Scrapped plans for Kurt Angle in WWE emerge

The scrapped plans for Kurt Angle’s WWE return have been revealed, with the WWE Hall of Famer set to work with a number of WWE’s top current stars. 

In the days leading up to the Royal Rumble it was reported that the former WWE Champion was in talks with WWE over an on-screen return – something which Angle later confirmed.

WWE has since done a U-turn on those talks and his return, but we have learnt on what the plan was for the Olympic Gold Medallist. 

Fightful Select is reporting that Angle was set to be inserted into the storyline between RK-Bro and Alpha Academy, with a pitch for the recent Academic Challenge to be called ‘Three I’s Challenge’ in homage to one of the Hall of Famer’s most famous catchphrases.

There was also talk of Angle potentially being a special guest referee for one of the bouts at the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event, although for which match it is not known. 

Angle hasn’t been seen in WWE since 2020, where he acted as guest referee in the Fight Pit match between Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher in NXT, and then a few days later announced Riddle’s arrival on SmackDown. There were plans to bring in the 53-year-old as a manager for Riddle, but the idea was quickly nixed and in the process Kurt’s return. 

He recently explained on his podcast that he did attend the Royal Rumble event, ahead of a potential return but those plans were cancelled. Instead, he used the time to record some interviews for some upcoming WWE documentaries and photo opportunities with fans.