That is not an option for me, not at this point in my career. So, whether that was part of it, honestly I just don’t think they had that much interest in signing Kurt Angle at that point. For whatever reason, it could have been my mishaps in my past, it could have been that they didn’t think I was healthy enough to go – and obviously I am – but we never got a full answer of why they couldn’t give me what I wanted. And it wasn’t just what I wanted, it was a reduced schedule, but there was no option.
“Dixie Carter gave me exactly what I wanted and it wasn’t a hard decision. I wasn’t upset, I was excited about signing another year with TNA. I think they did an incredible job this year. They had to refocus, they had to re-group, they had some issues in the past, and I think they’ve done an incredible job of making their way back. Are they back to what they were? No. But they’re on their way and they’re doing so many good things right now that make me excited about being part of the company.”
Going Up Against EC3 At Slammiversary:
“Yeah, that’s one of the matches I was really looking forward to coming back and doing. I didn’t know what creative had in store for EC3, but I knew that he was going to win the world heavyweight title this year. The writing was on the wall, he was the guy that you wanted to put that title on, so it was a matter of time. I just didn’t know how they were going to get there. So I feel very blessed to at least be a part of that, because whether or not I beat or lose to EC3 in this match, I believe in this programme somewhere along the line he’s going to win the title. So what better way to win the title than beat Kurt Angle? I think that’s a great move on the company’s part and it’s also great for me because I get the chance to wrestle EC3, and it’s also great for me because I will probably be the one most likely to end his undefeated streak, so there are many things in that storyline that can be a lot of fun for both of us.”
